Monday, August 22, 2011

More Fall Finds for You


Here is the last groups of photos from the recent shop re-do, displaying Portobello Road Market and Fall. We hope you get inspired to come in soon! Happy Fall!


This autumnal cupboard displays our most popular Fall potpourri fragrance ---- Cinnamon Cider......with Pumpkin Spice coming in a close second. We have a good selection of both of these Aromatique scents right now.




A stunning secretary showing new function as a bar!





Proof that Fall doesn't have to mean "orange"......stick in a few twigs, add some white and brown pumpkins, get out your baskets and brown transferware.....and it's a smashing neutral fall look.



Draping a throw or table cloth over the top of your cupboard adds softness and color while giving dimension to the otherwise flat top.



Cute little kitchen towels sporting acorns and oak leaves.....

Also, just arrived! The new Charles Faudree design book entitled DETAILS. Another book showing his great traditional style and creative use of fabrics, and a must-have for your design library.

See you soon!

Sunday, August 21, 2011

More Portobello Road

Some additional pictures from the shop totally rearranged for Portobello Road Market.....


Books, books, and more books, along with a quirky deer complete with crown and tiny paper lanterns


A vintage map of the world becomes the background for the front counter





And lots of Halloween cuties...






A great selection of fall wreaths for your front door...





And fall arrangements for your coffee table or buffet...





Squirrels galore-----



And more......I'll post the last batch of pictures tomorrow. Check in for more great fall decor ideas!

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Portobello Road



Thanks to all of you who came to our Portobello Road Market today! We had such a great day, and we hope you did too. Here are just a few pictures of the Antiques Market, and our fabulous dealers getting ready for it on Friday afternoon.

Here are all the dealers, trying to make "order out of the chaos" on Friday afternoon. It is always amazing how well everyone works together, and how it all fits together just like a puzzle, even though we never know until that day what everyone will be bringing.


Ruth Ann and Alicia enjoying the creative process!


All busy at work......




And here are some of the finished "vignettes" of antiques:

A cozy cabin/cottage corner----



A sparkling display of silver for your holiday parties


An eclectic corner of fall at its finest....


A mix of funky and fabulous...



Jan's creative corner of "To rest is to rust"!


I'll post more pictures tomorrow of the rest of the store decked out for fall. If you didn't make it in today, there are still lots of interesting antiques and fabulous fall finds waiting just for you. Hope to see you soon!

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Coming Soon! ---- FALL



Even though I love summer, and its end is bittersweet, my very favorite season of all is Fall. Crisp cool evenings, cozy knit sweaters, leaves turning gorgeous shades of russet and gold, the first fire in the fireplace----I love it all! And, of course, the changing of seasons always requires some decorating changes as well. We will be totally re-doing the shop next week for fall and our Portobello Road Market, bringing out tons of new merchandise including all the Fall and Halloween. (As most of you frequent customers know, it will be rather a mess during this process.....but we assure you the results will be worth the wait!) We will be closed Friday afternoon (Aug. 19) to display all of the antiques that our fabulous team of antique dealers will be bringing in, with Portobello Road Market opening Saturday, August 20 at 9:00! (Note the earlier opening time.) Scones and tea will be served from 9:00 - 12:00, with champagne and samples of new Stonewall Kitchen recipes served from 2:00 - 4:00. Come early and stay late! Can't wait to see you there!


Love these pumpkins in the urns framed by the bittersweet wreaths!


Bring out your fall-colored pottery and light some candles for a cozy autumn dinner.


Turn those wine glasses upside down and they become a cloche on the bottom and a votive holder on the top. (Make sure you save some for the wine as well!)


A touch of whimsy for your front porch.......


Another great use of urns, this time for the outside. And who wouldn't love coming up this sidewalk at twilight, with all the candles lit?!

Start planning your Fall decorating now. See you Saturday!

Book or Nook?

Oh, how we love our books! We read them for pleasure, for school, for reference, for inspiration. We cook with them, identify birds with them, look up maps in them. We decorate with them --- we stack them, we lay them on their sides, we group them by color, by topic, by size and sometimes we even put them in the bookcase backwards! Leather bound books --- classic and classy. Tiny little books ---so sweet and petite. Coffee table books --- a picture IS worth a thousand words!



Oh yes, give me a book --- the real thing. What would we do without bookstores? And libraries? How could we read a bedtime story to a child without a real honest-to-goodness picture book? I can't imagine summer without a good paperback to take to the beach. Book Clubs conjure up the book of the month in one hand, a glass of wine in the other. Book signings ---well, I've never heard of a Nook signing! And how could you highlight, turn down the corner of a page, or make a note in the margin in anything but the real thing?




Our Portobello Road Antique Market is featuring books in many ways, shapes and forms. If you share the love of books as we do, just say no to the Nook, and join us on August 20 to tell us what BOOK you're reading!




written by Gwen Oldfield