Saturday, 30 June 2012

Eastern infatuation Part I...


On Friday morning, as I strolled past one of my favourite local second-hand shops, Granny's Attic, something in the window display caught my eye...

It couldn't be...? Surely, it couldn't be one of those lovely - I think - traditional Vietnamese or Chinese (?) bamboo rice storage jars (or perhaps copies of) that I have been admiring in some blogs and oriental-themed shops for some time. Admired their beauty and gasped at the normal £ 60- 90 price tag, that is... 

Feeling rather pleased to have finished a large assignment in the early hours of that very morning, I thought this £ 5 (!!) bargain would be a splendid reward...!

  



And so it was that this second-hand find gave birth to a whole new blog post from our front room, where my desire to surround myself with warm, spicy colours and a more gold-shimmering palette has been given free reign...

The second photo in the quartet above is of a basket (also seen in the mirror in the very first photo in this post) on the wall above the sofa, opposite the fire place .


(The original red tassel of this ceiling lamp has been exchanged for a 
window decoration from the Scandinavian oriental-inspired store Indiska.) 


From the mantelpiece hangs a chain with, among other things, a small Buddha. The very same little Buddha featured in a display I made a few years back, from which a photo was used to decorate some candles. Yes, well spotted, there is one of them, in front of the fire place, on a cast iron candle stick I found in a reclamation yard a few months ago.


My wall paper curtain panels (will be shown in their entirety in the next blog post) next to a home-made lamp   from years ago, whose only claim to qualify for this otherwise oriental-inspired room was the colour of the apples...


The wall colour does appear a very strange shade in some of these photos... It is certainly not as screamingly yellow as it looks in the image below, or as apricot as in the one above. More of a soft, warm, matt yellow, and we sometimes call it the "winter room", as this is a room which feels warm, both in colour and, obviously, because of its wood-burning stove.



In one of the photos above is a hint of another second-hand bargain I came across the other day, and which will be the focus of my next blog post from the same room...

Wishing you all a gold-shimmering Sunday!
Helena

14 comments:

  1. That can't be chinese. Usually chinese prefer asian motifs on the jar. Is there any imprints at the bottom of the jar?

    I love the warmness the whole surround is beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Annie. No, there are no imprints anywhere. Perhaps there was once a sticker or something, but as this is a second-hand item, it must have been lost.

      Kind regards,
      Helena

      Delete
    2. Is the jar clay? Somehow this jar reminds me of Indonesian or Thailand-style though. I think it is because of the color combination and the use of bamboo wrapping around the jar.

      It is beautiful though.

      Delete
  2. It is not my style .......but i like what i see today...that apples !!!...great !!!...love Ria...xxx..

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hello Helena

    I think you find is a wonderful addition to an already beautiful room.
    I love the scale and mirrors you have used and I can see how it must be such a welcoming room in winter.

    Thanks for sharing

    Helenxx

    ReplyDelete
  4. wonderful impressions
    ♥doris

    ReplyDelete
  5. Very warm feeling - much as I love white the house we are in at present is crying out for some warmth and I love the cushions you have piled on the floor, could I ask where they are from?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Zella,
      The top cushion is from a shop in Sweden that no longer exists, and the other three are large floor cushions from IKEA that I have made cushion covers for in some left-over fabric I had. I made these around ten years ago, but perhaps IKEA still sell these large cushions? If they do, they would also sell various cushion covers, if you don't want to make your own.

      I hope this helps.

      Kind regards,
      Helena

      Delete
  6. Hi Helena,
    Love what you done, as everything seems beautiful, warm, and cozy.
    Maureen

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great pieces! They matched perfectly well with my current home interiors. :)

    Ed Butowsky

    ReplyDelete
  8. I can see the Helena spirit has been busy in this beautiful room. You have such an eye for wonderful accessories, and the room glows with vibrant shades, perfectly chosen. How lovely to have the calm paleness of your summer rooms to soak up the sun (if and when it shows itself)and this cosy retreat for winter nights.

    ReplyDelete
  9. We think that is a very successful blend of two different styles, the rustic and the Eastern.
    We liked a lot.
    Regards from Ripoll.

    ReplyDelete
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