June 2012
21 tags
Jubilee Gems!
For the past month or so everywhere you look there’s been bucket-loads of special commemorative things being produced for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. There’s a lot of tat out there, but there are some future classics too! Here’s a rundown of our top ten… Alison Gardiner tableware: £12.95-£69.95 | Emma Bridgewater comport: £75 Think jubilee… think garden...
Jun 1st
May 2012
8 tags
Wednesday Wish: Curvy jeans
Gap 1969 curvy | UNIQLO bootcut B | Levi’s Bold Curve skinny bootcut  I have to my name, one pair of charity shop-bought Miss Selfridge wide-legged cuffed jeans and one cheap-as-chips Primark stretch skinny jeans (whose zip refuses to stay zipped). That’s it - two pairs of jeans… neither of which I’d say I particularly like. I’m not after a pair of those £600...
May 30th
8 tags
Tuesday Huesday: Vintage garden chair
We’ve been having the most glorious late spring/early summer weather here in Todmorden and our vintage garden chairs have been seeing some action for the first time this year. We completely disagree with whoever came up with, “blue and green should never be seen”! Original Article
May 29th
18 tags
Bookmarks: London Underground Maps
We have a real gem for this week’s Bookmarks post - London Underground Maps - Art, Design & Cartography by Claire Dobbin. It’s hardly possible to imagine London without its underground system - and equally impossible to imagine this underground system without the classic map which guides its millions of users. This book takes you on its own journey - from 19th century...
May 26th
5 tags
Wednesday Wish: Cuisineart ice cream maker
Cuisinart ICE30 ice cream maker, £65.68 - Amazon Regular followers of this blog will remember us, not so long ago, posting a Wednesday Wish for a new fridge freezer. Well, we’ve had the new fridge freezer for a couple of months now - and we still haven’t got used to ALL THAT SPACE!… especially in the freezer compartment which, in the old one, was primarily taken up with a...
May 23rd
6 tags
Tuesday Huesday: Ryohei Yanagihara
image originally found at Randy’s Bamboo Room blog What a fantastic character - so of the era! He’s ‘Uncle Torys’, a real good time guy, designed by Ryohei Yanagihara back in the 50s to advertise Suntory Whisky. This is his dapper gent persona, but he can also be found parading as a Wild West outlaw, bedecked in a loud Hawaiian shirt, golfing attire and even martial arts...
May 22nd
8 tags
Bookmarks: Personal Best, Paul Floyd Blake
Before we start, we need to declare a personal interest in this particular book. The author is a very good friend of ours - in fact we’ve blogged about him previously in our Friday Folks series. Over a period of five years, Paul Floyd Blake regularly photographed sixteen young athletes in the build up to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. His work documents a unique time in...
May 21st
5 tags
Wednesday Wish: Frownies
Frownies anti-aging facial patches for wrinkles on the forehead & between the eyes - £17.50 I stare at some kind of screen for about 12 hours a day… every day. Laptop… television… phone… Add this to the fact that it took me about a year too long to go for an eye test & get myself a pair of glasses, I’ve started developing ‘elevens’. No, I...
May 16th
6 tags
Tuesday Huesday: Reversible Destiny Lofts
Completed in 2009, Reversible Destiny Lofts are a group of 9 dwellings in Mitaka, Japan designed by Arakawa and Madeline Gins. Apparently they were: “Set up to put fruitfully into question all that goes on within them, they steer residents to examine minutely the actions they take and to reconsider and, as it were, recalibrate their equanimity and self-possession, causing them to doubt...
May 15th
13 tags
Forthcoming Attractions: Mid May 2012
Here’s a new batch of recent vintage finds - slightly more items than our last ‘Forthcoming Attractions’ post! We’ll start with a few pieces for the kitchen. Quite a blue feel to the selection. These vintage mixing bowls often have cream interiors, but more rarely have these lovely coloured glazes in blue, orange or yellow. The utensil sitting inside the bowl is a...
May 14th
9 tags
Chuffed with my ciabatta!
I’m chuffed with my ciabatta! It was my first ever attempt and I think the loaves turned out really well! I used a recipe from one of my favourite baking books, Bread by Christine Ingram & Jennie Shapter. If you’d like to try making this one yourself, I’ve listed the recipe at the end of this post. There’s always a little ‘hold your breath’ moment as...
May 12th
9 tags
Wednesday Wish: Handpresso Hybrid Outdoor Set
Handpresso Hybrid Outdoor Set: Fairfax Coffee - £135.00 Justin gave me a lovely espresso machine a couple of Christmases ago and it’s seen a lot of service - a quick pick me up before going out in the morning! But what’s a girl to do when she’s out & about, miles away from a coffee shop and needs a fix? We’re off for a break to the Lake District soon so that...
May 9th
7 tags
Tuesday Huesday: Stained Stairs
I saw a copy of an image of these stained stairs and sought out the original to see how they were done. Well, after a nifty little Google image search trick*, I found the people who actually did them. They were designed a few years ago by Melanie Royals and stained by her studio assistant, Melissa. The designs which mimic marquetry work are stencilled, or more accurately...
May 8th
9 tags
Ideal Home Photoshoot
In our last post we mentioned this week’s photoshoot of our home. Photographer, Simon Whitmore and stylist, Sally Denning arrived on Wednesday morning laden down with loads of equipment - cameras, lenses, lights, light reflectors, computers - all essential kit to produce glossy magazine-quality images. There were hours of arranging, discussing and reviewing images. Our blog photos...
May 5th
1 note
9 tags
Forthcoming Attractions: Early May 2012
There isn’t the usual number of items in this Forthcoming Attractions post. It’s just that they really summed up the last few days. We had a magazine photoshoot on Wednesday chez H is for Home. The groovy flower-power apron represents the hours of cleaning we had to do before they arrived - and the fabulous Cathrineholm kettle represents the endless cups of tea that kept us going!...
May 4th
8 tags
Tuesday Huesday: Mariem Besbes
Mariem Besbes is a Paris-born Tunisian craftswoman who weaves textiles from wool. She colours them with her own hand-mixed dyes made from henna, madder and other natural materials to produce the most vibrant reds, earthy browns, lush greens, zingy yellows, aquamarine blues, regal purples… Visit her website to see many more examples of her exquisite fabrics! Original Article
May 1st
April 2012
11 tags
Dress to Impress
Justin arrived home with this dress last week after a trip to a local auction. He was well aware that it may not find its way into the shop. It’s very ‘Me’ - vintage, bright and very versatile.  I’ll wear it on its own, with this thin belt, with brightly coloured tights, over trousers and/or a blouse - the combinations & variations are almost endless! ...
Apr 29th
16 tags
M & S Packaging
M & S continues to produce some fantastic packaging. We bought a few items last week - and thought we’d share photos with you in case you haven’t seen any of it. We’ll start with this pizza box for the pastrami pizza - with its New York cop and stetson-wearing tourist. The characters are very reminiscent of Miroslav Sasek book illustrations from the 1950s & 60s. ...
Apr 27th
1 note
11 tags
Wednesday Wish: Gudrun Sjödén
I’ve loved Gudrun Sjödén’s fashion for over a decade - it really my style. This pair of catalogues popped through in the post this week ad I can hold off buying no longer. Striped, spotted & solid microfibre tights, from £13 per pair - Gudrun Sjödén I am going to treat myself to a few pairs of the wonderfully colourful tights. It’s spring at the moment, but it’s...
Apr 25th
8 tags
Tuesday Huesday: Alvhem Mäkleri och Interiör...
I’ve just discovered the website of estate agents Alvhem Mäkleri och Interiör. They don’t seem like any estate agency I’ve ever encountered - they seem, well… NICE! They’re all about impeccable standards, passion for properties, not doing the hard sell. Their site is brimming with gorgeous photos of the interiors & exteriors of some of their apartments...
Apr 24th
15 tags
Fine Finel Find!
Perhaps ‘find’ is too strong a word - more a patient track down. We’ve long coveted this particular enamel mug designed by Kaj Franck for Finel. We’ve been holding out for a really good example, in pristine condition. Our wait ended this week when we won the bidding on a well-known auction website. We just love the stylised birds and fiery colours - it really is a...
Apr 20th
7 tags
Wednesday Wish: Nooka watch
Nooka Unisex Zot V Series black leather watch: £215.00 - Amazon OK, so I’ve already done a Wednesday Wish post about a timepiece - but this Nooka watch is SO unusual! Instead of the regular hands or LCD numbers, this one’s face displays an illuminated dot matrix for the hours and a horizontal bar for the minutes. If you wore this on your wrist, it may take you a little bit longer...
Apr 18th
10 tags
Tuesday Huesday: C R W Nevinson
This striking painting from 1914, entitled Returning to the Trenches is by C R W Nevinson, considered one of Britain’s greatest war artists. The image conveys the movement and sound of the marching troops so vividly. I prefer his earlier style of work of which this is my favourite example - much influenced by the Futurist and Vorticist Movements. You can see a larger selection of his...
Apr 17th
1 note
7 tags
Towneley Park birdsong
Justin was off to an auction view this morning so I decided to go along for the drive and take Fudge somewhere different for his walk - Towneley Park. It’s a beautiful, well maintained park in Burnley - the former grounds of Towneley Hall, where the BBC film Antiques Master with Sandi Toksvig. Anyway, it made a lovely change - lots of different sights & sounds to our normal stomping...
Apr 16th
9 tags
Scottish Shortbread
Justin brought home this antique wooden shortbread mould this week. It was only fair that it got tested out for quality control purposes before going on sale in our shop! I’d made Scottish shortbread biscuits a couple of times recently and they don’t last very long chez H is for Home! I normally use Delia Smith’s recipe where she uses semolina for a bit of a crunch, but I...
Apr 15th
11 tags
Wednesday Wish: Orange cords
AG Stevie Cords, Orange: Anthropologie - £39.95 down from £128.00 Regular readers will know of my enduring attraction to all things tangerine. I have never seen bright orange cords - I guess they could be difficult to pull of sartorially - but I LOVE them! Original Article
Apr 11th
10 tags
Tuesday Huesday: Jacqueline Groag
Image credit: Vintage Seekers This amazing pattern is from a sample of vintage fabric designed by Jacqueline Groag in the 1950s - one I’ve not seen before. It forms part of the Designing Women: Post-War British Textiles exhibition currently on at the Fashion and Textile Museum in London (ends 16 June 2012). The exhibition celebrates the work of, amongst others, Lucienne Day (1917–2010),...
Apr 10th
19 tags
Forthcoming Attractions: Early April 2012
We’ve assembled some new items that we’ve picked up recently. They’re all arranged on a lovely vintage kitchenette - itself a recent auction purchase. We often put these kitchenettes in our antiques centre shop - they’re good sellers and an added advantage is that they’re great for displaying lots of other items whilst they wait for someone to give them a good...
Apr 9th
11 tags
Bookmarks - Flea Market Chic
This book looked right up our street when we opened the envelope… and we haven’t been disappointed. What better way to grab our attention than a front cover image featuring a gorgeous kitchen diner - bright, modern & relaxed with a contemporary rustic look. A perfect blend of old & new with cream coloured AGA, vintage enamelware, fresh fruit & flowers, 1970s chrome...
Apr 6th
6 tags
Wednesday Wish: PAUMES Books
London Ateliers | Stockholm’s Ateliers | Ateliers de Paris Bureaux à la Maison | Paris Brocante | London Vintage All at £20.50 I first spotted these recherché PAUMES books a couple of years ago on the Yvestown blog. They’re published in Japan and I couldn’t find anywhere that stocked them. I’ve just found out that they’re now available right here in the UK from...
Apr 4th
1 tag
Tuesday Huesday: Pysanky
Photo credit: Teresa Mihalko Harbert It’s Easter next week, so today’s topical Tuesday Huesday post features pysanky - colourful and intricately decorated Ukrainian Easter eggs. Head over to the Ukrainian Easter Eggs - Pysanky Flickr group to have a look at many more incredible examples! Original Article
Apr 3rd
10 tags
Flea Market Finds
The new May 2012 edition of Homes & Antiques magazine popped through our letterbox today - an ‘upcycling’ special. We loaned a few things to stylist, Kiera Buckley-Jones for her ‘Flea Market Finds’ feature. The items look great - some super styling from Kiera, incorporating them into various room settings. Lovely photographs by Carolyn Barber capture the...
Apr 2nd
March 2012
8 tags
Last of the Summer Wine
I’ve never been a fan of the television series, “Last of the Summer Wine”, I’ve never seen a single a single episode, but I do know that it was filmed (until its demise last year) in the nearby town of Holmfirth. What I didn’t know however, is that there’s AN ACTUAL VINEYARD in Holmfirth! In Yorkshire! Who’d have thought it was possible?! Holmfirth...
Mar 30th
8 tags
Wednesday Wish: Dennis Morris, Growing Up Black
I’ve seen a few different reviews printed recently of Dennis Morris’ Growing Up Black - A Chronicle of Black Britain in the 60s and 70s. The accompanying images really capture an era in London in which my parents & I must have been a part before we emigrated to Trinidad in 1973. His images portray the everyday in the lives of the African Caribbean community in London - the...
Mar 28th
8 tags
Tuesday Huesday: Observatory Street, Port of...
Photo credit: Rachel Rochford I was browsing Pinterest (yes, I haunt the boards there on an almost daily basis!) looking for photos of Trinidad, the place where I grew up. Whilst there, I stumbled upon the photography of Rachel Rochford. This image is one of my favourites of Rachel’s, it was taken in Observatory Street, Port of Spain. I love the composition, the colour and the...
Mar 27th
16 tags
Forthcoming Attractions: Mid March 2012
Here are a few recent buys - all heading to your local neighbourhood vintage website sometime soon! These pilsner glasses will add a splash of colour to your cocktail cabinet - or kitchen shelves if you prefer. The fab-tastic long matches for Peter John are straight from 1960s Carnaby Street - very groovy packaging. A humble product, and rare survivors! Next we have this red electric...
Mar 23rd
10 tags
Wednesday Wish: Orange bath towel set
Lexington Original towels | Habitat Egyptian towels | Ralph Lauren Player towels Many, many years ago in the London sales, we bought an Yves St Laurent orange bath towel set from Selfridges. They were beautiful, soft & fluffy when we got them; but now, with constant use and laundering, they’ve become a bit faded, thin & threadbare. We’ve been looking for replacements for a...
Mar 21st
6 tags
Tuesday Huesday: Fade to Grey
Like last week’s Tuesday Huesday “Modern Rustic” blog post, we’re again in a monochromatic state of mind. We love the simplicity & “uncluttered-ness” of this grey bedroom that we saw on the IKEA Family Live website. What a calm, contemplative place in which to start & end your day! Original Article
Mar 20th
5 tags
Surprise Pressie
What a lovely surprise - and what a lovely present! We have Jane Blease to thank. We recently sold this Danish table & chairs to Jane & her partner, Neil. When they came to collect the set from Todmorden last weekend she gave us one of her artworks. It was really kind of her - and we love it! A corner of our bedroom is all shades of yellow ochre & brown - the seed head design is...
Mar 18th
5 tags
H is for Home at 4
Well it’s mid March again - and H is for Home is another year older. We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you - our customers & supporters. Thanks to you all! With warmest wishes, Original Article
Mar 16th
10 tags
Wednesday Wish: Trip down to London
We’ve not made a trip down to London in YEARS! It’s not that far for us to travel - only about five hours away, but Fudge isn’t good at spending time in kennels. There are two art exhibitions on at the moment in the capital that we’d really love to see - completely different work, but equally exciting. They are the Yayoi Kasama at Tate Modern and Lucian Freud at the...
Mar 14th
5 tags
Tuesday Huesday: modern rustic
image credit: Sparrow Salvage on Flickr This photo has a soothing, complementary colour scheme and great composition… and I love the beaded door screen! It’s been added to our Modern Rustic Pinterest board. Original Article
Mar 13th
7 tags
Wednesday Wish: Roope Vintage glasses
from top: Retro 60s Honey Comb - £97 | Vintage 60s Lola Tortoiseshell - £77 | Retro 90s Carven - £57 | Retro 80s Charmant 4659 - £117 Well folks - I’ve known my days were numbered for a while now. I’ve been squinting at the screen of my iPhone and MacBook for longer than I care to admit. The eye test I had last week just sealed the fate I knew was immanent - I need glasses! The...
Mar 7th
4 tags
Tuesday Huesday: Sean Sims
We’ve only just discovered the work of Brighton-based illustrator, Sean Sims. We had a hard time choosing which of his designs to highlight, they’re all so amazing! He’s got a great style, colourful palette and lighthearted and humorous approach to his subject matter. Original Article
Mar 6th
5 tags
Wallpaper Sale!
you can click on the mosaic to expand the view We’ve been having a bit of a spring clean this week. We’re letting go of a few things - one of the first things is this collection of Wallpaper* Magazines. The group consists of the very rare and covetable launch edition and the following fourteen issues - they span late 1996 to late 1998. They’re currently up for sale as a...
Mar 5th
1 note
7 tags
Bookmarks: Creative Space
Today’s book review features a fascinating little read. Creative Space - Urban Homes of Artists and Innovators by Francesca Gavin The book takes a peek inside the homes of creative types - artists, designers, writers, photographers etc… …and explores the style of the spaces they inhabit. Some people combine work & living space, whilst others keep some degree of...
Mar 2nd
2 notes
February 2012
8 tags
Wednesday Wish: Antique Victorian sampler
(please click on the image for a more detailed view) This antique Victorian sampler came up for sale last week at Wilkinson’s Auctioneers with an estimate of £250-£450 - not a bargain, but a fair price, and within our grasp. We planned to bid on it, but bids started at £600 and it eventually sold for £900! It wasn’t the most colourful embroidery work for sale that day, but the...
Feb 29th
6 tags
Tuesday Huesday: David Klein
David Klein was a hugely talented and prolific illustrator. He’s known mainly for the dozens of colourful travel posters he designed, especially those for TWA, during the 1950s & 60s. You can feast your eyes on many more if you visit his website. Original Article
Feb 28th
1 note
9 tags
Sign of rain!
As we enter our 5th consecutive day of rain here in the Pennines, we think this is a very appropriate blog post. We came across this fabulous vintage sign recently. It’s a shop counter sign for ‘Antirain rainwear’ and dates from the late 1940s or early 50s. It has a classic look of the day - think James Stewart in It’s a Wonderful Life or Trevor Howard in Brief...
Feb 24th
8 tags
Bowled over by Stig!
We’re saying a fond farewell to our gorgeous Stig Lindberg bowl in a few days. We bought it last year at auction and despite it being very tempting to keep hold of these items indefinitely, we have to make a living. So it’s up for sale! It’s a stunning piece with blue band and black zig-zag design - hand decorated by Stig Lindberg for Gustavsberg of Sweden in the 1950s....
Feb 22nd