HB Edit - Edition 10
Sharing the things on my ebay watch list that I don't have the space or money for, but wish I did.
Lots of bargains, but most importantly, spoons you never knew you needed. Stay with me…
Recently, I have found myself drawn to 1930s and 1940s oak furniture - sometimes limed oak, and often from Heals. This is in that ilk, and I think it is very superior. It’s a useful shape, with both closed storage and shelving. If anyone is lucky enough to have a study, this piece of kit would be essential (clever books on display, sweeties stashed away).
I think this is very pretty: small, but perfectly formed. I am not mad about house plants (sorry!), but I am very into bulbs in planters indoors (which I know I’ve mentioned…). We’ve had a rolling cast of daffs, white muscari and hyacinths (not the pink and blue ones) in the last few weeks, and it brings me so much joy.
Stay with me. These photos look like they could be taken from a crime scene, but I think this washstand is actually pretty fantastic. If space allowed, it would be a generous piece of furniture in a bathroom (as storage), but could also have an under counter basin set into the marble and become an actual vanity. The chamfered edges to the panelled doors are sweet, and the marble itself looks very grown up (even just for the marble slab, it’s a STEAL!).
Fabric is so often so expensive, and you nearly always need lots of it. But, sometimes, you can find a bargain on eBay, and maybe fashion a headboard, or a blind. I like this Pierre Frey fabric: it’s enough of a pattern to be interesting, but also subtle enough to go anywhere. Tres chic.
This falls firmly into the more ‘camp’ list of items that have featured on HB Edit. But how useful? A mirror AND a shelving solution for a bathroom. And with the shaped edges to the shelves, what’s not to love?
I am thinking a lot about my small slice of heaven that is the roof terrace at my flat. This warmer weather (don’t jinx it) has me very excited for breakfast al fresco, and an evening drink as the sun sets. And with all that dreaming, comes the reality of how expensive garden furniture can be. Comparatively, this bench is reasonably priced ad such a pretty shape (a very Hugo shape). With a squishy seat pad it would be the perfect spot to perch with a cold beer. And the seller is obviously a veteran marketeer, featuring a dog.
This feels old school, but I imagine it in a kitchen with limited space, but just enough for something in the middle. Not a full blown island, but more of a prep table or butcher’s block. It’s not too expensive, and the wooden frame would bring some texture into a kitchen (which can so often feel impenetrable when they’re all marble, steel and ceramic).
My ebay algorithm is obviously aware of my serious storage concerns, and has served me this beauty. Again, so reasonably priced, and would slot in anywhere. Painted or not, this would be a great addition to any bathroom.
Feature: for each edition, I will feature a person, object, room or place that inspires me.
This week I am writing about Gabi Veit, a German spoonmaker and jeweller based in South Tyrol, Italy. Yes, you read that right: spoonmaker.
I came across Gabi Veit’s Instagram profile a month or so ago. I have a funny relationship with Instagram. On the one hand, I absolutely love it. It is a constant source of inspiration, and I find myself learning new things, reading detailed captions and falling down rabbit holes of niche subjects (such as the whereabouts of a rare diamond parure last seen worn by Queen Frederica of Greece in the 1950s, er… just off the top of my head…). And on the other hand, it can be draining. Trends can be endlessly flogged until there is nothing left of them, and the performance of perfect, curated lives can get sickening (we all play our part in this too).
Luckily, this is a write up about the good part of Instagram. Namely, how the algorithm can offer up something completely new and unique, that you perhaps were never looking for, and how it can make you grateful to live in the age of information.
Having come across Gabi Veit, I learnt that she makes many things, but primarily spoons. They are crafted in wax with goldsmith’s tools, heat and fire, or household knives, pins and scissors. The wax can be kneaded, filed, drilled, carved, dripped and dipped. It allows for precise work, as well as spontaneity, and it can be shaped and moulded by hand. Gabi then makes the spoons in gold or silver, and sometimes blackens them too.
Gabi is not simply an ‘Instagram’ artist. She is a celebrated and collected artist far above and beyond mere social media fame. And I think they are just so beautiful. While they are technically spoons, they really are works of art (and sold as such). I like how committed Gabi is to this one thing: a piece of cutlery with a traditionally functional use. And yet, she has reimagined the spoon over, and over again. It shows the depths of her creativity, and how design really does go into everything. When I make my millions, I’ll be swapping out all of my spoons for Gabi’s creations.
More anon!
Instagram: @hugobeazley
Postal address: 97 Regency Street, London, SW1P 4AL
Is the dog included?