Retrouvius: Contemporary Salvage: Designing Homes from a Philosophy of Re-Use by Maria Speake, published by Rizzoli A sculptural monolithic fireplace salvaged from Somerset brings rural England into this Notting Hill home, photograph © Kim Lightbody ‘There are moments...
From discovering old things to give new life to finding newness in the way we dress or decorate, vintage shopping in a different city often gives me fresh styling for thought. Brussels is bureaucratic yet bizarre, self-confident yet unshowy, and one of my favourite...
Fresh from my conversation with David Lucas, founder of Reclaimed Radiators (cue podcast plug—you can listen here), I found myself thinking about my first visit to a reclamation yard. It turns out David and I shared a connection in our journeys: Walcot Reclamation in...
It all began with a mid-century Mexican hand mirror that now hangs in my hall. For the next episode of the Reclaimed Woman podcast, think about the things that give a home feeling, and meet Opto, a homeware brand of one-of-a-kind vintage pieces founded by Brian Tufte...
I founded Reclaimed Woman to share the journey of my renovation with as much reuse of salvage and vintage pieces as possible. After restoring my home with reclaimed materials, I was encouraged to challenge myself and how I lived, worked, and even dressed to do things...
I celebrated my 40th in Antwerp, where I received a much more appealing midlife vintage Jaguar - this 70s silver necklace found at the Sint-Jansvliet street market. This was my first of a few favourites for vintage & antiques in Antwerp. From Art Nouveau...
Not far from the bustle of Putney High Street, signs for the George and Beth vintage pop-up beckon you to a peaceful residential street. The hosts, Helen and Hannah greet you warmly into their home, which is reimagined as a shoppable wonderland for a couple of times...
I like to get the mood of a new place via the vintage scene, and Lisbon did not disappoint. I had my list - the flea market, a bunch of vintage and pre-loved fashion shops and an antique shop that specialised in tiles. Of course, I discovered other places that made my...
We wanted to be ambitious with the kitchen, so although it took us two and a half years to renovate, I started sourcing reclaimed and salvaged elements as soon as we moved in. Living in our flat and gradually collecting kitchen pieces—some of which have been stored in...
Pull up a seat, because your favourite bistro might just hold the bon ideas you need if you are designing a kitchen or looking to refresh the room. Bistros may have emerged in Paris, but to this day they carry signatures that are shared in eateries across...
Mirror - midcentury, Swedish sofa - 1880s, pendant light - 1980s. I am fond of an interior design remix, but getting it right can be tricky, so I called upon experts dealing in everything from architectural antiques to vintage, textiles and art to help master...
I have yet to attempt to encapsulate the London vintage shopping scene for the same reason I have not written a Paris guide (until now): the choice is intimidating. It is impossible to enjoyably squeeze even these twelve recs into the length of a usual city break, so...
I found myself staying on Courage Yard this week as we moved out of our flat to renovate the kitchen. Naturally, I’ve been thinking about my first reclaimed renovation when I transformed the kitchen into a walk-in wardrobe, and strangely, remodelling the kitchen has...
Offers on things that won't last or make our lives better are about to be everywhere as Black Friday promotions roll in. Don't get me wrong, it can be a good time of year to make big purchases like electrical appliances, tech or beauty staples at a "steal", but Black...
From the walls to the worktop and the floor, your kitchen renovation may offer the perfect playground to use reclaimed materials. It is an ideal space to be ambitious as most of us spend a lot of time in our kitchens, and reclaimed elements have already passed the...
Once nicknamed Little Paris, Koukaki is the neighbourhood I was lucky to call home for my recent visit to Athens. Little did I know that its ode to Paris for me would uncover 70s Saint Laurent and 80s Celine. Once an industrial district named after the founder of an...
For the first time in a decade, the ENO are opening their archives for a special sale. This unique event arises from a need to make space for new, exciting productions on the horizon. More than a simple sale, this is a unique opportunity for enthusiasts and collectors...
‘Our lives don’t need more things, things need to be given more lives’ read a corkboard beckoning me into the exhibition by Burniture, a new collective working with furniture that is skipped, unwanted, broken, about to be burnt… I am no stranger to street-found...
Spring heralds new stories, and a group of antiques dealers that were born, branched out or set up shop in the last couple of years are set to share theirs at the Bath Decorative Antiques Fair in March. What may have seemed like a moment for antiques attracting...
Julia Roberts’ wardrobe in Pretty Woman is often referenced when 90s fashions are trending, but the interiors struck me most the last time I watched it. Although a set, the penthouse suite created for the film was in keeping with the Beaux Arts style of the Beverly...
So far, I have salvaged an Arts and Crafts hall stand and the below late sixties lithograph poster from a Chagall exhibition at the Maeght Foundation in St Paul. I knew the Edwardian hall stand had value, but it was not until I researched the poster that I found it...
“Is that what the kids are calling it these days?” a friend messaged me in response to my “weekend working on the floor with my husband.” Despite distractions, including mould and moths, our renovation is moving along. We now have reclaimed terracotta roof tiles for...
Ewe Kente textiles from the Volta region in Ghana © Tribal Arts & Textiles Art and design have the enviable ability to break down barriers that traditionally divide cultures. The universality of interiors that involve and speak to people around the world is surely...
My new flat is the equivalent of workout leggings. It’s comfortable and a little styling goes a long way, but I am anxious that renovating at a slow pace will be the home equivalent of a hard transition out of trousers with an elasticated waist. My current sense...
As the leaves start to fall, it’s time to feel again with a plethora of physical decorative antiques fairs in the diary. The last eighteen months have been challenging, but thanks to an unwavering business drive, digital community (and sales!) the architectural...
Save the dates 16 - 19 June 2021 because the original architectural salvage fair has found its new home, with the best bits of the virtual and real world to toast Salvo’s 30th Pearl Anniversary. Seven years ago I hadn’t even stepped foot inside a salvage yard, so my...
Reclaimed Eames style leather office chair to make a loved one more comfy wfh. Architectural Forum on Salvo Organic & Botanic Madagascan coconut rejuvenating night moisturiser Dr Botanicals Reclaimed vintage silks headband by War & Drobe + We-Resonate....
Wearing accessories from my new carbon conscious label ethazon When Beck and I first came together to create ethazon we desired an eco fashion place for people to dress for the world they want. Fast forward two years and we have seen a flurry of fashion trying to...
How will fashion become fashionable again after lockdown? We are waiting to see if the expected shift to more conscious shopping will be accelerated following the reflection time that beings, brands and businesses have had to take in the bigger picture. Categories...
Week three wfh and I am ready to be wild from home. The highlight of my weekend was singing Nirvana's Teen Spirit whilst dancing around the lounge with my husband. "You call that wild? You need to get out more" I hear you say. Yes, I do. And one day I will. We all...
I won’t try to dress-up the fact that this is consumption season and this week sets the spending scene with a bombardment of Black Friday offers. Whether you are wrapping up your 2019 projects, buying gifts, or figuring out how to dress yourself and your home...
"You’re going to open a cleaning shop?!" questioned Bella Middleton’s mum when she came up with the idea to create eco-friendly cleaning products. Now a fully fledged member of the Norfolk Natural Living team, Bella’s mum works in their shop in Holt, which has...
Reclaimed materials at Alberts Schloss in Manchester © Insitu Architectural Salvage The Manchester-based fast fashion retailer, Missguided recently made headlines for the wrong reasons with a £1 bikini. Depending on which side of the sun lounger you woke up on, you...
Fireplace from Wharton Antiques on SalvoWEB / Vivienne Westwood sunglasses on 1stdibs
Ardingly Antiques & Collectors Fair showed its mettle (albeit disguised as petals )this week, as a major fair that continues to attract a strong following of dealers, designers and private buyers. It could have been the sunny start and morning light hitting the...
Had I not already left my heart in San Francisco in 2015 when I met the man I would marry seven months later, Love Street Vintage would have stolen it. Sustainable gems are dotted in many neighbourhoods, but High on a hill, Haight Street calls if you are after a...
This edit sums up my mood for the month ahead. It's that time of year when your pinkie ring should give you super powers and you can cloak your face and your body in pillows [when not showing off that you're capable of dancing in white whilst eating cranberry...
Is it me or are haircare ads stuck in the 1950s? Can the contents of one plastic bottle really deliver on all of those promises? And are we even looking for those things at the end of a good shampooing? Hair diaries of women with great locks usually involve a lotta...
Long gone are uninviting dark Dickensian cluttered shops. Antiques have entered a new (eco) friendly state where they have never been more desirable. If you are excited to step back inside now that the number of hot days have outweighed ideas for al fresco...
I didn’t see myself squeezing into another capsule challenge so soon - having spent 6 of the coldest weeks in just 6 items of clothes for Labour Behind the Label at the start of the year - but this was too good to resist… 10 items, 10 days, easy right? Ah, but this...
If you’re looking for proof that magic exists then Kimaya's ethical elegance will suit you. After more than a decade working on fashion planet aka Paris, Anne-Sophie Planet swapped city life for southern India to realise her dreams as a designer. Following her...
I packed learnings of balance in my suitcase back from Berlin (alongside this Resolution organic cotton tee by Cruba). I should have known it would be a knowledge excursion when I spotted my school history teacher on our flight over. Ms Hodson taught me everything I...
Nobody wants to feel like a tourist. Who us? No no, we’re trailblazers - so you can imagine our surprise when we discovered our destination of choice is Lonely Planet’s No.1 city to visit in 2018. If like me you have to work through some guilt before enjoying your...
Having recently calculated that the renovation of my flat is 4x more sustainable than one planet living, I could be feeling smug, but with two flights in the pipeline next month I am less carbon footprint proud. Let me explain… One Planet Living is a framework...
Encaustic tiles The Vintage Floor Tile Company Artelli Canasto bag from Rev En Vert Organic cotton shirt & organic denim skirt both War & Drobe [If you're in London get yourself down to War & Drobe at 31 Lamb's Conduit Street from 14th - 27th May...
I know Sex in the City has been relegated to box-set territory but sometimes I refer to my flat as sustainability in the city, because like Carrie Bradshaw, I keep sweaters where my stove would have been. Reflecting on the moment I decided to turn my kitchen into my...
Abacá / Montezuma's also see Tidy Street general store to easily shop Abacá in the UK
My Six Items Challenge made packing simple for a last minute work trip to Madrid. I got out the Gabriele Vintage green dress - a symbol of fresh starts and progress, as we think of the green light as go. This Maison Bengal bag I got from Tidy Street general store in...
Retrouvius / MMPillowStore
I saw the Queen yesterday (the day I wore jeans). More on that later as I didn’t have the energy to write last night. This morning my friend made me chuckle with a link to an Inc. article - Why Successful People Wear the Same Thing Every Day You see by wearing the...
Six weeks wearing only six items of clothing - one of which is this white Reformation dress. I'm glad to say it survived day one of the challenge and Valentine's Day date night. Big napkins are a must for me now. Support and share my page here 📣 ©Photograph...
At the risk of sharing TMI, I just got back from a romantic trip to Bruges which perfectly coincided with my period. I don’t normally write in acronyms, but having found a new solution to life’s unmentionables, I feel like my pre-teen self experiencing a period for...
I recently transformed my kitchen into a walk-in wardrobe and my living room into my kitchen, so I thought this was a recipe worth sharing. My kitchen before Tiny kitchens are the norm in flats in London and although at one stage I merely used mine to reheat or "cook”...
party season trousers Morv London rare card c.1910 from dealer Val Jackson-Harris at The Ephemera Society Winter Fair
Fashion Revolution fanzine #001:Money Fashion Power pages of poetry, illustration, photography, graphic design and editorials that explore the hidden stories behind our clothes green rose earrings by Gung Ho from Ethical Collection nothing more, nothing less t-shirt...
I recently discovered that my nickname at university was the swan. Okay so I have a long neck, but my friend suggested that it was more likely to do with my perfect hair. Rest assured, I also dislike the woman with the “perfect hair” my friend described, as...
Just like a business, we personally rely on our reputation so we should all know a bit about PR. The other week I saw movement maker and musician, Charlie Dark talk about his life through the theme of encouragement. The plus one of a friend, I had no idea what I...
Run, don’t walk through the gates of Goldfinger's Haggerston School when the Midcentury East show returns to the London Borough of Hackney on 15 October 2017 - for pieces like this psychedelic film poster from exhibitor Orson & Welles will be in high demand. It...
Chinti and Parker / Westland London I just watched the nineties classic So I Married an Axe Murderer for the first time. If you haven't seen it, I urge you to check out Mike Myers' beatnik poetry performance from the film. Hence why my...
Weekday / Retrouvius
Whether you're into antiques or not, Tallboy Interiors takes a new approach to old interiors that can inspire us all for the cosy season ahead. On his 18th birthday, Matt Dixon of Tallboy Interiors was given £1000 from his parents to spend as he wanted. Instead of...
Laura Ironside / Tallboy Interiors
Lulled into a false sense of ceramic security by the fact my mum had a Belfast sink in her back garden (don’t most mums?!), I was expecting a kitchen sink to be one of the easiest things to source. I would have taken my mum’s, but she is saving it for her own...
Aside from the fact I love a bit of Radio 4's Dessert Island Discs (where presenter Kirsty Young asks famous guests to pick eight records to take if they were to be stranded on a dessert island), Stella McCartney's Dessert Island Discs seemed a good excuse to define...
Carla Colour Lind recycled sunglasses from Ethical Collection Amour jute tote The Jacksons also check for the jute totes on Ethical Collection & at their Portobello pop-up shop open until 30th July 2017. They have a delicious selection of Carla Colour...
Ever practical, I chose a glazed 1940s staff noticeboard reclaimed from London’s Kings Cross station from SalvoWEB to style as my kitchen cabinet. Not that I was intending to consume as many tubes of tortilla chip Pringles as the decorators, but soon only pretty...
Vintage Roots / The Architectural Forum
Think you are ready for your renovation project, then prepare to neglect your usual e-com candy for sites like Broken Bog. My daily scroll of choice was Style.com when I started planning my flat renovation, which has since been discontinued as Condé Nast partner with...
Pachacuti / Retrouvius
Antonia Burrell Holistic Skincare / The Home Bothy
I just visited Athens, city of marble for the first time. The Greek side of my husband's family visited us in London before we all headed to a big fat Greek wedding in Athens. I'll keep references to that film brief, but it's been a running joke since my first dinner...
I’ve got my eyes on a pair of made in England clogs stocked at Mahala, an independent homewares and accessories shop selling handmade bags and handcrafted pieces by designer/maker Emily Griffin. Emily’s East London shop is based in an old fishmonger, where a material...
If you love wine, but you are less attached to the sulphites, perhaps in search of vegan or biodynamic wine, then you need to know about the organic wine people, Vintage Roots. The name was derived from a reggae compilation tape on a road trip the founders took to...
One year ago I left my corporate fashion job to follow a more conscious life. My job gave me pleasure and pain, and enabled me to buy my first home in west London. Like a secret diary, I started to blog about my journey into a more sustainable existence (shoe...