Thursday 2 February 2012

country couture


Country interiors can be tricky to get right.  The more relaxed pace of country living often invites an abode to become a dumping ground for unwanted bits and pieces from elsewhere so that the style is a higgeldy piggeldy mix of everyone's cast offs.
I have always preferred a simple chalky white look, maintaining as much of the original as possible but combining it with modern touches.  There must be light, heat and hot water at the touch of a button.  So many Brits are still happy living in draughty mausoleums relying on their dogs and layers of dust for warmth.  They wear their fortitude as a badge of honour and see central heating as a weakness of the feeble in body and spirit.


The puritanical style that I have adopted has remained unchallenged until I saw this beautiful table cloth for sale at a local shop.  It is antique French linen and the embroidery has been done a lady who lives a few cottages away from me.
She embroiders for the love of it, and a piece is only finished when it is perfect.  She does not labour to get the best price for her work, rather it is the love of creating beauty that drives her.
She has no idea how many hours of work goes into each one, but each is given as long as is required for it to be ready to leave her.  Whatever your personal style, how can you not love this?
The photos simply do not do it justice.  I paid the princely sum of £50.
Each time I look at it it I find different details to love, it just lifts my spirits.

2 comments:

  1. £50? No, it is utterly exquisite. I think it's so hard to find tablecloths here, I have two lovely Pierre Frey ones but they are a bit tired, I keep looking online but it's all so generic out there.

    Oh left a rambly answer about Revitalash.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'll post some pics of the next one, I can always buy if you like it, but could be a good few months!

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