The List #02

A bi-monthly curation of second-hand finds, and little life-enhancers from small businesses. This week: vintage cushions, the best place to buy cafe curtains & the coffee cup that changed my life

Every now and again I’ll chuck out a full edition of The List to my free subs, so you can get a taste of what’s behind the paywall. This is one such time! If you like what you read, you can upgrade your subscription, below.

As like the last List, all my curation hails from either a vintage store or a small, independent business. As much as I can, I will endeavour to keep The List this way. NB: I am not using affiliate links, so I will not profit from any purchase you make.

Onto The List 02! Today’s edition includes a reader request for cafe curtains - for which I had the perfect recc up my sleeve - so don’t be afraid to ask if you’re hunting for something! If I can help, I will.

1. Hannah Simpson mini monsters These serve no purpose except to be completely irresistible. I hate clutter, but I love trinkets. If Hannah’s cult ceramic lamps are beyond your budget, then at £17, these tiny creatures are an adorable entry-point purchase to the ceramic artist’s work. I just treated my kids (me) to a green one.

   

2. The Vintage Pillow Store One of my fave vintage spots to currently surf. Cushions are immediate room-enhancers and these guys would transform a drab sofa. Silk handloomed pillows like these usually go for an absolute song on luxury antique websites like 1st Dibs. Plus, second-hand animal print (when it’s a bit lived in) looks much better than new.

   

3. Oranges & Lemons Jnr vintage kids clothes One of my (many) vintage obsessions is kids dungarees. They were so much cooler in the 90s, particularly the OshKosh ones - which are somewhat of a collector’s item now, with the graffiti print dungarees regularly hitting £100 (!) London vintage store Oranges & Lemons Jnr has a gorgeous and fairly-priced edit of kids clothes from the 1970s-1990s. Both of these are gr8.

   

4. Mishmash Tabs notebook I tend to be working on 4 or 5 different things at the same time, which has historically meant a dizzying array of notebooks. This notebook by Mishmash, which means I can have one notebook with separate tabs for newsletter, docs, pods, etc, is delightfully practical. Admittedly expensive for a notebook, but it’s spine-stitched (meaning that it can lie flat, always my pet peeve with notebooks) and densely paginated. If you’re a stationary nerd, this is one for you.

5. Linen and Letters cafe curtains By special request! On the first edition of The List someone asked me for blind reccs. These guys are great - I bought one for my bathroom a year or two ago. Really affordable, tons of choice and great comms, too. (These one the ‘Appleton’ style.)

   

6. Lamp Maker UK Colourful, bobbin-y lamps are having a moment, but lacquered ones don’t come cheap. This Etsy store has a great selection of lacquered ones for brilliant value (and also sells other styles of lamp base.)

   

7. Imparfaite Paris vintage suede and sheepskin coat At the time of writing, it is still fcking freezing, so if you’re looking for a coat, try Imparfaite, a great online vintage store based in Paris. The search terms/ site translations aren’t *great* so I suggest just doing a big broad trawl from time to time - you’ll find so many gems if you put the time in. (Also, employ some franglaise - for eg ‘vichy dress’ throws up a lot more, than ‘gingham dress’.) I love the flattering trapeze cut of this jacket and the high neckline.

   

8. Wooden tulips by Raduga Grez Toys made in small batches using solid local wood and coloured with vegetable dye. The sustainable/ ethical kids clothing and toy movement can be absurdly priced, but I think these are pretty good for the artistry involved. These are a lovely present for a kid (you can take the wooden stick out of the bottom bit and mix and match the flowers) but I don’t think you have to be tiny to enjoy these on your window sill. And they’ll last longer than fresh flowers!

   

9. Yeti insulated tumbler My husband believes me to be the slowest consumer of beverages on the planet. He might have a point: I’ve been drinking this coffee in front of me since 9am and it’s now 2.09pm. I’ve tried those plug-in cups that sit on a pad, but they’re annoying unless you’re sitting at a computer and the coffee at the bottom gets manky. Then a friend recommended me her Yeti tumbler and it has transformed my working day. Now I can sup my drink as slowly as I like and it stays hot! Also great for long, cold walks. And, of course, means no disposable cups.

10. Natalia Bagniewska prints I get a lot of questions about where to find affordable artwork and I actually think the choice has never been better. I’ll be sharing an affordable art spot in every List going forward (well, until I run out) starting with Natalia Bagniewska. Fun fact: Natalia has designed the artwork for every creative venture I’ve ever embarked on (from The High Low to Book Chat to this very newsletter) - she’s also a brilliant artist, selling a variety of prints and posters.