What I wouldn't give to walk into this fabric shop...

I have found myself reading my Winter 1969/1970 American Fabrics (issue 85) magazine snuggled up in bed these past two nights. It is the first day of Winter today, but it has been cold in these parts for some weeks. My thick comforter and hazy bedside lamp have called me away from the chills already. I read a really interesting article on home sewing in this edition - and I just adore this main photo from the article. Not only is it quite funny (as the 'new' fabric shop is now 'old'), but it also struck me that this is probably my fantasy shop - or, one of them anyway. Others would be fabric shops from the 1960s, 1950s, 1940s and so on. Have a look at those thick, lush bolts on the top floor...wouldn't you just love to walk down that window-framed aisle and touch them? I wonder what colours these beauties are, too? Oh, what a fantasy I have!

I could live here

Sigh. I would never leave my house. Ever. Ever. Ever.

Except that it's a golf clubhouse. But that doesn't matter - I'd turn it into a house pronto...

Found here.

Pure modernist Frank Lloyd Wright - it takes your breath away!

I found this via Apartment Therapy this morning and my heart has been aflutter ever since. This is the last house Frank Lloyd Wright did - it's called The Palmer House - and you can rent it, if you can believe it! More information here and here - I just couldn't help but pop these photos on the blog as isn't it amazing modernist design? Gorgeous.

Totally digging 1946

Nautilus by Javier Senosiain - organic architecture

This amazing house was designed by Javier Senosiain. It takes my breath away every time I look at it and his other designs. I wish our suburbs had these homes - instead of building boxes, we could mould the earth into natural, organic individuality. I hope you like the journey of the house called 'Nautilus'. It looks like it's straight from a 70s magazine or Logan's Run. But, no - modern day architecture...in it's most basic form and function.

1949 instructions on interior accessories

This is a very cute little piece of how to harmonise your interior - if you were in 1949. I don't think much has changed at all - lots of modernist lines, lots of same accessories (the rest of the article features shelving, bibelots and plants) and very similar personal statements. Cute little illustrations, too :)

How to hang a picture - February 1953

This is a nice little tutorial about space and hanging pics - from House and Garden, Feb, 1953. I shall scan the article when I get a chance. For now - the reasons behind spacing and multiples is quite interesting - see below. Right click to save if you'd like, too!

Busy weekend for us with guests, trips, painting and getting the front garden done. We now have a little glass house so I am also starting to do research on how to grow from seed and when to plant what - very interesting and satisfying. If anyone knows of a good blog source for 'when to sow and plant vegies' etc let us know!

Have a great weekend, all!

Vintage wallpaper designs - 1955

How gorgeous and how darling! Vintage atomic era wallpaper design - 1955, to be precise. The scans are large enough you should be able to see them in detail if you right click and save the files. Enjoy!

The start of Retro Age overhaul #1

A Grant Featherston R160 Armchair And Ottoman Unmarked circa 1953 The contoured wing back of moulded ply with the original buttoned orange upholstery raised on out swept hardwood legs together with a matching ottoman

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I am streamlining. The admittance of the Gemini side getting in the way of structure has propelled me to streamline things even more! There are going to be a few changes around here - thus far, have decided on:

1. We are going to start offering snap sales. But you have to subscribe to the website new arrivals list to be eligible for sales. We're trying to be fair :)
2. The Vintage Day blog is going to be very vintage soon - in fact, dead. More vintage stuff on here instead. Like the Featherston chair above. If it's vintage, is crafty, involves fabric or fibre or fab interiors, then it'll be here. It was too much keeping two blogs going!
3. More stock. More lovely stock. More stock.

Another lamp shade tutorial coming later today!


A Grant Featherston R160 Armchair And Ottoman Unmarked circa 1951. The contoured wing back of moulded ply with buttoned velvet upholstery raised on out swept hardwood legs; together with a matching ottoman.

How to make a 1950s 'The Drum' wallpaper lamp shade

This is more of a traditional lamp shade - the shape is very modernist. I have also found a great picture editorial on 'new' wallpaper from the early 50s I shall include in tomorrow's post...

How to make a pleated wallpaper lamp shade - Barsony style

One of my favourite little nooks in our home is my corner in the lounge room. I have a 1960s small primary school desk and my Barsony black lady lamp. These lamps were the bomb in their day and now they are more collectable than every before. The original shades are very hard to come by - but if you had a base at home now is the time to make a new shade! The 'how to' tutorial is for a pleated wallpaper lamp shade and is from the December 1955 Home Beautiful magazine. I'll have more lamp shades tutes over the next couple of days. These scans are large - you are more than welcome to right click and save them to print out.

How to make six lamp shades - tutorials

Over the next couple of nights I shall be uploading some fabulous vintage 1950 Home Beautiful tutorials on how to make six styles of lamp shades. Our favourite is the Barsony style pleated wallpaper one - and it's so much easier to make than one would have thought...

Stand by...

Floor to ceiling window coverings...

We're renovating. Very slowly. Very. Slowly. I am taking my time making some choices and some hard decisions and J is taking his time doing it all. Mine in brain drain his is muscle strain. Oh well. Boys rooms shall be neautral colourway with one wall (which has their main windows) completely covered with floor to ceiling curtains. Windows shall have a neutral blind for night privacy. Very romantic to me - to boys? Not that wall - but hopefully the other walls and fab open wardrobes will be!

Being a gemini drives me nuts

I am a Gemini. Please don't hold it against me. As soon as people know I am a Gemini and 'supposedly' have two personalities they look fearful and suspicious. I am not a Jekyll and Hyde, but I do have the Gemini passion for starting projects - and then the Gemini boredom thresh-hold kicks in to kill it - always within a month. It makes me laugh - after it makes me frustrated! So I had this Grafton vintage fabric scan to pop up on The Vintage Day blog - and, you know what? I decided to pop it on here instead. Why on earth can't I keep a new idea going?

Grant Featherston chairs - The Vintage Day

I am having such fun with my new blog, The Vintage Day. I love vintage. I love viewing vintage - and I love collecting it. I adore Grant Featherston design and have always wished to come across a chair for $2. You know the dream.

Six degrees - I know an architect who designed Heide II (Heide - Museum of Contemporary Art, Templestowe) and he also knew Grant Featherston. Found out a few weeks ago he flew to Finland and Japan in the 1960s to evaluate which design ethic 'suited' Australia better. Finland won. He visited the original Marimekko factory and his face, even though he's now in his 80s, lights up when he talks about it. He loved their super graphic prints and brought some curtains back to his own home. And then piffed them out when his design ethic changed. I said Bah! to him and he laughed his head off. Hmmmm....

The Vintage Day - Scandinavian furniture in 1967

I've just finished putting up around six posts about vintage furniture - 1967 style. There's a style there for everyone to enjoy - from American Modern (below), to Oriental, to Scandinavian (above) and German. View the blog here.

A Vintage Day - it's time to focus on vintage...

Most of you know my love for all things vintage. The older I get the more my love and adoration grows. And as I renovate our home within that 'vintage ethos' the more I am addicted to vintage interior design.

I have always popped scans and photos of some of my favourite vintage 'things' in this blog. Now I have decided to focus my love of all things vintage on a seperate, dedicated blog...we've called it 'The Vintage Day' and you can view it here. I've only popped three things on thus far - but they give you an idea of what I would like it to be like...they'll be patterns, craft projects, recipes, adverts, illustration, interior design...in fact, all things I come across, love or get a giggle out of...that's what I intend to show you there.

I want to send you back in time...so I hope you enjoy 'The Vintage Day' ride :)