History's most legendary |
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Darlings! So good to join you! I am so thrilled to be given this opportunity to share the joy of vintage shopping with the world at large – and how large the world has become since the saucily swinging Sixties, when last my adventures were splashed across the slightly dog-eared pages of the popular press! In those days I was legendary for my gold plated Daimlers, their zebra-skin seats the talk not only of the British public, but of every shareholder there ever lived with a slice of my dear Bernard’s private domain, the late lamented Manganese Bronze. The problem was, my dears, that MB owned the Daimler company, and our succession of dreamy automobiles came free and gratis, courtesy of the firm. Some have made the scandalous accusation that it was my ability to spend money on delicious trinkets that led to the downfall of that creaking industrial edifice. A load of old rot, I can tell you that without a shadow of hesitation. Rot, I tell you! I simply have exquisite taste … … And what a joy it will be to share this with you poor, mundane little creatures! Come along, then, for our inaugural foray into the wondrous realm of Retro Metro ‘s favourite things … Time to adopt
a Retrouvius is a name which will send a shiver of ecstasy through the loins of any who delight in fine design. Their constant pushing of the reclamation envelope is a joy to those of us who treasure the old yet admire the truly new.
Thoughtfully, the upholstery has been designed for removal, so the chair may be left out-doors in all weathers. But at prices starting from £465 including the VAT, would you be so cavalier as to leave this objet de desire out in a traditional Summer downpour? This is no ordinary resurrection: the chairs are made by Race Furniture, the original manufacturers – and the sole retail outlet is Retrouvius themselves. Upholstery options are something special too. The £465 quoted is for any old common-or-garden upholstery; genuine vintage fabrics are also offered, including original Lucienne Day prints. How achingly fabulous! The price then rises to £550 or so including VAT – but the prints offered are by themselves changing hands for collectors’ prices, so my dears! Who’s going to moan about a hundred quid or so? Call Retrouvius on 020 8960 6060 … and the shoes to match In combination with the Retrouvius Race Rocker launch, maker of exquisite shoes Tracey Neuls is offering her inimitably classic styles covered in fabrics to match the Call Tracey Neuls on 020 7935 0039 or email enquiries@tn29.com Sophie Conran @ Portmeirion As a little Conran, Sophie, daughter of Sir Terence, grew up surrounded by fine design – and delicious dinners. So it’s no surprise that grown-up Sophie, now the mother of two, has taken this superb grounding a step or two further, gaining a reputation for her food writing – and now designing a delicious range of practical kitchenware for Portmeirion. The range includes textiles, porcelain, glassware and wooden The porcelain pieces are safe in dishwasher, microwave, freezer and oven; the wooden pieces are by far the best any here in Retroland have seen in years. All are versatile, too: measuring jugs morph into serving pieces; mixing bowls look good enough for presentation of elegant salads. ‘As a cook you have to love your ingredients,’ says Sophie. ‘… you need to touch and feel the food you are creating … I wanted to create a range of really tactile products that would incite the same feelings’. Most pieces are offered in a dreamy white, though selected pieces are also available in biscuit and celadon (otherwise known to Retrophiles as ‘beige’ and ‘Fifties sky blue’). Kitchen Lizzie points out the lipped pouring bowl, colander, juicer, rolling pin and rectangular board as particularly worthy of the cookery connoisseur’s note. Limited online ordering is available at www.portmeirion.com, there’s an email enquiry form available via the ‘contact us’ link, or call 01782 743419 for stockist information. Become a woodland babe It can become so tedious, dragging one’s amour into a promising-looking patch of woodland, only to be disturbed five minutes later by the jolly chattering of a gaggle of unwitting children … So how better than to solve this prickly issue by buying a woodland of one’s own?! At www.woodlands.co.uk, you’ll find all manner of helpful advice, as well as a truly impressive selection of woodlands for sale. All seem to be modest parcels of around 3 to 6 acres, on the whole, and offer the opportunity to gain some R&R in the privacy of one’s own private little fantasy domain. According to Woodland Investment Management Ltd, the operators of the site, it is surprisingly straightforward to buy woodland. In contrast to buying a residential property there are no chains, no furniture, no leases, and usually no legal charges to register or release. One interesting thing about the way they operate is that they buy the woodland from the original owner, then offer it at a fixed price – so there is not danger of allowing your children to fall in love with a given site, then losing it as the result of one of these ugly modern bidding wars. The company promise to hold your hand through the whole process, provide a free book on what to do with the patch once you’ve bought it - and even include membership of the Small Woods Association and the Royal Forestry Society in the purchase price. Pictured is the eight-acre Easter Wood, near Charing, in Kent, a traditional Kentish chestnut coppice in an area of outstanding natural beauty. Priced at £39,000, I am torn between this and a modest yacht. Cannes, though, my dears, is simply so passé … Visit www.woodlands.co.uk for more information. A Quicknic? Undaunted, the hardy English picnicker considers the long-range weather forecast and projects that picnics may still happen during the month of August … If you’re a bit of a flitter and a flirter comme moi, then impromptu country lunches happen with pleasing frequency – and if like me you’re also something of a particular The ‘Quicknic’ glovebox picnic set provides a stylish and handy kit with which to go equipped – the set is available in one, two and four-man versions, the variants supplying each nosher with a smart unbreakable beaker, a supply of carbon-neutral disposable wooden cutlery, one big cloth on which the bread may be elegantly broken (one of such excellent quality that it serves very nearly as well as a table-top) and a bright red braid with which to parcel up the whole assemblage for convenient carting about. So stylish, my little two-man (or should I say ‘person’?) outfit nestles behind the walnut veneer of the TR-3’s flap, waiting for the time when I and a gentleman friend find ourselves in the sticks with a rumbly tum and a farm shop our only hope of sustenance! Prices start at £11.99 for the one-man set, or £5.99 for a 60-piece pack of that lovely beechwood cutlery. Visit www.claireleavey.com to find out more. Labour? Moi? I may be the kind of gal who thinks nothing of spending £500 on a pair of handmade shoes – but one of my deepest darkest secrets is my undying amour for stripped-down homewares specialists Labour and Wait. Founded in 2000 by a duo of high-flying product designers, this truly is a shop for the Twenty-first Century, chiming perfectly with the Retro Metro ethic of traditional living for the electronic age. Simplicity is all – and their range is an utter dream for those of us who like their practicality served up with generous lashings of pure design style. The story has been a remarkable one. Recently accorded the title of London’s Number 1 shop by Time Out magazine, the duo now have a spot in Dover Street Market – and three ‘b shop’ concessions in Japan. Global domination for authentic living! Such excitement! Particular favourites of mine, offered via the website (even more delights are offered in the L&W terrestrial outlets), are the lidded mugs – ideal for those who share Kitchen Lizzie’s slightly anal habit of saving up dripping and suchlike (admitte-dly a delicious treat served on toast with a little Marmite - but I don’t need to know how it got there …) available in two sizes for £15.00 and £16.50. And something to which I simply had to treat myself was the fabulous little aluminium canister of almond-scented paper glue, complete with a tiny brush, which nestles in its Labour and Wait’s original shop is to be found at 18 Cheshire Street, London E2, open 10-5 on Saturdays and Sundays, and on Fridays by appointment only. Telephone 020 7729 6253 if Friday is your only day up in town. Dover Street Market is sited in delicious Mayfair, at 17-18 Dover Street, London W1S 4LT. The website address is www.labourandwait.co.uk and they may be emailed at info@labourandwait.co.uk |
A fanfare met their launch in June of the re-produced 1948 Ernest Race rocking chair, constructed in steel rod with reclaimed hardwood arm-rests and comfortably upholstered seat and back-rest cushion.
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