Flea Market Insiders

An old typewriter as computer keyboard

montcalm — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 16:39:49 +0000

Ok. So you went to the flea market this week-end and you saw that old vintage Underwood typewriter displayed on that booth. And it was love at first sight. Even the price seemed quite ok: $60 for that piece of history, maybe just one of those John Steinbeck, Jack Kerouac or Ernest Hemingway could have used, is really nothing. So you try to temper your exhilaration in order to bargain a little bit, just for the fun of it. And then you realize and ask yourself: “what am I really going to do with it? Well it will definitely look nice, at least a little while, as a decorative object, but then what?”

Stop to worry, as Jack Zylkin of Philadelphia, PA, came up with a great idea to bring all our old typewriters to live. He developed a DIY USB Typewriter Conversion Kit, which could turn (almost) any manual typewriter into a USB-ready keyboard, which will work with any Mac or PC computer, or with the iPad. Once mounted, the conversion kit will feature shift, space and return keys and function buttons along with ESC or CTRL, will be accessible through a special toggle key. As the name implies, it will connect to your PC or Mac via USB, but will require an adapter if you wanted to connect it to the iPad.

And if you’re not too much into DIY of the $74 conversion kit (which requires intermediate skill with a soldering iron…), you can always get your hands on the ready-to-use model which set you back a whopping $699. That’s what it costs to have a chance to hear this beautiful “tchik-tchik-tchik”. Just music to my ears…

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Photos of Paris flea market (Clignancourt)

montcalm — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 19:58:55 +0000

Brook Giannetti of Velvet & Linen traveled to Paris last July. And among the very nice things she brought back to the US, is an amazing set of pictures she shot at the Marché aux Puces de Clignancourt – probably the most famous flea market in Paris, which is officially called Les Puces de Saint-Ouen, but known to everyone as Les Puces (The Fleas). It covers seven hectares and is the largest antique market in the world, receiving between 120,000 to 180,000 visitors each weekend.

Enjoy this visual journey to one of the most picturesque flea markets in the world.

More information on Frommer’s and Paris Perfect.

[source: Velvet & Linen]

Less is more: a home in Paris

montcalm — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 10:16:19 +0000

Most of the time, giving a genuine and unique flavor to your home, is not beyond your reach (or your finance).

This beautiful apartment which is the home of Caroline Delaudes, a lawyer living and working in Paris (France), is decorated with a minimalistic amount of objects: here a leather chair, there a kitchen trolley or a 1930s desk and its chair. But that is just enough: the dominance of muted colors and natural materials such a wood, are a great playground to mix together modern and classic touches.

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A timeless walk at the flea market

montcalm — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 16:57:44 +0000

Music: Harry James & His Orchestra – I Had The Craziest Dream | Filmed at a Flea Market in Shepton Mallet, Somerset, UK.

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Home design: learn to trust your own taste

montcalm — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 15:52:14 +0000

Is that a matter of laziness or a lack of confidence? It seems that too many people are relying on “design experts” (or catalogs/magazines) to tell them how their place should be furnished and decorated. Buying your furniture at IKEA – or any other equivalent – is fine when you are on a tight budget or in a hurry. But why would you need to buy everything there, from pillows, vases, lamps, etc to decorative prints (how often have I seen this picture of Audrey Hepburn hanging on a wall at a place I was visiting)? Have a look for instance at “IKEA Family Live” the monthly magazine they publish: interiors who are featured in the pages of this magazine are anything but boring and common. They actually show how easy it can be to mix mass-produced furniture with unique decorative objects and people’s tastes.

Your place

After all, you’re the one who will ultimately be living there. So the way you decorate your place should tell who you are, and not how cool or hype you are. You might be thinking that I’m just writing the obvious. But unfortunately too many people don’t trust enough their own taste and would rather grab a home design magazine to exactly reproduce into details what they see in there. Don’t understand me bad: magazines can be a great source of inspiration. And they should remain so: “an inspiration”. Because they’re not 100% tailored to your own tastes and history. So they will never fit perfectly.

So, what now?

Learn to trust you own taste. Follow your own path when it comes to decorating YOUR home. And don’t try to end up creating a too perfect sanitized world around you, as there is something beautiful and poetic in living in a place which displays your history and your personality traits. Such a place shall call or “echo” your inner self. People visiting you should in one glance be able to embrace what surrounds them and understand who you are: the eccentric, the perfectionist, the artist, the vintage lover, the traveler, the flea market freak…

Offices, administrations, malls, hotels – and most public places in general, are sanitized places which are so, because they are meant to please the many. But there’s only one place where you can do absolutely what you want: your home. And nobody is going to judge you for your tastes or the way you decorated your place, as long as it bears its dose of uniqueness and reflects who you are. And odds are high that people will actually get inspired by you and will start doing the same (how contagious isn’t it?)

And if you’re not too sure where to start to compose your own home decoration & design, have a look at the pictures below which showcase eight different living rooms and the way they were furnished. You will probably discover that it actually does not require much to create a unique and beautiful interior. Comments and tips below are by Holy of decor8.

Remember: everything is possible. You are the one setting the limits; so try and push them always further.

I’m cravin’ me some: Crushed velvet old-fashioned grandmother sofa action. This is such a dreamy couch. I love the pillows but I also hate them which sounds funny but it’s true – they are bad but oh so good! The wall color is also quite amazing. This photo is from Shitery.

I’m feelin’: The minty green brick walls, the orange-y leather sofa that is definitely vintage, the spacing between the art work on the wall – it’s not tightly grouped, it’s relaxed and very no-frills. This photo is from New York stylist extraordinaire, Lili Diallo, via google images.

I’m likin’: The shelves, the art and the unexpected pattern on the sofa. This is Shelley Street’s home in Real Living magazine, scanned by Dust Jacket Attic. Photographed by Martin Hahn.

I’m swoonin’ over: The light in the left corner – I keep seeing them in German magazines – must find source! The concrete floors which is currently a love of mine… I like how easy breezy this place feels – it’s totally beach cottage meets urban industrial. Love the furry yeti-ish chair and just about everything else going on in this space. Sometimes a room has more of a mood happening over anything else that attracts me to it. This place says Style Without Effort. I like that. Photo from Home is where the heart is.

I’m diggin: The whole moody energy here – the wall color, the sofa style and color, the shot of fuschia and the painting leaning against the wall. Of course, this is a styled shot – you couldn’t live with a painting propped against the wall on the back of your sofa because it would fall but you could also hang it on a wee nail just a bit higher but still keep it very low to the sofa in the off-centered position as it is currently. Photo from Fey Handmade.

I’m all for: The gray walls and the wall they’ve nestled that L-shaped sofa into to make a cozylicious corner, it’s very nice there and the white shelf with the art makes for a lovely gallery-in-rotation, which is perfect for Etsy print collectors to move stuff around without hammering into the wall each time I decide to change things up! Like the yellow accents, too. Photo from Angelica Gonzalez.

This is kickin’: Okay how cool is this anything goes approach to decorating, huh? I’m liking this eclectic bohemian mama look a lot. This is from Matchbook magazine. This place is rockin’ out some major ‘tude. It’s like, “Yeah, I live here and I love all of this stuff so deal with it.” I’m happy to deal with it – it’s quite pretty.

Major love here: This is Bri Emery’s living room loft space in L to the A. It’s nice, right? I love the sofa style and fabric and the wall behind it – so much personality! It was shot by the super amazing Bonnie Tsang, who I have a major girl crush on at the moment because Bonnie downright rocks it out with her whole great eye camera goddess thing.

When I taught mood board workshops for Anthropologie stores last year, I stressed that when building a style file to always make notes in it detailing exactly what you love about the magazine tear that you’ve pulled. That’s why I’ve done this as an example with each of my tears above. Sometimes you’ll find that there are only a few elements and then you can start to notice definite themes which then lead to finding your personal style or at least what you’re into at the moment. From my looks above it is obvious that I have a real thing for gray walls at the moment and pretty sofas and gallery walls.

When modern design and vintage embrace

montcalm — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 12:42:55 +0000

This apartment located in Barcelona, Spain, showcases an interesting mix of elegant, eclectic and minimalistic style. Who said vintage baroque furniture could not be mixed with modern classics?

How about you? Do you think it is hard to mix modern design with antiques/vintage design?

[source: Her Eclectic Interior]

Less is more: who said you had to go broke to furnish a room?

montcalm — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 12:29:18 +0000

When a few vintage details are enough to give its flavor to a room…

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How to find affordable industrial design to decorate your home

montcalm — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 19:50:19 +0000

Before you further go through this post, I’d like you to have a detailed look at the gallery above. I mean, really take the time to review this collection of pictures of this gorgeous and amazing interior by Alketas Pazis. Take a moment to dive into every photo in details, and let your eyes catch the shape, the color, the position of every object perfectly organized in this fine composition.

Now you might be thinking “wow, this interior is just amazing… But how am I supposed to EVER manage to lay my hand on even one of the most insignificant objects or furniture showcased on these pictures?”

Well, “you wonder”? I’m telling you now: “that is actually MUCH easier than you think.”

As a matter of facts – and you will probably think I’m nuts – give me a few days shopping around here in Vienna (but it can also be Berlin, Paris, London, Milan or any other major city with a little bit of history, a decent flea market and some major antique chops) and I’ll manage to lay my hand on 80% of the content – or equivalent – of what is featured on these pictures, and without going broke.

How is that?

Well, lucky for us there is something called “industrial design” which implies that… things were produced industrially or better said, in a high number of copies. Furniture, lamps, home appliances, decorative objects, prints… actually give yourself a few days wandering in antique shops and flea markets around where you live, with the pictures of the above objects in your hand, and tick them as you find them. You probably won’t believe how easy it can be to spot that kind of amazing furniture. And if you have a minimum interest in collecting antique stuff, you will probably already have seen many of these objects somewhere before.

The interior of Alketas Paziz is indeed impressive, but absolutely not “unique”, as uniqueness applies to a piece of work which has been produced in one single copy. His rooms are instead elegantly organized spaces mixing “Danish Design” furniture, recycled equipment from factories (mainly roof & deck lamps, long tables and metal chairs), old color prints used in classrooms as teaching material for students, apothecary wooden furniture/metal furniture, university/high school wood & metal chairs, and miscellaneous curiosities and decorative objects collected from various flea markets.

That’s right: YOU too, can have a dream house like Pazis’. Having a greatly furnished apartment or house, is not the exclusive privilege of the wealthy or home designers and architects. Get inspired by magazines, vintage design websites, or just follow your own taste! Once you step into this hobby of collecting vintage & antiques, you will never get rid of it; and the more you do it, the more knowledgeable you become, and the greater the stuff you find (and almost always at a very, very interesting price – Don’t know how? Have a look at some of our recommendations on how to bargain at the flea market).

And if you are more like a “digital native” or an “exec” who is more concerned about getting all that decorative stuff right here, right now, or if simply you are living in a city that does not have that much choice when it comes to flea markets or antique/design shops, you can always search eBay; and if you at least have a look once every two days at eBay’s sales, chances are you can – quite often actually – find great deals. It’s just a question of patience and constancy.

To somehow illustrate my theory of “industrial design can be found everywhere”, I’ve made a few search on eBay. It took me approximately 5 minutes to find a huge share of the equivalent of Pazis’ interior. Click on the hyperlinks or simply review the summary image below:

>> eBay search for “Danish Design”
>> eBay search for “Vintage Industrial Lamp”
>> eBay search for “Vintage Anatomical Print”
>> eBay search for “Vintage lithograph print”
>> eBay search for “Apothecary Furniture”
>> eBay search for “Vintage Metal Cabinet”

If you have some extra tips, or places/website which retail that kind of design, please don’t hesitate to share in the “comments” section below! And always remember: the flea-market experience is about finding hidden treasures.The most valuable items are not those that you think will be valuable for resale. The really priceless things are the objects you personally love.

Dublin Flea Market (Dublin, Ireland)

montcalm — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 12:32:15 +0000

Ever wondered how the Dublin Flea Market looked like and if it was really worth flying to Dublin to attend one of those exciting WE thrifting there? Don’t bother checking first, we did it for you; and it’s definitely worth the ride. Enjoy the video!

About the Dublin Flea Market

The Dublin Flea Market opened its doors for the first time in November 2008 and since then it has grown into one of Dublin’s most loved markets. It takes place on the last Sunday of every month in The Co-op on Newmarket square, Dublin 8 and being indoors means it is safe from the unpredictable Irish weather.

There are over 40 stalls each month selling everything from vintage clothes to second hand bikes, retro furniture and random odds and ends – pretty much everything you would expect to find at a flea market. As well as the buying and selling we usually have a mix of djs, live bands or whatever we can throw together on the day to keep the folks entertained, as they soak up the atmosphere, drink a coffee and fill their bellies with homemade falafel, cakes, pizza and greek dishes. The Co-op’s organic food store is also open on market days with the best selection of organic and fair-trade goods in Dublin.

Taking place just once a month theres always a great buzz at the Flea. As well as a great day out for bargain hunters, the market gives people a chance to take a stall, hone in on their haggling skills and play shop for the day. The Flea community is ever growing and we hope it’ll be around for many years to come.

Just so you know: - There is free parking on the square and the surrounding roads on a Sunday

- The nearest banklink is beside St Patrick’s Cathedral, however, the tills at the organic food store offer a cashback facility with laser transactions.

- Buses that go to Cork st. (closest stop to Newmarket)
From Grand Canal Dock or Pearse st. – 50, 56a, 77, 77a.
From Fleet st. -150
From Tara st. – 151

More information about the Dublin Flea Market here –>

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Flea market finds from around the world (Feb. 6th – Feb. 13th)

montcalm — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 08:50:15 +0000

A weekly summary in images of the best finds from flea markets around the world! Enjoy the ride in the past.