A Woman's Touch: A Celebration of 'Clutter Chic'
Ok. So it's nearly June. By all accounts, it is summertime. So what's with the big grey clouds flobbing around outside my window? What's with the blustery autumnal days and the unpredictable rainfall? Weather-wise, it's no more summertime than fleein' in air (as my mum would say). Instead of setting up a comfy lounging camp in Alexandra Park and strolling around D-Town eating Coia's ice cream, this particular Made In The Shade gal has been holed up at home, using the time spent indoors to nest and re-organise. Since I've seldom been across my own front door this past fortnight, this blog installment is all about home. My home.
My husband and I (let's call him Beardy) have lived in our flat for six years. It surely resembled the proverbial hovel when we bought it. The navy blue carpet (seemingly woven from steel wool and dental floss) smelled like stale sweat. The avocado suite, rotting cork tiles and (poorly) handpainted glass door didn't exactly float my 'ideal bathroom' boat. The kitchen was a cupboard. The sink wasn't attached to the worktop anymore and the cabinets had fallen off the wall. The living room was painted a puke-inducing shade of golden khak and it remains a mystery just how the window panes remained in situ. Obviously, it was love at first sight and we went ahead and bought the place for tuppence.
Like so many of my crafty endeavours, the transformation of our flat from bog(gin') standard to handmade haven is a long-term project. We've been working in earnest to build our nest for over two years but we're far from through. Now all the messy stuff is complete (we have a kitchen big enough for two, we have windows that have glass in 'em and we have a bathroom that doesn't look like a mouldy salad) I've turned my attention to the little things. Beardy's not a great fan of the little things and refuses to deal with them with any enthusiasm. Now, I love Kirstie Allsopp (I do, I do) and I did enjoy bits of her Homemade Home series (I did, I did), but I would suggest that unlike Kirstie, y'all accumulate your fancy bits over time and don't go decorating mad all at once. No point rushing the process. You'll only end up with a whole load of stuff lacking in soul with no fun back-story. And beware of crafty decorating fads that dupe you into thinking you really can transform all your ugly furniture by 'ageing' it or covering it in wallpaper. I've been there brother... Unless you want your flat to look like it's had a 60 Minute Makeover (heaven forbid), put the sandpaper and glue gun down. For the moment at least. Sadly, in the end, lovely Kirstie's handmade home looked a little bit contrived. Such a pity. You don't want that. It ought to look like you! (If you are contrived, then I guess there ain't much wrong with this. Maybe you might want to call Ms. Allsopp for tips? Roll with it.). That said, our house is jam packed full of stuff ('tat' according to Beardy). I say it's a prime example of clutter-chic! I'm all for hyper-organisation and cleanliness but I have no desire to live in the clinical show homes of some interiors mags. I want my clutter on show. It's pretty! I'm with you on that Kirstie.
Home decorating (or in my case, 'clutter collecting') is just one area of life where it helps to be part of an extended network of designers, makers and clever creative people. I've taken great delight in shopping for homewares at the various crafty market places Glasgow has to offer. I've bagged myself a whole heap of one-off gorgeousness. Not only do I have a house full of interesting, off-beat treasures made by people I know and people I admire - but I also feel kinda useful in that I've invested in homegrown talent. The butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker play secondary roles in my household. I'm all about the textile designer, illustrator and the ceramic artist!
KITTY & DUDE PLATE:
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This sandwich plate by Kitty & Dude sits pride of place at the foot of my newly built fireplace. Beardy bought this for me from the Made In The Shade Festive Shopping Weekender '08.
OLGA THE OWL:
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Let me introduce Olga the Owl. Kimberly Diamond aka Madness of Many made this little chickadee with her own fair hand. Fellow Made In The Shade gal, Clare Nicolson bought her for me from a GCM event at Mono last Christmas.
SOUTH PACIFIC COASTERS:
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A fairly recent purchase, these fellas were just one of many gifts I bestowed upon myself during the Made In The Shade Marquee event at Big In Falkirk '09. These were handmade by Claire at Rag & Bone Boutique.
Like our Kirstie, I too am a huge advocate of 'skipping' and I would describe rummaging around in charity shops and second-hand stores as one of my very favourite pursuits. My old Singer sewing machine was pulled out of a skip by my father-in -law (much to his continued embarrassment) and the iron fireplace now installed in our living room was rescued from a pub clearance.
FABRIC:
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This pile of fabric was salvaged from a charity store for about 50p and will soon be reworked (by the fabulous Clare Nicolson, no less) into floor cushions, draft excluders and various other comfy furnishings.
BATHROOM SHELF:
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The (soon-to-be) bathroom shelf is actually a wall plaque I bagged from a charity store for 80p.
KITCHEN SHELVES + HANGING RACK:
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All of my tea-sets and kitchen trinkets are either cheap-o secondhand purchases or charity shop finds.
Mend, make, rework, upcycle! Rescue, rummage and salvage! We coined 'Granny Chic' in 1998. Now – 'Clutter-chic'. You heard it here first.