Christmas !!!!!!!!!

Christmas, love it or hate it its here and you can't ignore it. Personally I Love it. To me it is the best time of year because it is the time I stop and think about, if nothing else, what has happened in the year past and what is to come in the new year. And always what is to come is full of hope and expectation, which has to be a good thing. Also I am blessed, Christmas has always meant family, friends, love,  food,  and a warm welcome.....things that have always been present no matter what and that is part of me. And so we had a party and of course Vintage had to figure.



The 'gang' were all there and my god did they do vintage proud.

So this blog is an indulgence of friends and vintage..... two things very dear to my heart.

May your life this 'holiday'season be filled with those that are significant to you and you alone and remember when it comes to relationships.........

There are those that open us up to something new and exotic.
Those that are old and familiar.
Those that bring up lots of questions.
Those that bring you somewhere unexpected.
Those that bring you far from where we started.
Those that bring you back.
BUT the most exciting, challenging and significant relationship of all is the one you have with yourself
and if you find someone to love the you you love well that's just fabulous !!!!!!
Have a wonderful time in the coming weeks and may your NEW YEAR be full of VINTAGE !!!!!

Inspiration

The thing I love about what I do is you can find your inspiration anywhere and you just never know when you will spot something that speaks to you. I do all the usual stuff. I read countless magazines and rip out pages which get filed in my 'Inspiration' folder. I watch all the 'house' programmes on TV and  always check out the interiors of cafes and restaurants who's ambiance and vibe I love. 

I love reading other peoples blogs, love seeing whats new in retail merchandising, get inspiration from interiors books and am fascinated by what 'stylists' and interior designers view as the 'next great thing'......Today's design classics (And trust me Ikea is as good a place as any to pick up that classic !!!!) will be tomorrows vintage. 

I love other peoples homes and get great delight in seeing how their personalities are reflected in the the things they love and the spaces they live in.The truth is I am a bower bird and I do pride myself on mixing, eras, styles, tastes. I know what I like and that is good enough for me.......That's what inspires me.

I have been lucky to have lived in the UK, the United States and now Australia in homes that were very different from each other. BUT my 'home', 'my space' has always been important to me in the process of 'settling'.
I definitely like to have my memories around me and on reflection, have spent alot of  time finding furniture and accessories that I knew would one day be perfect for rooms that I had yet to lay my eyes on. 

I have always loved interiors that have a lived-in, not perfectly kept look. I love collections, things that evoke memories and my home is 'filled with living'. I fall in love with the lived-in, and my house is filled with collections, memories, children, pets, clutter, work, and some days when I am very lucky, lots of creativity. 

 
My vibe is kind of tongue in cheek, bohemian, eclectic. Above all, my things evoke memories, give me joy, make me smile. They remind me of a moment, a place, a friend, good times. My 'stuff' is me, love it or hate it. It chronicles my life, it is who I am and the people I choose to share my stuff with share my passion, my sense of fun, my love of life and a desire to celebrate that which has gone before.

I like to break the rules, push the envelope and damn it have fun doing it - so those who have come along for the ride stay with me....... if nothing else it will be fun. Remember there is a place for everything and if it speaks to you.....it is you.

Follow your heart. If what inspires you is vintage, rustic, eclectic, industrial, or all of these, just go for it. Interior decorating is SIMPLE...... decorate with things that inspire YOU and make YOU happy. Fill your home with the things you love..... It really is that easy.

Calm Down..... Its Only A Table !!!!

Every so often in my vintage, shabby, industrial, adventures I will find something that 'finds me''. I instantly know that I will keep it,  just that little bit longer than I should. It is invariably nothing grand. Its usually something I wasn't looking for. It isn't on my wish list and I find it where I least expect to. But it nearly always ellicits the cry from the Big Man of "calm down its only a ..........", Good luck with filling in the blanks beacuse with my funky, eclectic tastes it really can be ANYTHING.

   

This time it was a table. OK, I hear you say, whatever it is she's drinking I'll have a pint of it !!!!! But just look at this.

This gorgeous find is a shabby, industrial, table that was a fold away card table back in the day. It has all the elements that I look for in my treasures; character, patina, quirkiness, WOW and I LOVE IT - what vintage is all about !!!!.

Look at the shabby, chippy paint on those legs, the colour of which, through just the right amount of rust, is a faded shade of the palest green.

 (Trust me Farrow and Ball would die to include this in their English Heritage Paint range). 

Check out the top, a thick, weathered cardboard which was given the appearance of leather hide and which now has the most amazing patina which only comes with age and use (A bit like all of us !!!!) - just beautiful (A bit like all of us !!!!).

Even the shabby, red rivets around the edge add character and a splash of colour - delightful.

So now you may be thinking what ever she's having.... I'll have TWO pints - But this is why I do what I do. When you find IT , trust me, you just know and for now its home is with me and its story continues.

So What Do You Do Again ?!?!?!?

Vintage Influence

I get asked time and again....  so what is it you do again . So how did Vintage Influence begin and what is it ? So twelve months after I started my little vintage venture here is the low down. It started with a chair for my boys to remind us of England.

Then various friends saw my chair and asked if I could make one for them. And it grew from there hence.....   

       

 All made from vintage linen tea towels stitched together by me. I make unique linens to bring new life to vintage pieces I source or a beloved piece that someone wants to re-upholster. My wonderful upholsterer then transforms my 'tea towel linen' into these 'babies'........A labour of love but I love what I do. I do smaller projects as well and have designed and produced vintage cushions and you know me anything goes. An eclectic portfolio to say the least....

I also rescue, upscale and refurb to create new, individual, unique pieces that I love......

1950's footstools meet South American coffee sacks

A primitive american game board meets a shabby french cafe table base....... et voila !!!!!

I also source all sorts of vintage treasures from antique and bric a brac shops, sunday markets and auction houses that I sell privately through word of mouth or on the wonderful Ebay

 

Gorgeous French Day Bed

 Beautiful French Wash Stands 

A Vintage French Bistro Chair

An American Mission chair - Just loved the colour !!!

Huge Antique French Candleabra - Magnificent !!!

And once a year I am in Vintage Heaven with a stall at The Vintage Extravaganza. This year was my first show and it was amazing !!!!!

My Stall

My Treasures

Vintage !

Vintage !!!

 Vintage !!!!!

And then there is my blog through which I want to share my passion and spread the vintage vibe and if you love anything that I feature just let me know. All my treasures are for sale and spreading the vintage love is what its all about !!!!!

lisa.amirtharajah@yahoo.co.uk