Pearl Lowe's Vintage Craft: 50 Craft Projects and Home Styling Advice

320 Pages·2013·43.55 MB·English

by  Pearl Lowe

Contents
Cover
Title Page
Introduction
No1
Heavenly Kitchen & Picture Perfect Dining
Tiered cake stand
Bohemian herb planters
Glass-painted Kilner jars
Handmade vintage-style tiles
Découpage chair
Gypsy-style apron
Blackbird cross-stitch tea towel
Patchwork lace tablecloth
Satin & lace runner and place mats
Embroidered & tasselled napkins
Raggedy rose napkin ties
Vintage linen bunting
No2
Dream Living Space
Lace window panel
Cushion covers galore
Upcycled gypsy rose footstool
50s wallpapered coffee table
Trinket tray
Beaded & jewelled dressed chandelier
Two-tone lampshade
Pressed flowers calendar
Floral wreaths
Vintage Christmas
No3
Bedroom Delights
Sumptuous padded headboard
Luxury ottoman
Fairytale lace canopy
Butterfly bed linen
Patchwork quilt
Quilted nursing chair cover
Vintage-style screen
Upcycled chest of drawers
Jewellery shadow box
Velvet padded coat hangers
Lavender & lace heart
Vinyl ceiling rose
No4
Bathrooms & Small and Special Spaces
Antique ghost mirror
Mini bathroom cabinet
Gold-dipped bathroom accessories
Homemade candles
Decorative china plates
Opulent gold occasional table
Vintage suitcase storage
Stencilled storage crate
Screen-printed floral wallpaper
No5
Opulent Office
Office in a wardrobe
Framed cork pinboard
Fabric & ribbon noticeboard
Fabric-covered clips & pins
Fabric-covered box files
Wallpapered mini drawers
Découpage magazine holder
Embossed notelets & envelopes
Personalised rubber stamp
Craft Basics
Sourcing & Salvaging Vintage
Pearl’s Little Black Book of Shops & Suppliers
Patterns & Templates
List of Projects
Copyright
About the Publisher

Welcome to my
Vintage Home
A
s a child I always wanted to be different from everyone
around me and to be able to express my own personal
style. I chose the clothes I liked and drove my mother
mad by insisting on only wearing clothes that were unique,
and if anyone bought something I had, I never wore it again!
Vintage clothing made copying my style very difficult – I had
no fear of ever bumping into anyone wearing the same thing
as me.
Getting into vintage styling was a natural thing for me, but
it wasn’t my first vocation. I started my career as a singer,
which was all I ever wanted to do as a child, but when I had
children and the singing and touring came to an end, I
decided I had to find something else to do. At the time, I’d
just bought my first renovation house, in Camden, London. It
was a wreck and I didn’t have much money, so I decorated it
simply by painting all the walls and floors white and
punctuating the whole look with dashes of colour throughout
the rooms. I even did this in the bathroom, by putting up a
lace curtain I had dyed a fuchsia colour. It was this curtain that
started my career as a designer: a neighbour saw it and
showed it to a friend who owned a lifestyle boutique in
Notting Hill. They loved it and asked if they could stock my
curtains. They sold out almost instantly, but not before the
editor of Elle Decoration noticed the curtains and asked me
for a bright red version. She then commissioned a ten-page
article on my vintage style and everything snowballed from
there.
It’s the history and style of days gone by that excite and
inspire me when I’m designing for my home or for a collection.
My favourite periods are the 1920s and 1950s; they were eras
of glamour and romance, of beautiful people, beautiful clothes
and beautiful furniture, and I believe we are all entitled to a
little bit of glamour in our lives – and glamour never goes out
of fashion. Because period items become rarer over the years
– they become damaged or are discarded and lost – they can
come with an expensive price tag in some of the boutique
shops, but don’t let that hold you back; you just need to get
savvy and know where to hunt for the bargains.
I particularly enjoy trawling around flea markets, vintage
fairs, car boot sales and online, hunting out genuine vintage
pieces, but because they are old they can be difficult to find in
good condition. The good news is that this style can be easily
and inexpensively mimicked, so you don’t have to go vintage –
you can go vintage-style and it doesn’t matter! That’s the
beauty of this look: you can create the detail yourself or with a
little help from a specialist craftsman.
If you don’t mind a bit of damage, then the choice of
original pieces is even greater – everything doesn’t have to
look perfect. In fact, I think flaws add character. For instance, I
love roll-top baths (I get them cheap on eBay) and I don’t
mind it when they have a few chips in the enamel as I think it
gives them soul and history.
Use your imagination when you’re out hunting for bargains;
if you see something that’s a bit chipped or marked, think