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18 June, 2012 

A French Life

This Sunday we went to Kingston to get some groceries and bike accessories when hubby mentioned that once he saw an architectual salvage yard from his car but cannot remember where. And few minutes later we turned around a corner and there it was, A French Life.

What a little piece of heaven it was, full of Belle Epoque, Art Deco, Mid Century furniture and accessories. Beautifully aged wood and metal for home and outdoor, it had my heart racing.

Dreamy wardrobes and tiny cabinets. Large kitchen cupboards with glass display, galvanised watering cans, tables, glassware and pottery. Deco sinks and fireplaces, flamboyant lamps and odd bits. I loved it all and wished for a larger home or two!

The stock arrives from France every Thursday and the Kingston shop sells it as it is in its raw form, some pieces get treated and these go to their beautiful Battersea shop.

The owner says he will recycle everything and just look at those drain pipes, what a great idea.

I really want a couple of these watering cans.

A French Life

53 Richmond Road

Kingston Upon Thames KT2 5BP

563- 565 Battersea Park Road,

Battersea, SW11 3BL

All pictures are from the shop’s website.

5 June, 2012 

The Common that keeps on giving

Remember that wonderful weather we had a couple of weeks ago? No? I had to look at some pictures to remind myself, it seems like a distant dream with this horrid rain. Enough now, it’s June!

Wimbledon Common looks stunning in all seasons so we went to hide in its cool shade and pick some cow parsley and elder. The elder didn’t last long so the cow parsley got paired with pink stocks, it looked really nice.

21 November, 2011 

A very successful shopping trip

Yesterday we went to our usual car boot sale and got few bits. Afterward we headed to Old London Road in Kingston. We popped into 37 Old London Road which was in one of the funnier episodes of Mary Queen of Shops, they have a very tasteful selection of old, new and reworked goods, some great tables and kitchen cabinets in particular. A world apart from their pre-Mary shop selling glass mules and a bathrobe clad son/shop assistant.

Next door is Kingston Antiques Centre which I passed by on several occasions but never stepped in, it looked closed. We went in and I thought I died and went to a vintage heaven – room after room crammed with antiques, every smallest nook filled to the brim, Victorian, Art Deco, Mid Century, modern M&S, it just went on and on, and there was another floor! Lo and behold – a Polish cafe to refresh yourself with a cup of instant cappuccino (yuck) and a bowl of home made chicken soup (delish).

We ended our trip at Princess Alice Hospice furniture store where we purchased a wardrobe, it comes on Wednesday and I cannot wait. After a year of a clothes rack and piles of shoe boxes scattered around the place this will be a brilliant improvement. Fingers crossed we can get it in!

Few purchases from the car boot fair.

23 October, 2011 

Long autumnal walks and the last bbq of the year.

We had lovely weather, probably one of the last good weekends before the cold and rain come.

On Saturday we went to our first baby birthday party, I was responsible for the cake which was a great success. I baked chocolate sponge (Mary Berry’s recipe) layered with lightly sugared whipped cream and raspberries. Then I decided to cover the sides with the cream too. The top was covered with Nigel Slater’s rich chocolate and butter icing which then run down the sides so I decided to cover the whole cake with it. I sprinkled the cake with pink beads and took it to the party. It was good, the babies had a tiny bit too and went mental. Freddie’s cheeks were bright red and the boy could not stop jumping. No pictures of the sliced cake as it disappeared very fast.

Today we went for a long walk in Wimbledon Common, it’s such a beautiful place in autumn.

Then we pottered round the garden, we are starting to prepare it for winter, lots of clearing to be done. Then we decided to have a bbq.

Quick tomato salad and even quicker fig and mozzarella salad with bit of extra virgin olive oil and honey. Some cheeky chipolatas and beers. Perfection.

16 October, 2011 

Car boot sale

Today we had the coldest morning since last winter, it was so cold I regretted not taking my gloves. We still braved it to a car boot sale, it turned out to be a great decision as we came back with a decent amount of goodies.

A mid century tile to serve as a place mat for hot dishes and a great orange coffee pot. I thought it looked good next to my geranium plant and vintage apple ice bucket but it ended up on the staircase window of which more soon, this space is getting a face lift. Price £5 for both.

This beautiful Deco lamp shade will go perfectly in our home, either in the entry hall or in our living room, still haven’t decided, £10.

Two vintage serving bowls, just the look I was after, not the greatest of conditions but at 40p for both I won’t complain. They will look great with the silver plated serving spoons I got last time, especially when used on a balmy evening in the garden…next year.

A massive addition to our Ladybird book collection at £1 a pop, we got 10 books from 1960s.

Lots more to share: good reads, knitting, a classic pie and a tea party. Stay tuned. I also quit my job and went freelance, first project starts tomorrow, first week without my baby boy, scary and exciting.

19 September, 2011 

Living in the sticks part 2 – Dorich House Museum

Few months ago sitting at home and pondering what to do I searched for local museums and found one about 10 minutes walk from my house. I was delighted to discover this 1930s house designed by the Estonian artist Dora Gordine, where she lived with her husband Richard Hare. She was a sculptor and he was an avid collector of Russian Imperial art.

On one side the house overlooks Richmond Park and is surrounded by a pretty orchard. On the other side is Kingston Vale.

Inside there is Dora’s studio, a large room full of light and a room which displays many of her works.

Upstairs are the living quarters, the round door and arched windows give the space amazing look. Even though the furnishings are modern it all works. There are still some original lights, fireplaces and this wonderful curtain designed by Bloomsbury Group and saved from the rubble.

A truly unique place and what a fascinating figure Dora was.

The house is opened to the public once a month on a Saturday, the dates are on the website. There are a couple of tours on the day which are great if you want to find out all the details about the couple and the house.

 

8 April, 2011 

A day in Kingston

A friend and I met up in Kingston, my new nearest town. I did a spot of shopping in one of my favorite baby shops – Polarn O. Pyret. Kingston is perfect for shopping, especially if you want to avoid Oxford Street, it’s got most of the high street, upmarket boutiques and beauty, department stores including John Lewis, interior shops including Heals, cheap shops and practical shops. It even has got an Apple store. It’s a small shopping heaven. No tourists and none of the central London shopping crowd. The town center is rather charming with lots of mock Tudor town houses and a market. It has got plenty of cafes, cake shops and restaurants.

We visited Jamie’s Italian which is wonderful. On a weekday there is no problem with getting a table – during weekend the queues are insane. They don’t take bookings unless you are arriving with a large party.

I decided to go against my usual choice in any Italian place which is pasta. I went for one of those wonderful salads I always stare at in Jamie’s cookbooks or in his shows, the sort of salad that have amazing ingredients hard to come by. It was a bresoala and roasted beetroot with various greens and mini pink basil and it was huge. And of course delicious.

My friend went for a wild truffle tagliatelle which was as good, the sauce was rich and the fresh made pasta cooked to perfection.

The prices are very wallet friendly and I must say it is better than Fifteen. I will be visiting more often.

Then we strolled down the Thames and soaked up the sun. Freddie insisted on being out of the pram as the boats were beyond exciting and he was only lucky my friend was up for the job.