Flora and Trauma

When I was married to the boys’ father, I remember us waking up one morning and him saying, "Why are we sleeping in dead old lady’s sheets?" He did have a point. At the time, I was collecting floral flannelette sheets from charity shops (this is probably one of the reasons why we're not together anymore). The thing is, arty guys understand these hipster hobbies; but to a BMW driving, suited and booted guy it must have seemed rather strange. 

My passion for vintage started in Dorset where my parents live. Even just writing the word 'Dorset' makes me excited. When I first hit charity shops in Shaftsbury in around 1999 it was tea sets, floral flannelette sheets, crocodile handbags (I know) and peep-toe heels I hunted for.

Nearly twenty years on I'm still hunting. My modern loft apartment has some of these original vintage pieces carefully placed in different rooms - though the sheets had to go! The only drawback about living in a modern space is that you can't have too many things. For a vintage addict that can be tricky to manage, but the ones I do have look stunning on the expansive white backdrops.

I set up Blank White Space, a gallery wall service, last year and I really believe that the combination of modern and vintage makes for a stunning gallery wall. The wall we have just created to pay "homage" to the Chelsea Flower Show has one of my original Dorset charity shop finds on it: a floral framed print. Vintage adds personality; it tells a story; it creates conversation. It is also a cost-effective way to look pretty damn cool. So it's bye-bye bed sheets and hello wall art.

Another of our hints and tips is to repeat the same subject matter over and over again. So look out for our nude gallery wall coming soon. We're also planning to pay homage to Notting Hill Carnival and Gay Pride with colourful wall art. 

If you're not up for the drive to Dorset, we have plenty of vintage pieces in our collection and they're just a click away.