#art deco powder box

[mote-historie]

Coty powder compact designed by Leon Bakst, Made by Coty Inc in Paris, France, 1935-1955.

The founder, Francois Coty believed the aesthetics of the packaging to be as important as the product. After his successful artistic partnership with designer Rene Lalique in the early 20th century, Coty approached Leon Bakst to design the Air Spun powder box. Leon Bakst is celebrated for his colourful exotic costumes and decors created for the Ballet Russes, which prompted new fashions in dress and interior decoration. This colourful, exotic aesthetic can be seen in the design of the powder box, where fluffy white powder puffs with black and gold handles float against an orange and gold background. Bakst’s original powder box design was made of Moroccan leather with gold leaf embossing. However, these boxes were expensive to manufacture and Coty paid his customers to return them when empty. They were then sent to Japan where the gold leaf would be scraped off and then reused. Bakst’s design was later modified into a cheaper cardboard version by Coty’s commercial artist Georges Draeger. The design of the packaging created an impression of luxury and prestige, while still being mass produced. These ‘luxury’ items were made even more accessible to middle and working class women by packaging them in small quantities and creating gift sets and co-ordinating product lines. Coty Air Spun powder was very successful, selling in Europe, North and South America, Australia and Asia. It was so popular in Asia that the ‘Rachel’ colour was created specifically for Asian skin tones. Coty is an internationally renowned beauty product and fragrance company that was founded in Paris in 1904 by François Coty. The company was acquired by the fragrance division of Unilever in 2005. In 2010 Coty had it’s headquarters in New York City and had become the world’s largest manufacturer of mass-market fragrances, aligning many of its new fragrances with celebrities like Sarah Jessica Parker, David and Victoria Beckham, Jennifer Lopez and Calvin Klein. Alysha Buss, Curatorial volunteer with Anne-Marie Van de Ven, Curator, February 2011 Reference: Toledano, Roulhac B. and Coty, Elizabeth Z., ‘Francois Coty: Fragrance, Power, Money’, Pelican Publishing Company Inc, Gretna, Louisiana, 2009

Powerhouse Museum Collection.

[artdecoandmodernist]

ART DECO OBJECTS From the Prince and Princess Sadruddin Aga Khan Collection. 

Vanity cases, powder compacts and cigarette boxes are the backdrop for refined decorative effects, executed on the miniature surfaces. To look at, these feminine accessories are veritable masterpieces of creativity, fantasy and technique. Made from gold or platinum, they are enriched with precious stones and gemstones, and covered in mother-of-pearl, enamel or lacquer. (x) 

The Myth of the East. CHINESE INFLUENCE: 

1) 1927 Cigarette Case by Cartier Paris.

2) 1928 Poppy Vanity Case by Janesich, Manufactured by Strauss, Allard and Meyer, Paris. 

3) 1930 Koi and Dragon Compact by Cartier Paris. 

4) 1927 Dragon and the Pearl Vanity Case by Cartier with mosaic by Vladimir Makovsky, Paris.

5) 1928 Mountain Landscape Vanity Case by Boucheron Paris. 

6) 1929 Vanity Case by Black, Starr and Frost Mosaic probably by Vladimir Makovsky. 

7) 1925 Panther Vanity Case by Cartier Paris.

[babylon-crashing]

the psycho'vac

I.        In a glass case                in the dark                         in an alcove                                in the dark                in a church in Rome,        in Sienna, in Florence,                                bits of saints mummified like the monkey's paw or                        Daniel Dravot's withered head                                                sat in the dark                        waiting for the faithful                                                to pass by, tourists to gawk at, for children of archeologists                to be terrified by.        Outside the Uffitzi                        one could buy postcards                                        fragments of Bosch's                                                        Last Judgement (1504)                                        reaction against sexuality                        that was creeping        back into the faith – every where lusty, fleshy figures                        were being torn apart, swallowed whole by frog-eggs,        tossed into pits of fire and snakes,                                        onto pitchforks and trees of thorn                while the saved, the fleshless,                                desiccated, loosely built creatures                        closed their eyes and lay upon the ground to pray.

II.

It starts while you sit in an outdoor cafe near the great clock in the ex-Lenin Square, forever at 11:45, while swallows who nest in the ruined eaves dart low, dark sickle-flashes, sweeping, skimming. Your notebook is open, pen cast down. You sip at the tiny cup of bitter coffee-sludge (when you are at a friend's house the old tatik takes the finished cup from your hands and reads the ground-stains, having you press your thumb into the hot residue, always with the curious shapes rimming the inside lip.) There is a smell thunder in the air. It starts when you walk down one of the city's mud streets, the rain coming down for four days nonstop. You stand in a crumbled doorway, a truck rumbles past full of cabbage heading for the market, spraying mud and gravel into the air. The wave-like clouds come down off the nearby mountains, things urgent and low to the ground, overwhelming the ruined factories and caved-in apartments, the one-room emergency boxes families of eight or twelve had been living in for the last seven years. It starts as you walk down the street. Under your boots, laying in unmarked graves, thousands of bodies, crushed and buried, their calls bubbling to the surface. Waiting for someone to hear.

III.

After the first baby in the orphanage you work at dies, then the second and finally a third, you go on a walk. It has been lightly snowing. Behind the city lays the broken rail yard. Even though there is no penicillin at the rail yard and none of the doctors who refuse to come to the orphanage to heal "things" as they call your babies will be there, you walk without a hat in the late afternoon gusts. You climb up through an abandoned cab engine, the iron sticking slightly to your gloves, its wooden passenger carriages trapped under a fallen wall. The train - its olive green and chrome and red 1940s Soviet art deco - slightly covered in wet-powder. At your feet, in the lee of the cab engine, dozens of empty hypodermic needles. Beyond the cab, the twisted rail lines; toppled buildings and other ruins; open pits of crude oil sunk in the ground; a whole roundhouse with the roof caved-in. It looks like a temple. Something holy, but you who never believed in the sacred or the holy, who saw ghosts as simply cultural abstractions. When you reach the roundhouse you find nothing inside but rubble and years and years of snow.

IV.

Humor. An US Embassy worker, an American working for a Foreign Aide organization and a Peace Corps Volunteer run into each on the street. Soon an Armenian friend walks by.

"This morning for breakfast," the Armenian said, "I had Frosted Flakes with milk."

"You had Frosted Flakes?" cried the Embassy worker, "How did you get Frosted Flakes in Armenia?"

"Oh, I bought them at the black market store near my house."

"You had milk?" cried the Foreign Aide worker, "How did you get milk?"

"Oh, I mixed the powdered milk with water."

"You had water?" cried the Peace Corps Volunteer, "How did you get water?"

V.

All winter long you were in isolation

watching it grow. You had given up

on the poetry brought in the 40-pound

box from home. You had not spoken

English in over three months, ever since the first

frost coated your pillow – there was no heat

in your hut, the rains turned to ice.

You wore your jacket and thermals and gloves

to bed and gave up on poetry. Reading

a poet writing about wasted sex no less

in San Francisco was a hateful thing.

Reading a poet, in Berkeley, where they

have everything, speculate on her fat

soul was a hateful, too. Under your floor

boards the dead called out your name, until

vodka, Russian water, kept the their

voices at bay. Intolerable, how clear they

came in. All of them complained,

griped, belly-ached in a language

untranslatable until your perception:

It was a cross between Armenian

and Russian that the old women spoke

down in the market.

VI.

It is sad to see these old people one, two, three generations apart from their children. These haughty, thin old people unable to speak of these things anymore, needing always to speak around them, as if at the dinner table to speak with clarity would make the magic happen all over again. To listen to them submerge their magic, to protect their children. There was a woman, nearly a hundred, who lived in a nearby village. As a baby she had escaped the Young Turks' Genocide in 1915, had witnessed the USSR rise and fall and had lost eighteen children and grandchildren in the earthquake. You visit her, she speaks in the ancient language, the old Armenian words, "God has forsaken the Armenians" – and spends her time looking for her god among the graveyards where 50,000 of her people died in 4 minutes in 1988. You will be leaving soon, returning on a 32-hour flight. Numbers. Something is inside you. Parasite. You will be leaving soon, and she has no more use for the living. Her words drop away, become muddled, confused, a lexicon of secrets, you pass by gravestone after gravestone on the way to the surface, thousands of them, until there is no more room for air.

VII.

Of course, you

take it with you.

It grows hideous

inside you, even

after the Peace Corps'

doctors arrived and demanded

that you are Medically

Evacuated -- the ol' Psycho

Vac -- three days before your

twenty seventh birthday, you

take it with you. You have

grown thin now, fleshless,

desiccated. They do not

even let you say good-bye

to your babies, such is the state

they find you in. On the flight

back to DC you sit next to

a woman, Dutch ex-missionary,

who explains that sometimes,

the young men God has sent

to do his bidding go crazy.

They, who fear for the safety

of their souls above all else,

do not know how to take

care of themselves so far from home.

She knows this, she assures you,

she has seen it happen. As

the stewardess pushes the cart

for the evening's meal by your seat

the thing that rests inside you

gurgles once in agreement

and then is still.

][][

Notes.

This is it, my grand attempt back in 2002 to put words to my nightmare.

The poem starts out in Italy because that is where I learned, for the first time, about the religious fever dream that is Hell, when I accidentally saw the LSD-madness of Hieronymus Bosch's art and it blew my little brain at the implications of such a concept. It didn't seem like much of a stretch to link the mummified bodies of Bosch's righteous in that painting with the babies dying under my care.

The, "the one-room emergency boxes," are called "domiks" and are basically railroad boxcars used to house the vast homeless population suddenly needing protection from the cold. Gyumri was never really rebuilt and 30 years later there are families still living in their rusted-out boxes.

[maybankxw]

ART DECO

pairing: rafe cameron x fem!reader

warnings: mature content ahead! [ drug and alcohol usage!!; mentions of a gun; fighting; unprotected sex; cum play; ] minors dni!!!

summary: they’re just so high they don't even know what they're doing but a little party never killed no one? :)

word count: 2k

a/n: i just feel like rafe is the embodiment of the ‘art deco’ song, enjoy! x

links: masterlist / taglist / ask box

any feedback (comments, reblogs, anon asks) would be appreciated!

I’m the one to tell this story, because I was the only sober enough to remember.

“Fucking hell that was a good one,” Rafe mumbled as he sniffed a line of cocaine, Barry took the second and I was the third to try, it indeed was a good one.

“So is this place all yours now, huh?” Barry leaned against the backrest, flashing his teeth, stretching his arms to the sides.

“Yeah,” Rafe chuckled, fiddling with a glass in his ring coated fingers, “All mine.”

There was a little party at Cameron’s mansion, the sun was just starting to set, people got drunk, danced, chattered. I took a sip of amber liquid, it burned my throat, my eyes raked Rafe’s figure, white shirt with a few buttons undone, tight around his body, revealed his tanned his skin, his strong carved chest and his neck adorned with birthmarks, I wanted to kiss them all. His eyes were bright blue in the sunlight, hair buzzed and a lazy smile stretched on his lips as he babbled about something, occasionally sipping from his glass. I loved watching him. 

My tiny white dress rode up, exposing a little too much skin. Thank fuck I couldn’t care less. Rafe and Barry sat right across from me, talking about drugs and money.

“After you,” Rafe nodded his head at the white powder spread on the table, his low voice snatching me out of my fucking daydreams.

“Together,” I dared, smirking, leaning in. We shared the last line, closing our eyes at the ecstatic feeling, sprawling on the sofas.

“Hello, princess,” a guy named Alex plopped next to me. I made a face at the pet name, everyone else ignored him. Alex was known as a womaniser, sleeping around, Prince Charming. He draped his arm around my shoulder, making me tense. Rafe’s eyes shot to the scenery, he watched our every move, his jaws gritted. He had to take a sip of whiskey to swallow his anger and disgust, never looking away from us.

“Let’s get out of here, me, you, my place,” Alex whispered in my ear, nuzzling my temple.

“I’ll get another bottle,” I shoved down the remains of my drink and leapt up to my feet, walking into the house, feeling the burning stare on me as I made my way inside. When I came back, I almost let the bottle fall, hearing a distant chatter, they weren’t yelling nor they were having a calm conversation, because one of Rafe’s hands was behind his lower back. I knew what that meant. He was holding his gun.

“Hey, man, you touch her again, I’ll smash your fucking face, yeah?” 

“What did you say?” Alex bit back taking a step closer, there was a drink in his hand.

“You heard me.”

“How about I smash your face? Why are you worried about that whore anyways? She’s not yours and will never be.”

That’s when Rafe lost it, completely lost it. His gun was out. He smashed it against Alex’s temple, pushing it into his stomach afterwards, pure disgust written all over his face, “Call her that again, I won’t hesitate and put a bullet into your gut.”

Barry stood close to them, ready to snatch them apart at any time, apparently that wasn’t it.

“Put the gun down, Rafe,” I rasped, settling the bottle on the table.

Suddenly Alex jerked, splashing whiskey onto Rafe’s body, his shirt, his face, his fist collided with Rafe’s cheek. I ran towards them, stepping in between, “Stop right now!” 

Barry pulled Alex back as I was trying to stop Rafe from doing something stupid, but he was glaring at the guy behind me. Maybe we had too much.

“At me, Rafe, look at me,” my fingers touched his forearm, sliding down, grasping the barrel. His eyes snapped to look into mine and he let me have the gun, “He’s not worth it, come on, let’s get you cleaned up.”

I tried to pull him with me, but he didn’t budge, “Come with me, Jesus, just come with me.” Now I was getting angry with both of them, silently thanking Barry for helping to handle all of it, “Give it a rest, man,” he patted Alex’s back as me and Rafe made our way inside the house.

I pawed for a washcloth, soaking it up in water. His bathroom looked dark, a mirror hung above the sink, he leaned against the side of it, “Take your shirt off,” I wrung the tiny towel out.

He sighed, hesitating for a brief moment, he wanted to joke about it but didn’t. His shirt went over his head and he into the bin. He carefully watched my movements, the look on his face too soft for what happened minutes ago.

“You don’t have to do this.”

I didn’t respond, pressing the washcloth to his cheek, gently rubbing it against his skin, earning a hiss from his mouth.

“Sorry,” I whispered, sliding the towel lower, to wipe the remains of whiskey off his arms, his chest and his stomach, drawing watery circles. Our eyes locked, my palm was flat against his chest, warm and solid, I could feel his heart beating.

“You think I’m crazy?” 

“What does that matter to you what I think?” I folded the towel, keeping on wiping his body clean, “You’re crazy all the time.”

A muscle pulsed in his jaw, his fingers clamped my wrist, tightening around it, “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” I threw the washcloth into the sink, staring back up at him, “You put your life out on the line.” 

He let out a chuckle, coiling a strand of my hair over his finger. Suddenly I felt my breaths speed up, like I wanted to kiss him. He must have felt the same, because his fingertips touched my face and he dove in, placing a hot slow kiss, persistent, like he left me with no choice wether I wanted that kiss or no. I didn’t complain, because his mouth felt so good. He was so close, the scent of his cologne hit my senses, making me feel lightheaded, I clung to his waist as he pushed us back against the wall. Our breaths turned so heavy, we were gasping, together. His fingers fiddled with a bow on the back of my dress as he untied it, searching for the hem of it, pulling the dress up and over my head. Heavy palms landed on my waist pulling me into his body, the cold metal of his rings making me bite my lip. Hard bulge brushed my stomach and involuntarily I let out a shaky breath, causing him to smile.

“It’s fun,” he rasped, dropping down to his haunches and his response made me ponder wether it was a reply to my words or did he mean us sneaking here. His fingers curled under the sides of my panties and he dragged them down slowly, savouring every inch with his gaze, his eyes following the movement of his hands, “I wanna fuck you,” he mumbled, placing a kiss on my abdomen, looking up at me. I was so high, I wanted to let him do whatever he wished. My fingers touched the back of his head, I couldn’t pull his hair because they were too short so I just clung to his neck as he kissed a path down, his eyes never leaving mine. 

I was tensed, so ready for his mouth to devour my pussy. That’s not what he did. Abruptly he stood up, taking a step closer, visibly fighting himself for a moment, then his hand slid under my hair, wrapping around my neck and his lips faintly brushed mine. I was holding onto his belt, slowly trying to unbuckle it, my hands shaky, while his proximity drove me fucking insane.

Thick finger brushed my pussy and I gasped, clutching the belt buckle in my hands, my eyes fluttering closed.

“Feeling alright there?” he grinned at the way my body was responding to his, sliding his finger in to the hilt, pulling out and in again, “You want me to keep going?”

“Mhm,” I desperately nodded my head, biting my lip, squeezing his biceps, “Keep— ah, going.”

He sighed, closing his eyes too, his forehead resting against mine as he pressed me into the wall moving his finger in steady pace, the sloppy sound of my wet cunt filling the room.

A groan came out from his mouth as he rubbed his clothed cock against my thigh, clenching his jaw and tightening his other hand on my neck. The guy was whipped, but scared to admit it, even to himself.

“I want you,” I whimpered, finally unzipping his pants and pulling them down along with his tight black boxers. His cock sprung out, deep red, hard, precum oozing from his tip. I gasped, wrapping my fist around him, drawing little circles on the head with my thumb. He groaned louder, pressing his mouth into my shoulder to muffle the sounds he made, dragging his finger down the inside of my thigh, spreading all the wetness he collected. Then he gripped me by my hip, wrapping my leg around his waist, stroking my slit with the tip of his cock, teasing me, going inside just a little and then pulling out, making me whine and scratch the back of his neck, “Rafe, stop with the teasing.”

His lazy smile and drowsy gaze made me shiver, his eyes stopped at my lips and right when he kissed me, he thrusted in making me scream out, swallowing it all, still grinning like an idiot. His thrusts were hard and deep, not too fast, bun not slow either, it felt perfect.

“Come here,” he rasped, squeezing my ass, making me straddle him, my heels digging into the back of his thighs. He kissed my chest, wet tongue teased my nipple as he fucked me good, my eyelids heavy, not enough air in my lungs, because I was gasping, unable to take a deep breath.

“Sweet little pussy, all mine,” his eyes found mine, his arms tightened around my torso as he slammed his hips into me faster. His mouth was all over me, leaving wet kisses, nursing out little bruises on my tits, a few on my neck, the pads of his fingers digging painfully into my skin. All my composure fell the minute we stayed alone and right then I was a moaning mess, completely at his mercy.

My fingers tightened around his chin, steadying him, his eyes burned with lust, pupils dilated, swallowing the blue. I stared at him admiring how handsome he was and this new haircut of his only made him look more hot and dominant. I smashed my lips against his, biting and sucking on his tongue, licking his bottom lip, then dragging it at the end of the kiss as he fucked me and fucked me, the head of his cock bruising my insides. Everything felt so intense because we were high as fuck on coke and sex and each other. 

“Rafe—“ I choked out, feeling my stomach burning, my walls clenching around him, “Cum inside me, make me yours.” 

Something snapped in him, he turned so eager, going in rougher, even though I thought it was already hard enough, his thumb pressed my clit and I moaned, loud, my head dropped back to rest against the wall as I tried to catch my breath, rippling and creaming around him. Rafe wasn’t too far either, his cock twitched as he tried to bite back his throaty growl, panting into my throat. Warm cum spilled inside me, making us both moan in satisfaction, I trembled in his arms as his cock softened and his grip on me loosened. He put me back down, still caging me, heavy palms caressing the sides of my body. I felt his cum trickling down my thigh so I rubbed them together. 

“No,” he protested, collecting all of it and pushing in back inside, causing me to cry out and dig my nails into his shoulders, my pussy still sensitive after his severe thrusts, “Gotta keep you full.” He found my panties and helped me put them back on, “Next time I want you on my bed, spread open on my sheets,” he put the dress on me as well, spinning me around, tying a bow on my back and placing a soft kiss on my shoulder, his whisper low in my ear, “Tonight, you stay here.”

[the1920sinpictures]

1923 Powder box, “Un Air de Paris” by Dorin. From Art Deco, FB.

[jeanbury74]

A CC filled lot this time. English-ish House is up on the gallery. 3 bed, 2.5 bath, with a pantry and laundry room. ID jeanbury. All the CC used is written below. Beware, it's a long 'un!

876 simmer-Oslo wardrobe, lowboy dresser, nightstand and standing mirror.

9 sims-DIY stars wall hanging.

Adrestea Moon-Storybook Lover and PJR Paintings.

Ars Botanica-Peonies Pitcher and Peony Jule Cup.

Ameyasims-You're So Vain: Vanity Brush and Hand Held Mirror.

ATS4-Breakfast: Milk Pack, Coffee Jars, Coffe Jar, Milk Bottle, Instant Drink, Tea Tin, Tea Box, Cocoa Powder Box. Fruit Juice Packs, Fruit Juice Glass Bottle, Coffee Bag. Baking: Wooden Spoon,Mechanical Scale, Timer, Canister, Baking Decoration Jar, Dried Fruits, Mixing Bowl, Baking Aids, Flour, Nutella, Baking Aids Stock, Dried Fruits Stock, Electronic Scale, Measuring Cup, Sugar, Jar, Measuring Cups, Rubber Spatula, Pastry Wheel, Candied Fruits. SnowyDay: Gloves, Wall Scarf #2, Wall Beanie #1, Fur Boots, Boots Snowcalf, Wall Coat #1 and #2 Bag Clutter: Tic Tacs.

Awingedllama-Apartment Therapy Potted Vine Round Mirror, Hanging Ivy.

Charley Pancakes-Insomnia: Organic Cotton Bedding. Miscellanea: Book Collection, Standing Books, Book Series.

Desimmy-Tiny Nifty Pictures.

Dew At Home-Hallway Hanging Scarf.

Duckey-Springtime Melody ,mug, Forever Spring Canvas Art, Lil Lilies, Friends and More Friends(these are table mounted frames that are called friends. That's all the information that was given)

Faaeish-BB Wall Decor Pegs and Toy Camera.

Felixandre-Chateau: Alarm Clock, Bedding, End Table, End Table 2, Drawer, Table Lamp, Rug Square, Telephone, Dresser. Grove: Salad Bowl, Lady Sam's Peony Vase, Bedframe V1. Grove-Timbershelf Inside Corner, Flagstone Floor, Cups, Stacked Plates, Stacked Plates 2, Stacked Plates Small, Wall Basket Small, Casserole, Bowls.

Felix and Harrie-Livin Rum: Box Files, Rug, Book Row, Book Series. Orjanic: Table Lamp, Bench, Cushion 2, Book End. Baysic: Toothpaste Container. Florence Fresco Mural. Tiny Twavellers:Hedge Wall.

GhostlyCC-Pre Raphaelite Paintings.

Harrie-Coastal Kitchen: Cereal Boxes, Cabinet Stack, Accent Counter 1 Marble Type, Coastal: Farmhouse Kitchen Sink with Tea Towel, Tins, Sofa, Tv Unit, Display Cupboard, Small Plates, Bowl, Bowl Stack, Cans, , Large Plates. Heritage: Traditional Towel Ring, Bowl Traditional Toilet, Traditional Runner, Landscape Artwork, Traditional Console Table, Floor Lamp, Traditional Round End Table, Traditional Elegant Mirror Small, Traditional Desk, Traditional Bust. Country: CoffeeTable.

Haruinosato-2x1 Curtain 01 Short.

Javabeandreams-Whimsical Animal Portraits.

Kardofe-Vienna Dining Room Curtains, Bella Babies Bedroom Small Pics.

Kliekie-Yove Plants 06, Awipow Plants 11, DecorationsPlants 10 Dragon's Herb. Whisper Laurel Plants 05

Kriss-Scania Build Set:Windows Classic Colonial 2 Tile, Classic Estate 2 Tile,Jugend Cottage 2 Tile.

Leafmotif-Botanical Bathtub, Twee Tableware: 6 Egg bowl, 9 Pot with Lid, Twin Mug Stacks, Whimsy Cake Plate, Short Pitcher. Basil's Favourite Chair 3 Maud Lewis Paintings

Linacherie-Ts2 Olde Tyme Skillets, Billyjean Curio Kitchen: Trays, Clip, Jar. Simlish Art 11, RPC Prints, Sizzling Cuisine Mitts, Delicious Bakery: Cookbooks, Flour Bag.

Madame Ria-Back To Basics: Spice Bottle,Dish Rack, Cereal Box, Pot Holder Wall, Modular Shelves, Coffee Tin, Pot Holder, Stock Pot, Dressing Container, Spice Rack, Counter Grey Scale, Open Book.

Marefc-Half Tiled Walls 2.

MC- Modern Crafter The Short Contemporary Radishly Plant

Menaceman 44-Granny's Brolly Vase.

Midsummersim-Simterest Poster.

Moonlightsim-Photo Frame Memories.

Nocturne-Rustic Cottage: Pokers, Master Curtain, Pedestal Old Miller Tea Set, Deco Retro Vacuum, Not So Shabby Rug, End Table. Grandma Cupboard.

Nynaeve Design-Lyne Half Curtains Blinds V1. Lyne Three Quarters Blinds V2, 1069, 1069 Lyne Radiator 1 Tile.

Okruee- ACNH Bathroom Towel Rack. (Animal Crossing)-

Omorfi Mera- Glass Jars.

PlasticBox- Modular Plant Hanging Pot.

Peacemaker-Hinterlands:Living Throw Pillow, Farmhouse Dining Table, Single Bedframe, Cottage Dining Chair, Bedside Table, Luxurious Single Bedding V1, Arched Mirror, Wardrobe, Bedframe with Footend, Nightstand. Hinterlands Living: Stately Fireplace, Coffee Tray Table, Mantle Mirror, Fringed Pouffe. Hinterlands Dining: Framed Dining Chair, Hanging Clock, Short Petal Pendant Porcelain Lamp.

Piersim- The Office Mini Pack: Higher Plant, Landline, Stackable Book, Printer.

Pocci-S Cargeaux Cabinet RecoloursCyclamen Outdoor, Iris Outdoor, Lilac In A Glass Bottle, Woodcabinet Open (Book cabinet Mini Set), Vintage Tea Set: Teacup With Tea, Milk Pitcher, Cupcake Plate. Magnolia Ceramic Vase, Basket Decor With Slots, Anthropologie Ottoman, Laundry Day Basket on Stool, Steaming Coffee Cup, Marguerite Teacup Empty, Iris In Glass Jar. Single Rose Glass Bottle. Potted Lily Of The Valley.

PTS-Cottage Garden Tea Tin Herbs, Granny's Basket Deco, Deco Mason Jar Short.

Quaylinsims- Paintings Zodiac.

Rhiannon AR-Medium Rug Floral Modern, Long Rug WithModern Floral Patterns

Ricca Bee-Mom's Lamp.

RSVN-Clothes Minded: Fedora, Floppy Hat, Baseball Hat, Sweater. Peg To Differ: Dish Towel, Knife Set, Mug, Utensils. Simmerdown: Cookie Jar, Mason Jar, Mug, Hanging Pots And Pans, Paper Towel, Ceramic Jar, Macaroon Jar. Smeglish Kettle Large.Procraftination:Hoop Large,

RoyIMVU-Seagrass Baskets.

Silverhammer-Executron Executive Desk Throne.

SimMan123-Sheer Right Curtain Short.

Sixam-Spring Six Kitchen: Buttery Toast, T Meg Mid Century Toaster With Toast, TMeg The Terrance, Deco Stove Hood, Olly's Oil Bottles, Kitchen Appliances Stove, Don't Be A Square Plate.

SJB (Yika)-Charlie Set Two CurtainsV1.

Soloriya-Zoe Blinds Part 2.

SYB-Colette: Towel, Toilet Paper Rolls, Soap Dispenser,Wallshelf, Bath, Blanket, Sink, Floor Vertical Mirror, Book, Cupboard, Rug, Bath Tray, Toilet.Millenial: Fridge, Fruit Basket,Utensils Rack, Utensils Pot, Totebag, Spices, Dish Soap. Microwave, Olive Oil, Breadbox, Island, Trashbin, Shower Curtains Short. Highschool Corridor: Hanged Backpack, Sandrine Slippers.

Tianella SE- Honey Herbs Paintings.

Veranka-Yesteryear Loveseat.

Wistful Castle-Wistful Room Pictures, Wistful Lamp #1.

Wondymoon-Cycnus Curtains.

Zeenasims- English Cottage: Paintings, Wainscotting Wallpaper.

ZX-Tagada-Lighting Table Candlestick.

[cindybanksteam]

Integrating Magenta Into Your Home Design

At the end of 2022, the Pantone Color of the Year was announced for 2023, and it was Viva Magenta. It’s a color with hints of crimson red and a deep raspberry. The Pantone Color Institute’s executive director likened it to a “hand in a velvet glove,” citing the beauty of color to add playfulness and boldness into a space.

There’s a balance in Viva Magenta between cool and warm, according to the Institute’s Executive Director, Leatrice Eiseman. She said there’s a nuance to the color and describes it as a hybrid.

The pink-red color was already being seen on the runway before the Pantone Color Institute’s announcement, making it a natural fit for both commercial and residential interiors.

While traditional red isn’t necessarily a new concept in home design, including kitchens, the Viva Magenta gives it a sense of newness that breaks away from how we typically think of the color.

Viva Magenta works well with the maximalism trend we’re seeing so much in design right now, too, where more is always more. It’s decadent and dramatic, giving homeowners a unique chance to embrace all that a bold color can bring to their space.

There’s energy within the color, and it could bring a sense of optimism and creativity to a space that is welcome right now for many people.

It also ends up being more versatile than you might first assume.

If you’re unsure about this theatrical color but interested in exploring it, start small. For example, you can opt for window coverings in the shade of pinky-red. You can also use it as an accent color and something to make a statement. Maybe you go with a neutral space, with bits of color like magenta pillows or throw blankets.

By contrast, maybe you’re not afraid to step outside the box, so designers encourage using equally decadent colors like dark blue and green along with Viva Magneta. The jewel-toned look is Art Deco-inspired but is still able to remain elegant and sophisticated.

If you love all the design maximalism, you could use Viva Magenta as a wall color, whether paint or wallpaper.

What’s great about trying something new in home design is that you can see what it will look like before you actually take any other steps with the use of design tools, including AI-based tools.

A few other tips that will help you style a space with the 2023 Pantone Color of the Year can include:

Give your kitchen a boost with Viva Magenta. Since it balances warm and cool tones, the kitchen is a good place for it. If you have a small kitchen, Viva Magenta can help it to feel cozy rather than cramped. If you have a big, open kitchen, then it can give you a sense of inviting warmth.

You don’t have to paint your kitchen cabinets magenta, although you certainly can. Instead, update your all-white or monochromatic kitchen with touches of magenta.

Use it in a powder room. Powder rooms are the ideal spaces to experiment with bold concepts you might not want to use in other spaces.

Get creative by transforming built-in bookshelves with a bit of color. That makes your shelves something that wouldn’t otherwise be noticed in a space, to a focal point.

Finally, you can also use Viva Magenta in your art pieces; the contrast against a neutral wall can be gorgeous.

[brianaboutique]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Earrings VINTAGE GENUINE Cloisonne Enamel Pierced New.

[rubyrain23]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Vintage Vanity 9 Piece LOT.

[ein-bleistift-und-radiergummi]

1930s German Pierced Brass & Marble Art Deco Figural Powder Box.

(via eBay)

[mote-historie]

Art Deco Scale Pattern Box by Cartier, Paris. European Influence. 1928.

Art Deco objects from From the Prince and Princess Sadruddin Aga Khan Collection. 

  Vanity cases, powder compacts and cigarette boxes are the backdrop for refined decorative effects, executed on the miniature surfaces. To look at, these feminine accessories are veritable masterpieces of creativity, fantasy and technique. Made from gold or platinum, they are enriched with precious stones and gemstones, and covered in mother-of-pearl, enamel or lacquer. (x)

[artdecoandmodernist]

Art Deco objects from the Prince and Princess Sadruddin Aga Khan Collection. 

  Vanity cases, powder compacts and cigarette boxes are the backdrop for refined decorative effects, executed on the miniature surfaces. To look at, these feminine accessories are veritable masterpieces of creativity, fantasy and technique. Made from gold or platinum, they are enriched with precious stones and gemstones, and covered in mother-of-pearl, enamel or lacquer. (x)

1)  1928 Chrysanthemum Vanity Case by Lacloche Frères, Manufactured by Strauss, Allard and Meyer, Paris. Japanese Influence. 

2)  1925 Floral Sash Vanity Case by Strauss, Allard and Meyer, Paris. Japanese Influence.

3)  1928 Vanity Case by Van Cleef & Arpels, Manufactured by Alfred Langlois, Paris. Persian Influence.

4)  1930 Noble Hunt Vanity Case by Rose Vanity Case by Lacloche Frères,  Manufactured by Strauss, Allard and Meyer, Paris, 1925 ,  Paris. Persian Influence.

5)  1928 Scale Pattern Box by Cartier, Paris. European Influence. 

6)  1927 Feuilles Cigarette Case by Van Cleef & Arpels, Manufactured by Alfred Langlois, Paris. European Influence.

7)   1927 Aubergine Motif, Cigarette Case by Van Cleef & Arpels, Manufactured by Alfred Langlois, Paris. European Influence.

8)  1926 Amber and Snakeskin Vanity Case by Van Cleef & Arpels, Manufactured by Strauss Allard & Meyer, Paris. European Influence.

9)  1925 Rose Vanity Case by Lacloche Frères, Manufactured by Strauss, Allard and Meyer, Paris. European Influence.

10)  1928 Box by Van Cleef & Arpels, Manufactured by Strauss, Allard and Meyer, Paris. European Influence.

[biggest-gaudiest-patronuses]

vampires getting annoyed when commonplace items they want to buy are suddenly considered antiques. vampires pissy about having to go to flea markets to hunt down items they used to be able to buy new

“what do you mean they don’t sell table lighters anymore, i’ve been meaning to buy a table lighter since the last time the 20s happened” 

“why the hell can’t i buy powder boxes at drug stores”

“i got my last mirror comb vanity set in a department store, where do people get them now” 

“wtf happened to bakelite”

“art deco furniture costs HOW MUCH???”

[ventcovers]

Upgrades to 10 Hideous Air Vent Covers: Advantages of New Pacific Register Company

Don't let unsightly air vent covers distract from your home's aesthetic. Take a look at these great-looking improvements that you can buy or build yourself.

Marble it to the gills If your old air vent covers are detracting from the charm of your new marble floors, Metro Marble Repair is here to help. Custom floor signups are available in tile, glass, granite, porcelain, and limestone. Simply give them your supplies, and they'll create the ideal vent shroud for you. Sheet Metal with Designs Purchase some patterned sheet metal to take a more innovative approach to repairing an unsightly air vent shroud. Measure the vent openings then cut them to fit over the vent with caution. Bear leather gloves when chopping, then file down any rough edges with tin snips. If required, paint the covers, fasten the metal to thin wood strips, and seal the cover with small screws.

Using a Fiberglass Plastic Air Vent Shroud.

This air vent shroud option is only for use on walls and ceilings, and it is a luxurious and sleek upgrade to standard covers. Installing the device is as quick as sticking it to the wall or ceiling with self-adhesive silicone. Attempt a Butterfly Although this is not a cost-effective choice, you might hire an artist to make air vent covers for you. Jerzy Sanecki of SaneckiArt, an Etsy customer, designs one-of-a-kind air vent covers, such as this butterfly style.

“I purchased five complete vent covers from Jerzy and am incredibly satisfied with the results. They are simply gorgeous and lovely, and we have already got compliments on them in our new home,” one reviewer says.

Check out these 100 stunning before and after home makeovers that will astound you.

Make an attempt at a minimalist style.

Through using the Aria Vent, you will achieve a minimalist look. When they go about making "seriously beautiful air vents," this maker has DIYers and industry pros in mind. With drop-in mounting technology, the original Aria Vent has a sleek, futuristic appearance. Minimalism is one of the 15 home patterns that Millennials are embracing.

Make Use of an Ancient Shutter

Consider converting an air vent that is prominently placed on a wall into a piece of art. Find an old interior window shutter and hack it down to size for the air vent. The shutter should be completed with trim before being primed and sprayed. Attach some D-rings to the shutter and hang it on the wall. Here's an example of how it'll look when it's done. You can find a lot of antique window shutters on Etsy. Check out these 12 easy-to-make room dividers, one of which is made from repurposed shutters.

It's a Tile Matching an air vent to the rest of the architecture will prevent it from being an eyesore on your floor. Custom tileable in-floor vents with a welded aluminum frame and reversible insert are accessible from Tile Lines. You have the option of cutting your tile to match! Here's how to tile a DIY backsplash, when we're on the subject of tiles.

Consider a mirrored finish.

Install mirrored finish air vent covers for a streamlined look that blends in with the surrounding fabrics. This option was designed to replace old louvered grilles and is a perfect match for walls and ceilings. Big mirrors are among the 52 objects that will make your home seem more expensive.

Air Vent Mask in Brushed Nickel, Art Deco

Install these chic air vent covers to bring more Art Deco flair to your house. These covers, which come in a range of sizes and finishes, are simple to install—just drop it into the opening with no tools needed! Taking a look at these 15 retro home patterns that are resurfacing. Use a period-style air vent shroud to add some style to your room. You'll enjoy this period-style scroll pattern air vent shroud if your home decor is more Victorian. It's made of cast aluminum and has a luxurious black finish due to a baked-on powder coating. It's also rustproof and needs no repair! Do you want to give your home a Victorian feel? The following directions will teach you how to build a Victorian screen home.

Ground Air Vent shroud (DIY)

Okay, I understand that this DIY floor air vent shroud isn't for everybody, and that's good. This idea would not have been my cup of tea if it hadn't been thrust upon me. We have kittens, you know. There are ten of them. Cats can also be jerks at times. And cats have a history of peeing on things when they're feeling extremely jerky. They pee down stuff, in this situation. And that's just what our cats did: they peed down the vents in our floor.

Now, I understand how revolting it is. I debated not posting it and our eventual patch on the site because it was so revolting. But, as you know, I tend to keep it real around here, and I think that if I'm having this dilemma, there must be other pet owners out there who are as well. So, if I can help any fellow feline lovers out there fix this heinous dilemma, I'll take the risk of missing a few readers in the process. Anyway, this concern began when we first moved into the house where we now live. We didn't have this problem in our old house because it didn't have floor air vents, so we were surprised to see our cats piddling down our cool, clean air vents in our new home. We did everything a cat owner could do in this situation—made sure there were enough clean litter boxes open, using feline pheromone diffusers, etc.—and it helped a bit, but we still had the problem on occasion. I ultimately decided to strategically position furniture to cover as many air vents as possible, but some air vents stayed exposed. We searched for floor air vent covers to buy to fix our dilemma, but the only ones that looked like they could fit were made of plastic and would crumble into a million pieces if stepped on. We had to come up with a plan because there was no way I was going to put up with this and keep our house smelling like we had so many cats, even if we did have too many cats. These are designed to go over regular 4 x 10 and 4 x 14-inch floor air vent signups. Since signups come in a range of sizes, if you don't have the same sizes as us, you'll need to do some weighing and estimating to ensure a decent match. We built them to fit snugly in the back and front so they wouldn't slip around, but we made the cover 3′′ wider than the floor openings to prevent pee from getting under the sides of the air vent, which are open to allow air movement.

“But people are going to fall right over these!” I can hear some of you shouting at the computer screens now. Let me ask you a question: how much do you walk on your house's floor air vent signups? Floor air vents are usually positioned in inconspicuous areas and/or parallel to a wall. When wandering around indoors, people naturally leave a foot or two between themselves and the walls. And as long as you don't make them the same color as the floor you're going to use them on, they'll be easy to find.

• Timber planks 10′′ x 3/4′ for the top of the air vent sheet. They usually come in 6-8′ lengths, but do the calculations to work out how many you'll need based on the number of air vents you want to protect. These are made of Pinewood, but any heavy wood would do (softer wood might split if it does ever get stepped on, but I still think the chances of that happening are pretty slim). • 1′′ x 3/4′′ wood planks for the air vent cover's foundation These may be difficult to come by, so you can have to break a wider plank down to size. If you do buy them, they usually come in 4-6′ lengths, so do the math and work out how many you'll need based on the number of air vents you want to protect. These are made of Pinewood, but any heavy wood would do. • Finish screws, 16 gauge, 1 1/2 inch • Weathered Gray Varathane wood polish (buy at Lowes) • Baby Gloves with Valspar Chalky Coating (buy at Lowes) • Uncolored Valspar Sealing Wax (buy at Lowes) Please note: I'm sharing the type and dimensions of the wood I purchased so you'll know what I used for this project, but you can use different types/sizes of wood if you can't find the same type/size wood at the hardware store or if you have scrap wood.

Instruments:

• Saw with no rope

• The Nail Gun

• Paint Brushes

• Cotton Rags

• Palm Sander

Directions: Cut the top and sides of the wood to match your floor air vent register's dimensions. For the 4′′ x 14′′ air vent register, we used dimensions of 17′′ x 9′′ for the top of the air vent shroud (two pieces of 10′′ x 3/4′ wood plank cut to fit) and 17′′ x 3/4′′ x 1′′ for the sides of the air vent shroud (two pieces of 3/4′′ x 1′′ wood plank cut to the 17′′ duration for the wide air vents). The top of the air vent shroud (two pieces of 10′′ x 3/4′ wood plank cut to fit) and 13′′ x 3/4′′ x 1′′ for the sides of the air vent shroud (two pieces of 3/4′′ x 1′′ wood plank cut to the 13′′ length for the large air vents) are the dimensions we used for the 4′′ x 10′′ air vent sing-up.

As seen above, nail the two top pieces to the two side pieces. Now comes the exciting part! Apply a wood polish and brush away the excess with a towel. Give at least a couple of hours for the paint to dry before going on to the next stage. Allow at least a few hours for the chalk paint to dry before going on to the next stage. Using the palm sander, distress the soil. It's completely up to you how much or how little you distress (or even whether you do it at all)! Using a wet towel, clear some pollen.

Apply a layer of sealing wax to the surface and brush away any residue with a towel. There's a lot of discussion on whether you can wax before or after distressing; I usually do it after because it covers the exposed wood as well as the chalk paint (and these will use all the protection they can get if my cats try to poop on them, which they haven't yet). Both of our air vent covers have been assembled and are ready to be mounted in the building! If you're having a similar issue with your cats as we were, I hope this DIY floor air vent shroud will come in handy! Our cats have been avoiding the freshly protected vents so far, and it's awesome to have them back in operation, particularly with the 100+ degree temperatures of our summers approaching! Thank you for coming, and please let me know what you think or whether you have any questions!

Pacific Registry Company sells decorative wall grilles and overhead registers.

And the tiniest information will make a huge difference. Decorate a mundane and uninteresting region of your home with something amazing. Most vent covers are dull and unknown, and they frequently neglect beauty and appearance in favor of functionality. Air vents, which are used to limit or re-direct airflow in your house, are frequently ignored by homeowners, resulting in missed opportunities to add elegance and decorative appeal to every room. Request decorative register and vent shroud made of aluminum, brass, wood, plaster, resin, and stone from our vast inventory of completely customizable decorative sign-up and vent covers. It's never been easier to fit vent grilles to your unique style; use our range of vents to accent all of them. If you've been unimpressed or otherwise uninterested in the vents in your house, it's time to think about how this frequently neglected detail will relate to the overall design and décor you're striving for.

CHECK OUT OUR INVENTORY OF DECORATIVE REGISTERS AND VENT COVERS, CEILING REGISTERS, AND FILTER GRILLS ONLINE.

COVERS FOR VENTS Our high-quality heat signups and grilles are simple to customize to suit your room, from unusual old homes to renovated houses. When a heat vent consumes a large amount of space on your floors or walls, it's important to balance it with a sophisticated, long-lasting heat sign-up or grille. Below, you'll find a range of refined types and sizes. Rejuvenation has vent covers and floor signups for your house.

When it comes to home decor, the slightest specifics will make all the difference, so consider replacing your old covers with one of our waterproof styles. The Classic Brass grille, which measures 4 x 12 inches and is made of sturdy cast brass, is one alternative. This grille brings refinement to the space with its sleek Revised Classic style and low profile. Combine it with other home accents like a BRASS PLANTER or a wall sconce. Wood floor signups are also available from Rejuvenation, and are suitable for having a Northwest Contemporary design look. The Wood Slat floor register is available in three sizes to fit your needs. To fit your furniture, pick from oak, maple, or cherry wood. Consider one of the Traditional Aluminum grilles in black enamel if you choose a Sleek Industrial look. Rejuvenation has all the home hardware you need in a range of classic designs in addition to these vent covers.

New vent covers and a floor register have a range of advantages.

Changing minor details inside the space will go a long way toward changing the overall appearance of the room, as previously described. Space is automatically updated when you swap your old vent covers and floor signups with one of this brass, aluminum, or wood alternatives. Change the switchplates to create a unified look; Rejuvenation has switchplates in a range of finishes to complement these floor signups and vent covers, as well as other fixtures and drawer, pulls to accommodate your house. Look through the collection for beautiful and long-lasting pieces for every room.

With registers and grilles, you can monitor the airflow in your house.

Airflow to and from the HVAC unit in your home is controlled and directed by signups and grilles, which keep your living room comfortable while concealing the ductwork. Lowe's has a large range of grilles, signups, and air deflectors to ensure that ventilation is directed where it is required most. Take a minute to calculate the size of the duct opening so you know what will work, and take note of the covering so you can find a fitting piece for the opening before you go shopping.

Inventories

The distinguishing feature of these usually slatted covers, which can be found in the floor, wall, or ceiling, is a lever that allows you to open or close the air vent to alter airflow into the room. Floor signups come in a variety of materials, designs, and finishes, allowing you to use them as a decorative feature that often blends in with the rest of the room's hardware and fixtures. From scroll styles and oil-rubbed bronze finishes to light oak choices that blend in with hardwood floors, you'll find one that suits your room perfectly. Is your vent in your baseboard rather than on the floor? Lowe's also has baseboard signups that can match these gaps.

A grille's task is to draw air out of a room and return it to the heating or cooling system. It varies from a sing-up in that it lacks a damper to regulate airflow. Many small grilles will be mounted in the building, or a single wide grille will be installed throughout the ceilings or walls. They are available in a range of fabrics and finishes to match your personal taste.

Controlling the passage of air

Will you need to steer incoming air in a certain direction? Air deflectors mount to your vents to divert air, whether you're shielding plants put under vents or need to force air away from seating in the living room. These options vary from magnetically connecting to the sign-up to designs with multiway deflection, allowing you to quickly construct a calming environment. Are you looking for a way to help spread air more uniformly in a room? Ceiling diffusers are an excellent alternative. Want to monitor the temperature of a room without using the thermostat? Air vent covers prohibit air from accessing signups, causing it to reroute to other regions. A vent shroud can also help save electricity, and some come with a magnetic feature for simple installation.

Lowe's has the goods you need for efficient ventilation in your home when it comes to the air conditioning vents. Reggio sing-up and other brands are available to equip your home in both feature and design. With our Purchase Online, Pick Up in Store option, you can easily complete your heating and cooling project.

Visit Our Official Website

Additional Resources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Register_(air_and_heating)

Location: https://goo.gl/maps/45C2MV4Tbo9hwKuA8

[the1920sinpictures]

1925 Noritake hand-painted powder box. From Art Deco, FB.

[buttercupsfrocks]

So, tumblr, by popular demand, (Hah! Get me!), here’s a loooong post on my living room display cabinet.

I started collecting 1930s ceramics when I was 17, shortly after my grandfather died. My dad, as his only child, was given the job of sorting through the contents of his flat, which is how I first came into possession of a couple of Art Deco nicknacks - a plastic jewellery box, which sadly fell to pieces, a chrome and enamel powder bowl, and an electric clock with a peach mirror glass face. Also this amazing uplighter seen, along with the clock and few pieces from the china collection, in the living room of my previous flat. 

But back to my mid teens. At around this time I saw Cabaret on the big screen for the second time, and resolved shortly afterwards to reinvent myself as a Sally Bowles/Louise Brooks hybrid. 

Thus the 30s became my thing. For life it turns out. Since I was still living in my childhood home in my tiny childhood bedroom, it started with beads and earrings as I didn’t have room to collect much else. The necklace I’m wearing here was one of the first things I ever bought – from the long gone Twentieth Century Box in the King’s Road – and the dress belonged to my great grandmother. 

At some point though I bought this little Art Deco jug, which proved to be the thin end of the wedge. I knew it was a piece of cheap tat – it didn’t have a stamp on the base and cost a mere £1.75 from Camden Market – but I loved it then and I still do, crazing, cheap lustre finish, indelible stains and all 

Before long it had found a friend in a Shelley jug and they’ve been together ever since. I acquired a few small pieces of Carlton Ware here and there, as it was cheap and commonplace, but the china collection didn’t really get going in earnest till I came face to face with these ...

... and these...

... Paragon cups, saucers, and tea plates. It was the delicate flower handles that did for me. My heart literally stopped when I spotted the whole lot filling a display case on a stall in the Barrett Street Antiques Market in St Christopher’s Place. I’d never heard of Paragon, which is comparable in quality to Shelley, before; and I’ve only ever met one other person who avidly collected it. The colour work here is a combination of basic transfer and hand painting, and I’d never seen anything so beautiful, nor coveted anything quite so desperately, in all my puff. Back then were three trios in each design, and they would have cost entry-level graphic designer me two weeks wages so it was a no go. I chatted to the dealer for ages, heaved a sigh of resignation, and left. Then fate stepped in in the form of some freaky, life-changing events: 1) My paternal grandmother died and left me five grand, and 2) The company I was working for decided on a radical restructure and I was one of those made redundant. I decided to use the money to start my own business – an illustration agency – and marked this momentous decision by returning to Barrett Street to buy the Paragon. I didn’t have the space to display it all until I moved into my own place a couple of years later but there was no looking back once I did.

Most of these pieces are made by Paragon too, the exception being the Royal Doulton cup and saucer on the right, which was a gift.  The un-lidded sugar bowl on the left cost me two quid in a car boot sale while the lidded one in the front cost me under a fiver from another late King’s Road haunt called Eat Your Heart Out. With two notable exceptions, I’ve never parted with serious money for any of this stuff. I also rarely buy to sell, so not all of my collection is in perfect condition. Obviously it’s great when it is, but the cumulative effect of seeing it altogether is way more important. And the cumulative effect is pure joy. Which puts me in mind of the book I mentioned a couple of posts ago, which posits the idea that liking colourful stuff is not a mark of shallow, unsophisticated character, and that joy is not something innate without stimulus, but rather a reaction to the objects and environments that surround us. This resonated deeply with me.

I used to write in an alcove in the L-shaped hallway of my previous flat. It was a nicely decorated hall. Yellow-gold marbled wallpaper with paintwork a shade lighter and a yellow gold carpet to match. The light was good too. But I didn’t have many pictures in those days so the walls were blank apart from my grandmothers mirror; nor were there any shelves on which to house books or display tchotchkes. One day I started writing in my living room instead, which contained all of these things including my trusty display cabinet, and I realised I felt creatively stimulated; galvanised even. From then on I’ve always worked surrounded by colour, pictures, objects and books.

So, on with the show.

This adorable little person is a powder bowl from Germany. I don’t often go for figurative ceramics but I completely fell in love with her. She came from a junk shop and cost me about  quarter of what she was worth at the time I bought her. Behind her is a Parrot Ware biscuit barrel, a gift from my potter friend Steve, who is also an avid collector of ceramics, and has contributed many pieces to my collection over the years. Behind that is a Parrot Ware plate I found in a junk shop in Lye in the West Midlands. To the left of her is a Paragon chintz ware trio, another gift from Steve. 

The coffee cup and saucer is the only piece of Clarice Cliff I own. It was a present from a family friend back when I first started collecting. Then, as now, Cliff, Susie Cooper and Charlotte Rhead were the big names and overpriced accordingly, so I decided to concentrate on the more affordable end of the market. The hand painted Poole vase is, I think, from the 60s, as is the Royal Winton plate behind it, but I think they blend in well enough. The same can be said about this Brentleigh Ware breakfast for one set...

It came from a car boot sale many years ago. The rain was chucking it down and the sellers were so desperate to go home they practically gave it to me. How could I refuse? 

This is the only glass piece in the cabinet. I’ve occasionally seen these swizzle sticks for sale individually but this is the only set I’ve seen with the matching base. Behind it is a pair of hand painted Czechoslovakian vases of the type that Cliff clearly ripped off. For that reason alone I feel they should be worth a whole lot more than they are. Russian folk art, as reinterpreted by the likes of Natalia Goncharova for Diaghilev’s Ballet Russes, was also a huge influence on the Art Deco movement. The majority of my pieces are simply 30s as opposed to full on Deco but the colour palette is often in keeping.

The green cheese dish is a Royal Winton piece I bought in the 80s, while the yellow one, a more recent acquisition from a charity shop, is Crown Ducal. Which brings me to something else. Video may not have killed the radio star but eBay definitely murdered the antique market. Some time in the mid 90s I consciously stopped adding to the collection. It was harder to find at a reasonable price and I also felt I’d reached Peak Thirties so to speak. Contributor No 1: Knowing how much I loved the period, my stepgrandmother had promised me a pair of French bronze book ends when she died. And although my mum and stepfather were divorced by the time she did, he honoured her promise on the understanding that I’d never sell them.

(AS IF!! These are the balls-out Art Deco bookends of my wildest dreams. I will never, ever sell them. Excuse the dust, by the way. These live, along with a lot more china, in my hall book case, and are lucky if they see a duster once a year.)  

Contributor No 2: Prior to working in the World’s Loveliest Gift Shop® RIP, I worked for Steve for the six years he had one. But whereas Lynne restored and upcycled vintage furniture as a sideline, Steve's was vintage ceramics. His brother, who is also an antique dealer, occasionally sold stuff through the shop too. One day I came into work and had an instantaneous repetition of my Paragon experience. 

This immaculate, unused Deco-tastic tea for two set is the reason I painted my living room purple. It’s most likely Czechoslovakian too, as indicated by the tiny plate. Too small to be a plate for cake or sandwiches, it was most likely for lemon slices, lemon tea being the norm in that part of the world. The moment I clapped eyes on it I was a gibbering wreck. I didn’t care how many days pay it would take me to work off the debt; it was indisputably Meant To Be. 

Having thus snapped up the tea set and inherited the bookends, I decided I actually had sufficient on the 30s front, much to the consternation of my friends. But a handful of years later things began to change. eBay had stuck the boot in so hard that the vintage china dealers, who had previously pushed up the prices to you’re-’avin’-a-laugh-mate heights, started to throw in the towel on their businesses. And vintage ceramics started to show up in charity shops and car boot sales again – at it-would-be-churlish-not-to prices. 

I started to find pieces like this...

...and this...

...and this...

...and this...

...and this...

...and this...

...going cheap as chips in the chazzas. 

And those dealers who had somehow managed to weather the storm, were no longer charging stratospheric prices. (Unless they were flogging Cliff or Cooper or Rhead), so I was able to add things like this...

...and this...

...to the mix without feeling the pinch.

Should I emerge from this period of history with body and soul intact and raise the collateral I’m hoping to, one of the cosmetic changes I’d like to bring about in my home is to replace the built in hi-fi cupboard in the corner of the living room with another display cabinet, so I can move some of the china that’s languishing elsewhere in the flat into the living room too. Yes, I know it’ll end up looking like the ceramics wing of the V&A, but, frankly, what’s wrong with that?

Poor abandoned things. 

Can’t you see they’re gagging to come and join their friends?

I imagine you’re losing the will to live now so I’ll sign off with my two Beswick fish, which are from the late 60s/early 70s and, despite having no connection with my other treasures, have lived on top of my display cabinet for aeons.  Group similar colours together and you can get away with murder. Toodles!