Something I'm interested in right now is 'Grandma Chic'. Girl Meets Glamour alerted me to its existence in her excellent post at http://girlmeetsglamour.blogspot.com/2008/01/its-friday-im-in-love.html, in which she used the beautiful photo above, from U.K. Elle Decoration January '08. M.A. Belle also used the term in her recent post about Cath Kidston at http://m-a-belle.blogspot.com/2008/02/oversized-florals-granny-chic.html. Given that many grandmothers of today are sitting on 1980s apricot vinyl couches in rooms with teddy bear collections, folk art and teaspoons in glass-fronted wall-cabinets, this is a far cry from the loveliness encapsulated by the aesthetics of both the photo and Cath Kidston's designs. I guess Grandma Chic harks back to an earlier time, maybe the 40s, with knitted tea cosies, cup and saucer sets, crocheted rugs, patchwork quilts, art deco mirrors, sherry glasses, glass pie plates, butter dishes, cake tins, sewing baskets, wallpaper. If we can take these things and forgo the tat from that time, such as too many doilies, antimacassars, smoker's stands etc, then I'm all for it. And the best thing of all is that having these tea cosies, butter dishes, quilts etc doesn't have to signify domestic drudgery any more. We can combine them, in moderation, with pieces from a diverse range of periods in order to achieve an eclectic look. I'm on the hunt now for some images of 'Grandma Chic' to post.
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