Kate Middleton was visiting Margate’s art galleries last week… of which more in subsequent posts. Today I’m covering my own art adventures from my heavenly week off by the sea. With only the task of painting a room to put off, I spent my days wandering along by the sea to explore the house clearance shops in the further reaches of Cliftonville, Margate Old Town’s wilder and less gentrified neighbour. I came back with two beautiful paintings to add to my small collection of originals. Do you want to see the first?

This was the princely sum of £2, and is lovely – the closer you look the more you see. It’s signed, but it’s so tiny that I can’t make out the name. In pencil on the back it says ‘3/4 Spoon’. Next up is this one, a total bargain at £1. Unlike the one above it’s painted on some rough fibreboard, and you can see the fibres through the paint. (more…)

The mothership of vintage interiors books

I’ve found it, if you’re looking for it. IDEA Books sell themselves as “Superbooksellers” and if you’re into vintage coffee table books that straddle the worlds of art, fashion and interiors, you’ll agree with their description. It’s books on the latter that have been a particular delight on my instagram feed – they flit between the […]

Paint talk part…a high number

Can of worms isn’t it? You start going over things, you want to keep going. Everywhere you go there’s a new alluring colour combination that needs to be found room for. The kitchen was fine as it was. The windows were replaced though owing to security-threatening rot of the old ones, leaving behind bits of […]

Trossel and Troc

Last week I told you I was off for a weekend in Rouen, the primary purpose of which was moving some furniture, but I was also hoping to find a bit of time for a sneaky junk shop or two. Rouen, it turns out, is known as something of an antiques capital, and sure enough […]

Van + French city = brocante fever

I’m away this weekend doing a favour for my brother. He’s living in Tokyo, the poor lamb, but has a storage unit full of stuff that needs clearing out in Rouen, France. In a moment of Christmas bonhomie I offered to hire a van and go get the stuff, secretly thinking it could be a […]