Hunting for Vintage

Been having a great time in Lexington, shopping the amazing vintage stores in town, and finding some amazing antique resources off the beaten path, too.

I've been redecorating a Guest Bedroom on a slim budget and blink-and-its-here deadline, so thrift stores have been my No. 1 source for unique furnishings and accessories for this room.  I've had a blast meeting many of the shop owners and salespeople at Lexington's thrift and secondhand shops, among them are the staff at Uncle Ray Jay's Furniture ReSellers, Room Service, Scout, Feather My Nest, Another Man's Treasure, and about 5 different Goodwill shops. 

But my absolute favorite shop discovery has been Street Scene, a fabulously put-together vintage boutique.  I walked in the store (which is so unassuming from the exterior), and nearly fainted at the girlie retro wonder of it all.  The store is arranged in half a dozen themed vignettes, with clothing, fashion accessories, furniture and home accessories staged to retro perfection.  It was as if Etsy morphed into a storefront and enveloped me into its well-curated quirkiness.  I whipped out my iPhone and used my favorite app, Camera+, to capture some of the goodness and share here.



Cute little kitchenette vignette!
And, are you kidding me with that chair? It was meticulously recovered in soft red gingham. YES!

A Halloween-themed vignette with 70s furniture and tons of gilded frames on the wall.



Another Halloween-y vignette near the men's clothing section.  Lots of vintage cool men's hats, btw.



The back of the shop, which is huge and so pristine, you'd think all the items were brand spanking new. 



You know I almost convulsed at the sight of all this glassware. 
Too bad I didn't bring an extra suitcase on my trip to fill with these goodies..  I love cocktail glassware!!!



A dressmaker's form was recovered in peacock blue satin and is used to display an insane amount of brooches and pins.  Steal this idea for your boudoir!

  

I really, REALLY loved this campaign-style bamboo tray table.  Wouldn't it make a fabulous nightstand?  And how rad are those plaid pillows?!




This table lamp is so haute. 



Bins filled with decorative handles, pulls, knobs and finials. 
And with prices much cheaper than that store that rhymes with Quanthropologie.



I die.  This patio furniture set would be so cute in a kitchen. 
And all those tabletop goodies are totally Mrs. Roper cool.



If you're in the Lexington area, you must check out Street Scene.  There's a treasure at every step in this shop, and the ladies on staff were so sweet and super stylish.  They recommended some of the other vintage shops that I visited this week (and mentioned above), and were so gracious while I gushed about their fab shop.  I didn't buy anything for the Guest Room makeover, but I managed to buy a purse for myself.  How does that always seem to happen?!? I was there with only 20 minutes before I had a meeting, so I couldn't shop for too long, but I'm going back before I leave town! 

Cheers,
Whitney

Magic Carpet Ride ... and cleaning tips!

I was taught that a 'carpet' was a wall-to-wall floor covering while a 'rug' was an area-specific/movable floor covering. But lately I've noticed how much the terms are used interchangeably in the industry.  Apparently the terms are the same in many languages, so the trade industry has long been using carpet/rug to identify either product.

This irks me, doesn't it irk you?  I'm a nitpicker with design vernacular, and it gets under my skin that there isn't a definitive solution to this English-language-terminology problem.  Nevertheless...  I stick to the old-school American terms, and when I'm chatting with a sales person about an ''area rug" while they call it a "throw carpet," we still get business done and my client gets a floor covering. 

Kermanshah "Tree of Life" by Claremont Rug Company

Aman & Carson collection by Stark Carpet

Many people get nervous about rugs when it comes to wear & stains.  Don't be.  If you have quality rugs made from natural fibers you are way better off than synthetics when it comes time to clean.  Wool rugs, especially, are extremely resilient.  If you've got an area rug with a tough stain, send it to a reputable cleaner.  If you have an installed carpet with a major accident, call in the professionals as well.  But if the accident is bad, you should act fast for best results. 

Recently I got an email from a client about a horribly massive RED WINE accident on her oatmeal-colored wool carpet we had installed in her California home about five years ago.  She wrote me and explained...  (BTW, I've omitted the details about the innocent-because-he's-young-and-adorable family member who may have directly-but-accidentally caused this carpet catastrophe.)

I had a large gift basket sitting on an end table in the living room waiting to be put into the car.  I ran into the room when I heard it tipping over.  And, of all the things in that basket to have broken, it was a whole bottle of California Cabernet Sauvignon that was smashed and gurgling out onto the floor.  The pretzels and cheese and the pretty dischcloth were fine, but all the broken glass in a 750 ml puddle of red wine was a terrifying sight on my pristine carpet!

Tribal Afghan rug available on Etsy

Color Refom line by ABC Carpet

So, I picked up everything I could, including large pieces of glass.  Then, I cried.  Then, I called some friends of mine who own a commercial carpet cleaning business (I had her cell number!)  So I followed their advice to a T......

I ran to the garage for my wet/dry shop vac.  I took out the paper filter in mine (black & decker), then started vacuuming slowly to get as much as the 'wet' as I could.  I probably spent 15 mins doing that over and over.  Then, I poured a bottle of California Chardonnay (yes, I'm not kidding.  If no white wine is available, skip this step) over the entire stain.  Then I repeated the vacuum step for another 15 mins or more.  Then, I got cool tap water and did the same process in small sections of the spill.  It's very important to suck up all the liquid in each spot to get it as dry as you can.  Then, I got as many white rags and towels as I could find and blotted any remaining dampness.  


Brindle Stripe by Dash & Albert

1880s Agra rug by Beauvais Carpet

Then, I ran to the grocery store and bought $20 worth of kosher salt.  I rushed home and covered the entire area with a thick pile of the salt.  Left it for 24 hours, then swept and vacuumed.

There is still a shadow of a stain, but my carpet cleaning friends are coming on Tuesday to work out the faint shadow-y stain that remains -- my fingers are crossed.

In Aubrey's case, acting fast was paramount to her success with this major stain.  Having access to professionals who gave her such specific and unusual advice (an entire bottle of white wine on top of the red wine stain? Seriously?!?) helped her as well.

Note: there was no seltzer water involved.  And no chemical solvents.  Just a wet vac, white wine, tap water and kosher salt.  Oh, and a ton of elbow grease!


Warp & Weft

Kelly Wearstler for Patterson, Flynn & Martin

The Rug Company

Persian Tabriz rug on eBay

In honor of my wonderful client Aubrey and her grace under pressure during this carpet catastrophe [and the TWO bottles of wine lost to this mess], I'm raising my glass tonight to the carpet professionals out there.  Whether you weave them, import them, or clean them, you are an important part of this industry and your product makes our homes softer, richer and happier.

Go forth, my friends.  Love your carpets.  Live on them and enjoy the textural depth they bring to your rooms.  And if disaster strikes, bring out the white wine. 
Cheers,

Whitney