Month: August 2014
Rustic Country Kitchen – Holiday lettings design
When you are in the countryside, and pass little cosy cottages, you are mesmerised by their charm. Solid stone walls, wrought iron handles, antique wooden doors and quirky decor… I love these little English cottages, and would love to have one, to furnish in my own rustic style. But once you own this cottage, you want to keep the heritage feel and look, and furnish it with beautifully aged furniture and period accessories.
In my opinion, nothing add as much rustic charm to a country kitchen, as antique copper pans and pots. They do create the old rustic feel, when kept on a display. Hanged over the hob, or put on the kitchen window – and maybe used to keep the herbs and other plants? Here are few ideas how to add rustic feel to your holiday lettings kitchen with few copper pans:
Also rustic wooden furniture, like the Farmhouse Kitchen Chair will add plenty of primitive rustic charm to your kitchen. Stick to bare wood furniture, ideally with rough finish. Wrought iron details, as hooks, and handles will also add a country cottage feel.
SHOP: Vintage Wooden Napkin Holder
Rustic Country Cottage Napkin Holder
Carved oak napkin holder with a flower detail
Rustic farmhouse style napkin stand
Beautiful little table accessory
Height: 11cm
Length: 11cm
Width: 3cm
The Art of Letting Go…
Buying new stock for Cherrie Hub is very rewarding and exciting, I love browsing through quirky collections at the auctions. I always buy things I love, things I would put in my own house – if I had a bigger house! And it often happens, that some of the items I find so gorgeous, I instantly fall in love with them, and want to keep them. I especially love wrought iron pieces, and quirky little magazine racks.
Few weeks ago, I found this lovely shabby chic beach picture. It was part of a bigger lot at the auction, but it really caught my eye. I loved the chunky wooden frame, quite wide and big comparing to the picture inside it. It was painted in white and distressed, adding to the rustic weathered look. The beach illustration reminded me of Beryl Cook art, as she had very similar style. I do love illustration personally, so that being drawn was an added bonus.
When I got home, photographed the picture and put it online, I didn’t want to keep it in the storage unit. I wanted to display it at home, and it was looking really amazing on my wicker shelf (yes, another auction keep), with the seagull figurine. It added so much beachy, coastal feel to my living room, and I really enjoyed looking at it…
But I knew it will find a new home sooner, or later – by the end of the day, it was still online – and this day came yesterday… Yes, it’s been sold, and I’ve never before felt sorry I sold something… But I was very sad to pack it and send it on it’s way this morning… But c’est la vie! I know I fill the empty space sooner or later…
My Mojo is back.
Ever since moving to Cornwall, I’ve been terribly sedated and withdrawn from life. I couldn’t organize myself to get on with any activity, and I’ve been slightly hiding from life. Before, I have lived in Plymouth, large city in Devon, and that was amazing. I love the big city hustle and bustle, sounds of the streets waking up to a new day, people slaloming between each other, and the sheer entertainment of the high street. I miss it.
Today, after two years, I had a chance to see it all again. I’ve attended the auction in Plymouth city centre, and I could walk through these streets again. What a treat! I felt like a life is being pumped into me again.
The crowds, the noises, the choice of the coffees, the girl in the leopard and platforms, the selection of diaries, the owl storage boxes, the blueberry cake on the Barbican, all that… It’s been like a rollercoaster ride, and my heart was pumping. Glorious experience, I missed it so much, Plymouth, thank you, and I’m sure I will be back for another visit soon!
SHOP: Vintage Whistling Kettle
Vintage Whistling Kettle by The Original Housewares Co.
Rustic collectible kitchenalia
Plastic hinged whistle flips back
Vintage kettle in a cream shade, with original label
Height: 18cm
Width: 19cm
Depth: 19cm
Price: £10.00
Coastal Decor Idea: Lovely Vintage Planter
I found this lovely vintage Bamboo Plant Holder at a small auction house in beautiful Cornish town of Looe. It’s been a quiet and cosy auction, just few regulars, more of a social event, with sales as an added bonus. But you could find real gems sometimes, and pay much less that at bigger auctions.
This Tricycle Planter cought my eye, because of the shape, it’s beautifully curved, so gracious, quirky and really sweet. It’s surprisingly sturdy too, which means it’s been built very decently. It would make such a lovely feature in a holiday home, fitting in the coastal decor, put on the patio, or by the back door. Also quirky fun detail to the garden, if you’ve got kids playing around!
Day at Cornwall Design Fair
I have always wanted to visit a design fair here in Cornwall, and today was a perfect opportunity. Cornwall Design fair has been held in Newlyn, just outside Penzance, from 15 to 17 August. Focused on a local craftsmanship, from hand made jewellery, ceramics to the furniture and fashion accessories, it was truly inspiring, especially the creations of graduates from Cornwall College of Art. These students really have got fantastic vision for the furniture of tomorrow. I particularly loved the ‘Skeleton Chair’ which was beautifully shaped, made from beech, with the back support looking like the crossed bones. Creepy in a way, but also very fascinating. And beech, being very light in colour, worked perfectly for that project.
I was hoping to see more of the furniture stalls at the fair, to check new designs and trends, yet there was only few furniture traders. Most were jewellery makers – I absolutely adored oxidised silver earrings with green sapphires at one stall. There were also pottery stalls, leather satchels and also one exhibitor with rather unusual stock… He was trading with wide variety of bird feeders, which were designed in very sleek and simple way, and looked like hich tech accessories. Colourful round bowls, with stainless steel holders, so simple, and very bold. It’s the new trend in bird feeding business 🙂
After the fair, I have listened to a live band by the door, it was very relaxing, and a nice change from my work by the computer routine, so yes, fine way to spend the afternoon!
Robin Williams – a Smile that hides a Tragedy…
Robin Williams has always been regarded as a confident, charismatic and absolutely genius comic. You had to laugh at his jokes, even if they were offensive, sometimes tasteless, but the way he told them, it just made it all hilarious. He had this magical screen presence, you just craved for more, you wanted to look at him, listen to him, or simply observe his expressions.
His face was always hiding something, it was this kind of mixture of tragedy and comedy. He could go from a big smile to a serious tormented expression in a split second. Even when he smiled, there was a deep hidden darker side. But of course nobody had a chance to know, as it wouldn’t be funny anymore… And he was a comic, made people laugh and he knew that’s what was expected of him. Nobody wanted to hear about him complaining on talk shows, talking about serious stuff, they just wanted to laugh…
If you ever watched a movie ‘One Hour Photo’ you could see other side of him, I think also quite true. A bit weird, lonesome guy who is craving having his own family, but he doesn’t pursuit it, he just wants to watch other people doing it. So, as he works in the photo studio, he can watch other people’s lives through the photos he develops. Of course, Robin Williams had his own family, but it was the only chance to see a different side of him, deeply troubled and misunderstood.
It’s probably more to that, and we might never find out the truth, and it’s just a shame the tabloids, being tabloids, don’t have a tiny bit of respect for the actor and his family, and continue to speculate what’s caused the death, by coming up with new stories, which probably half of them are false.
Robin Williams, you will forever be in our hearts, and we apologise for not understanding…
Ten Illustrators To Follow Now
really awesome, I love illustration, magical art 🙂
From sketches to digital art narratives, here’s a visual journey into the worlds of ten illustrators on WordPress.com.
Brad Young
The drawings at Brad Young Art capture life’s little moments. From pen and ink to watercolor, and gardening to food to neighborhood spots, it’s easy to get lost sifting through Brad’s mix of doodles and sketches.
Sarah Goodreau
Sarah Goodreau, an illustrator living in Amsterdam, has a distinct style marked with the warmth you’ll find in children’s picture books, as well as the mystery of surrealist landscapes. In addition to illustration, Sarah is interested in video and stop-motion animation.
Marc Taro Holmes
At Citizen Sketcher, Montreal-based artist Marc Taro Holmes chronicles his location sketching, travel drawing, and plein air painting. His work-in-progress is refreshing, from airy landscapes to spirited pieces full of movement. When viewing his work, you can picture his hand moving…
View original post 335 more words
Cherrie Hub 