Vintage print inspiration

As you may remember from my pre-wedding foray into wooden block printing, I’m a big fan of vintage letterpress prints. If you’re looking for a more professional finish than DIY block printing, I’d recommend East London-based letterpress studio A Two Pipe Problem, which does beautiful bespoke posters, stationery (including wedding invites and cards) and book covers. 

Everything is designed directly on the 1930s press, using nothing but old wooden blocks and metal type, some are a little worn around the edges lending the type an old-fashioned charm. 

You can also attend letterpress workshops to learn about the traditional printing process and make your very own poster. 

While on the subject of vintage-style invitations, I love this one that a colleague passed on to me - such a clever concept and so beautifully designed by the groom himself.

Vintage Vienna

I must apologise for my online absence of late - I was struck down with a winter lurgy and have since been off again overseas for work. Anyway, Vienna’s cosy cafes, cakes and hot chocolates soon perked me up - here are my favourite bits of the city:

Vintage-inspired packaging at the master confectioner’s Demel:

Modernist lighting Zeitloos and Pristine vintage treasures at Flo Vintage:

Cute and quirky haberdashery and crafting fabrics at Herzilein : 

 Art Nouveau and Secessionist design at The MAK museum:

Kitsch decorations at Vienna’s christmas markets:

And not forgetting - warm Apfelstrudel with custard (best eaten in one of the city’s grand old coffee houses such as Cafe Central):

Kate Spade’s pop-up apartment in London

I paid a visit to New York fashion brand Kate Spade’s first UK venture last week – a pop-up apartment in a Covent Garden townhouse. The creative team have impressively revamped the space on Henrietta Street to resemble a dream pied-à-terre, crammed full of vintage furniture, accessories and eye-popping colour. There was so much home décor inspiration in there that I had to force myself to put the camera down… I particularly loved the ingenious ideas of painting alcoves matt black and wallpapering the inside of a walk-in cupboard (ideal if you can only afford one roll!)

Each room is decorated uniquely to showcase the Kate Spade product range – from gorgeous Elizabeth Taylor-style gems displayed in antique jewellery boxes to pretty journals and short story books, patent handbags and 50s-inspired clothing. Catch it before it closes on November 10^th. 

Vintage Treasures from Budapest

If you’re planning a cultural weekend in Budapest any time soon, then you may be disappointed to discover the city’s Museum of Fine Arts has temporarily donated its works to London’s Royal Academy for its Treasures from Budapest exhibition. But there’s still plenty to inspire in this atmospheric Hungarian city.

I was there last week for work, and one of my highlights was the Ecseri flea market (Nagykőrösi út 156) – well worth the 20 minute cab fare to a less salubrious part of town. It’s not the cheapest flea I’ve ever been to, but much of the goods felt unique to the country and the culture – traditional folk embroideries, old violins, city street signs and military paraphernalia.

Plenty of wedding décor inspiration too -  glass bottles covered in colourful basket weaving that would make folksy vases, and endless piles of lace tablecloths and embroideries.

Vintage dress hunting: The Cat’s Meow

I have long been a fan of Rebecca Denholm and her vintage studio The Cat’s Meow - having spotted her gorgeous wares at various vintage fashion fairs over the years.  She has a loyal following of designers and vintage collectors for her fantastic eye and reputation for quality antique clothing and hard-to-find pieces.

Up until recently, she was based in Glasgow spending much of her time on the road - but she recently relocated to a suitably evocative space in west London (close to her regular haunt Portobello). Here, she offers an appointment-only service, where you can rifle through her collection of elegant vintage gowns, marabou shrugs, 60s swimsuits, deco clutches and delicate 50s heels.