Marc Kitchen-Smith

Sunday, 4 November 2012

Industrially furnished

The influence of the industrial on interior design is as popular as ever. We particularly like the 'mechanical' approach to design that this aesthetic brings - the function of the object defines its form.

In September, we visited Design Junction at The Old Sorting Office on New Oxford St. There were some fantastic exhibits from leading furniture and interior designers, but it was the mail chutes and machinery of the building itself that we found incredibly inspiring.

Soon after, one of our industrial cabinets was featured in October's issue of 'Elle Decoration', as part of an article on the use of colour and pattern.

We found these lovely steel paint cabinets in Lincolnshire. They had come from an old 1960's autos garage. The scratched, rusty cabinet exteriors hid a vibrant, original egg-yolk yellow painted interiors. The cabinets are very robust, with adjustable shelves and each come with a lock and key.

Like wood, metal can take on a beautiful patina over time. These stacking shelves have just the right combination of original pale blue paintwork and corrosion. Consisting of sections, the are easy to stack, and each one comes with adjustable internal section plates - ideal for book shelving or shoe racks.

This green, painted steel shelf unit has two panels of original 1930's black glass. It would make an ideal bedside/sofa-side table or bathroom storage unit.

Thursday, 4 October 2012

All Things Bright and Beautiful

How can you spot a 'Delightful Object'? Well, it might be its age, design, patina, functionality, or sometimes simply its colour. An object's colour can reflect both the era in which it was produced and the market it was produced for. Maybe it was advertising a product, or catching a child's gaze in a toy shop window. Here are some of our most vibrant items in stock at the moment...

Originally designed by the infamous Robin Day for furniture makers S. Hille & Co. in 1963, these polypropylene stacking chairs are iconic pieces of design, seen everywhere from schools and hospitals to restaurants, cafés, and airports.

They've been so successful, they've never gone out of production, merely evolving with subtle design changes. These vibrant child-size examples were known as the 'E-Series' designed for educational establishments in 1972, and their size graded by a letter of the alphabet alongside the Hille trademark underneath the seat. The orange ones here are a 'B', whilst the blue ones are very small nursery school size 'A".

What could be more dramatic than that (terribly British) red/white/blue combo? We always try and have a few framed vintage Union Flags in stock - they make such great, vibrant wall decorations. This large framed flag is over four feet wide, and was brought back from one of our trips to Canada. It's in perfect 'tatty' condition - complete with authentic faded edges and the odd tiny rip or hole.

BIG and BRIGHT RED! We love these vintage homemade wooden toy trains for dressing our showroom. They add an essential colour accent to a minimal monochrome scheme, which is probably why they sell so quickly... or is it that they tap into people's nostalgia for a long-lost childhood?

Funky, red, AND with shiny bits! We just had to buy this child's sledge when we saw it on one of our trips to Sweden. A basic yet sophisticated child's sledge dating (we think) from the 1950s - it's crude steering mechanism pivots the front left or right. Whether it ever sees any snow is questionable, but hey, it looks great just to have it to look at!

We bought these two enamel signs because of their great graphic qualities. Using the classic Automobile Association black and yellow colour scheme, they combine deco-style patterned borders with bold '50's typography. They really are in nice condition too!!

It was particularly beautiful teal blue that this old 1930's pine stepladder had been painted that meant we simply had to have it! It's a sturdy number, and as you can see it makes an excellent bookshelf.

No prizes for guessing what this nifty bit of advertising was selling. Worthy of being framed, this gorgeous 1940's cardboard advert in the shape of a bar of Palmolive Soap, is still as vibrant as the day it was printed.

Sunday, 20 May 2012

Jubilant Times

The build-up to a summer of Great Britishness has begun! Britannia has decked out the place in her finest Union Flag bunting, has stacked her shops' shelves with all manner of quality merchandise, and is ready for the world to come over for some tea and cake.

The first major event is of course the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations (although for some, the extra bank holiday will be the real cause for celebration).

We've got our china cabinet full of original Elizabeth II coronation mugs, as well as a few Silver Jubilee ones.

For those with rather grander ambitions (and wall space) this fab vintage flag is the way to celebrate in style.

London is leading the way with the Jubilee celebrations. We have got some more of our London cushions in stock to help bring a bit of Capital Style to your living room.

Whether you're celebrating our monarch's reign, or just happy to have an extra day off to escape to sunnier climes, enjoy!

Sunday, 29 April 2012

There's no place like home

It's good to have things around you that just make you feel at home. A smattering of chintz and a decorative touch never did an interior any harm (no matter what a renowned Swedish homewares chain might have us believe)...

Lighting is one of THE most important things to get right in making a house (or flat) a home. We spotted this quirky-looking oil lamp at a West Country farm sale. The application of a bit of imagination repurposes what originally looked like a (slightly battered) three-legged alien lifeform into something rather more domestic.

We've given it a respray, converted it to electric, and rewired it with a contrasting burgundy flex to make it look a bit more contemporary.

We are very choosy about the tables we buy, but this 19th century gate-leg table had all the right qualities. Made of pine, rather than the more common oak, it retains all its layers of old paint, giving it that much sought-after patina of age.

This is a very practical space-saving piece of furniture, worthy of any home, old or modern.

'Simple yet elegant' best describes this Oxford framed mirror. Made of pitched pine, and decorated with small brass rosettes in each corner, it is nice example of the late Victorian Gothic style.

It has been repainted and clear-waxed. It takes it's place in our eclectic current stocklist of mirrors.

It was the beautiful vintage fabric on this relatively simple folding three-panel screen that caught our discerning eye.

The lovely printed linen features classical swags, ribbon bows, and puttis astride dolphins - very much in the 18th century style, despite dating from the late Victorian/Edwardian era. The little bits of wear to the fabric simply enhance the antique qualities of this piece of furniture. It may even earn the dreaded 'shabby chic' label. A boudoir essential!

How cute are these? A pair of vintage carved wood bookends, in the form of two patient terriers happily standing guard over your favourite set of books.

Originally produced as tourist souvenir items in the Alpine/Black Forest regions of Europe, they are carefully crafted in wood with inset glass eyes. We have a few examples of these, all with slight variations in size or pose (including one set of dachshunds!).

Trunks, chests and blanket boxes are always popular, functioning as characterful storage devices or as coffee-tables or side-tables. This one is a particularly classy example of a 19th century pine blanket box, retaining its original external green-black paintwork and, remarkably, its original Victorian lock and key.

We have given it a fresh coat of paint internally and clear-waxed the exterior.

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