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Cath Kidston's come a long way since she
first designed floral ironing board covers and wallpaper and sold them
from a tiny London shop.
Nowadays, she's sold internationally and is
truly Queen of Florals.
The woman who made cabbage roses funky, and
revitalised polka dots, candy stripes and retro prints, has just distilled
the vital ingredients for her look into a new pocket-size bible called
Tips For Vintage Style.
It's a must for fans of her blend of sweet
nostalgia combined with sharp style, and as it bursts with ideas could be
an inspiration to the uninitiated.
Cath says: "My aim is not to create a room
that looks consciously designed or contrived but rather a room that looks
lived in, comfortable, fun and welcoming.
"I think it suits today because increasingly
people want to personalise their homes by displaying treasures and even
making things, instead of just buying into a packaged, bland style."
It's reassuring to find that 10 years on
from her modest beginnings her inspirations and enthusiasms remain the
same.
"The beauty of the vintage style is that it
needn't cost a lot - I still scour junk shops, flea markets and car boot
sales collecting fabrics, furniture and ideas along the way."
She has a New York store opening this month,
one planned in Paris which adds to her four UK stores but she still often
works from her terraced London home seated at an old scrubbed pine kitchen
table.
Many of her own rooms feature in the book
because she says: "I try everything out here so I'm sure that the colours
and styles work in a real setting."
TIPS FOR ROOMS
:: KITCHEN STYLE: Be inspired by kitchenware
for your colour scheme - paint kitchen chairs to match yellow china for
example. Kidston's collection of red and white crockery gave her a theme
which she enlivens with touches of blue. Mix modern pieces with junk shop
finds.
:: LIVING ROOMS: Paint the room white, leave
floorboards bare, or bleach for a sophisticated look. Paint old wooden
furniture to suit your colour scheme, use fabric remnants for tablecloths,
cushion covers or a mantelpiece runner.
:: BEDROOMS: Use florals for a bedroom but
avoid a dated look by adding fabrics in throws or a bedhead cover in
contemporary colours. Checked knitted blankets add character.
:: BATHROOMS: For a light look, paint walls
off-white, and woodwork pale 'French' grey. Add louvered window shutters.
An armchair covered in towelling fabric, and an antique coat stand for
towels and robes completes the look.
:: CHILDREN'S ROOMS: Use oilcloth for
covering tables and stools. Cover a sofa in cosy polar fleece. Revamp an
old ottoman in a bright fabric for a fun toy chest.
:: GUEST ROOM: A peg rail is a practical
addition, and takes up less space than a wardrobe. Decorate with fabric or
knitted covered coat hangers. A comfortable chair with lots of decorative
cushions is a finishing touch.
EASY THINGS TO MAKE & DO
:: Collect old frames decorated with shells
or make your own by beachcombing. Display on a mantelpiece.
:: Turn pictorial fabric into pictures, and
stretch on to a plywood frame.
:: Make your own pin board, cover in fabric
or tin foil, and stretch a grid of black elastic over the front. Staple
where lines cross.
:: Use scraps of wallpaper, fabric or
wrapping paper to cover telephone directories, address books etc.
:: Make cushion covers from remnants of
ticking, or gingham and old curtain material. Convert crochet woollen
blankets into covers.
:: Check out towelling fabric, choose a
favourite and customise to make towels edged with colourful bias
binding.
:: Dried food and herbs can be stored in
ticking bags instead of jars. Make them from fabric pieces and label with
marker pen.
:: Dye antique sheets, ideally linen, in
pastel colours for bed or sofa covers.
:: Cover old lampshade frames in vintage
fabrics.
KIDSTON'S CHOICES
:: Child size chairs painted and used as
side tables.
:: She adds bias binding, braid or a bow to
cushions in a clashing shade to give a surprising lift to a scheme.
:: She loves chintz as the most versatile of
vintage fabrics, using large pieces for tablecloths, and cushions on a
plain sofa.
:: She collects old feather eiderdowns,
cleans and recovers them and edges them with pretty ties. (Some dry
cleaners will recover eiderdowns.)
:: She collects old furniture in junk shops
and revitalises it by painting it in bright colours.
:: SNOOZE ZONE
Beds aren't just for sleeping in at night -
they're chill-out zones for use any time. Silentnight beds has recognised
that with its Hibernate range which allows the customer to create a
bespoke bed to suit their needs and interior.
The designs are The Chill-Out (pictured) the
most flamboyant in the range, as well as the Beach Hut, Minimalist, and
Boudoir.
Everything about the bed can be tailored
from the size to the bedhead, legs, mattress, fabric, right down to
matching cushions.
Prices start from £899, available at House
of Fraser stores and others stockists. Call: 0800 849 2222 or visit www.hibernatewithsilentnight.com
:: BRIGHT IDEA
Holiday photos or treasured family snaps can
now decorate lampshades thanks to a new service from Photo-Furnishings. It
will digitally transfer a photo on to fabric and turn it into a
personalised shade. They also have a choice of images to select from. It
costs from £70 (excluding lamp base). Call 020 7575 3030 or visit www.photo-furnishings.com
:: Tips for Vintage Style, by Cath Kidston,
is published by Ebury Press, price £7.99. Available from Thursday May
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