Eye Candy

These are some lovely images of a house in U. K. Country Living from August 2007. I love the china, the colours, the mismatched furniture, and the way the owner doesn't let the house become too flowery or chintzy. He balances florals with metal beds, tables and chairs, as well as a stone floor, in order to restrain and refine the look. As part of this restraint, he has also mixed in some mid-century pieces.

Grandma Chic Deconstructed

Now, if I understand it, vintage laminex benchtops, silver spoons and bone-handled knives,

Etched glasses and vintage plates,

Mismatched cups and saucers,

A floral curtain across a cupboard,

A patchwork quilt,

A vintage tablecloth made into a cushion,

A chair cushion made out of vintage fabric,

Mismatched florals on the cushions and sofa,

A floral teacup and saucer, and a rolled up pink and white crocheted rug,

should all add up to one chic grandma.

Musing on Grandma Chic

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.