Country Living UK Vintage Bookazine No. 4

BEING PASSIONATE ABOUT ALL THINGS VINTAGE, there’s nothing nicer than coming across other people who have a similar taste in interiors or collect the same things as I do. I feel a spark of joy when I discover that someone else shares my interest. So over the past couple of years, when we haven’t been able to get out as much, and flea markets and brocante events have been cancelled, I’ve made the most of Instagram and other social media sites to unearth other people who are into vintage pieces and, even better, who sell them. It’s been quite thrilling to find online sellers and discover the bounty of amazing items I could (not always wisely) buy… A whole new virtual world of vintage has opened up to me, along…

CREATE THE AURA OF AN OLD-FASHIONED SITTING ROOM USING DELICATE AND DAINTY STYLING, ETHEREAL ELEMENTS AND GRACEFUL FEATURES THE KEY ELEMENTS BRING OUT THE PRETTY CHINA and enjoy using dainty teacups and cake stands (no need for complete sets – just look for elegant shapes and complementary colours and patterns) and pair with picture and mirror frames decorated with Capodimonte ceramic flowers. A PASTEL PALETTE provides the sweet, delicate colours that suit this look. Sugared almond shades of pale blues, pinks, lilacs and greens will reflect beautifully in silver and glassware, while touches of jade green or deep rose will add a hint of Art Deco chic. PATCHES AND REPAIRS can be pretty in their own right if they let you keep something of quality rather than replace it. Grand houses would sometimes trim…

It was in 1850 that Isaac Singer made the first practical domestic sewing machine in Boston, Massachusetts – the bones of which form the basis of models today. It allowed continuous and curved stitching, looped 900 times per minute, grabbed the fabric and had an unbreakable needle. Singer’s creation would mean his business went on to be the first to go global and his name soon became a byword for quality in the world of seamstresses. Singers are desirable items in their own right, aside from their function. The older models featuring sinuous lines, gold lettering and embellishment, which contrasts with their blackpainted steel bodies, make them covetable decorative objects. Good design and innovation have always gone hand-in-hand. In 1889, the company debuted its first electric machine, then launched the iconic…

A showcase for the antique, vintage and handmade collections of more than 100 sellers, Al’s Emporium is based in a stunning Grade I-listed Georgian cloth hall in the market town of Halifax, West Yorkshire. “The emporium is never the same from one day to the next,” says owner Simone Sargent. Among the vendors are Keith Chapman and Steph Urquhart, who specialise in Moorcroft ceramics and antique silverware, Robert Sampson, whose niche is film memorabilia, and Simon Haley, a well-respected toy dealer with a special affection for the make Dinky. The remainder of the shop area (running down the centre) is a space in which Al – Simone’s former-accountant husband and the business’s namesake – and Simone can sell their furniture, homeware, mirrors and unusual pieces. Here, you might find an original…

“We wanted everything to look as if it had been there for years”“We found the summerhouse windows by the side of the road”…

For more than 300 years – since the Restoration of Charles II (1660) – commemorative royal items have been made to mark celebrations. The Queen’s illustrious 70-year reign has included a number, the most notable being her wedding to the Duke of Edinburgh in 1947, her coronation in 1953, and her Silver (1977), Golden (2002), Diamond (2012), Sapphire (2017) and, of course, Platinum Jubilees (2022). There has, therefore, been a vast array of items manufactured to mark these milestones, meaning this is an accessible field in which to begin collecting, as most items have low price points; sites such as Ebay, flea markets and vintage shops are awash with commemorative crockery, with some starting bids for coronation mugs from as little as £1.99. However, a limitededition piece will, of course, command…