HB Edit - Edition 4
Sharing the things on my ebay watch list that I don't have the space or money for, but wish I did.
Despite a brief dalliance with cabriole legs and ebonised chairs, this is a pretty sleek, mid-century edit, if I say so myself. Happy snooping.
I really like this sort of Jacques Adnet-inspired mid-century tripod lamp. I’d happily have this on any side table in my house. As a rule, I like as many lamps as possible because over-head lighting is sickening (except for in kitchens and bathrooms). A raffia or heavy linen lampshade would look great, and so would this sculpture of a goat (alas, not included).
2. Set of 4 Regency Ebonised Cane Chairs:
Now this is where the ‘mid-century’ and ‘sleek’ falls down. But I really do think this set of 4 Regency ebonised chairs are so sweet. Either as a set at a card table in the corner of a drawing room (if you’re very grand), or split up and used as bedroom chairs. And a very attractive price.
Patterns with lots of colours are often very chintzy and floral (which naturally I love, but you don’t necessarily want your entire house to look like an 80s Colefax catalogue - or do you?). This, however, with its lick of acid yellow and tropical botanicals clearly takes inspiration from Josef Frank, and feels very cool. There is only 2 metres, so would be ideal for a roman blind, or even a headboard (at a pinch). And it really packs a punch.
Now, I’m breaking one of my rules here; ebay is vast and endless, and so it is normally imperative to limit results to those within the UK. However, I was caught off guard and stumbled across this pair of gold painted, wrought iron giraffe coat hooks based in the US, and I am obsessed with them. They are playful and unique, but still ultra stylish. If I was decorating a child’s bedroom for an American client, these would be a must.
I know, this table is a bit trad, but I actually imagine it looking its best in a very smart setting; one of those grown up rooms with wall-to-wall rush matting and a sofa upholstered in thick white linen (à la Jasper Conran-esque way). The shape and size is handsome, and just the right amount of curve to the cabriole leg to make it camp, without being showy. If I could justify it, I’d buy it.
I’m a sucker for a mid-century Italian wall-light. In fact, the fact that there is just one of these makes it even more enticing. I can picture it beside a generous window seat, or in a cosy corner by a squishy armchair. It is adjustable, so perfect for tucking into a good book, and the perforated design would cast such a pretty light. Sign me up!
Like everyone else at the moment, my Instagram feed is full of stainless steel. Whether it’s an image from a 90s World of Interiors, or a contemporary Parisian apartment, it’s everywhere. So it is no wonder my head was turned by this mirrored and aluminium tray. I think the shape is so smart, and despite renouncing bar carts last week, I can see how this would make a fantastic drinks station at a dinner party.
Ok, so hear me out. This ebay listing is a bit vague about the origin or purpose of this item. However, based on the staggering popularity of both my own Japanned match-stick holder and the one on last week’s edit, I think this could make one lucky shopper very happy. In fact, it could be an even cooler match-stick holder than my own (if possible!). It looks like the right size, and the fact it is brass and a decorative shape gives it a Swedish feel that I just love. I’ve said it before: run, don’t walk.
There are no two ways about it, these photos are terrible. But, on closer inspection, and with a bit of blue-sky thinking, I think this pair of single-ended armchairs / separable sofa could be super smart. It reminds me of a mid-century version of Max Rollitt’s Regency corner chairs (without the eye-watering price tag!). Pushed up together or separated by a chic martini table, this piece could make a room.
3 is a tricky number. But, if I had a kitchen table with a banquette and only need a few chairs on the other side, I would seriously consider these. Like many of Magistretti’s designs, this shape is iconic, and the deep chocolate brown colour is very cool - they are also surprisingly comfortable, despite being made of fibre-glass. They’re not to everyone’s taste, but that is what makes them so attractive.
Feature: for each edition, I will feature a person, object or room that inspires me.
This time last year, I spent the weekend in Chichester with my mum and sister. We visited Pallant House Gallery, and saw the retrospective exhibition John Craxton: A Modern Odyssey. I absolutely loved it, and have thought about it often ever since.
The exhibition charted John Craxton’s life, from early works in 1940s Britain and the shadows of wartime, to colourful explosions of life in his adopted homeland, Greece. To quote the exhibition catalogue, the show “revealed Craxton’s experiences of confinement and exile, his personal liberation as a gay man, and his celebration of travel and colour.”
As someone who also loves Greece (a gay, interiors cliché), these were the works that I loved most. You can see a Mediterranean familiarity amongst these men that is not precisely sexual, but still feels charged with an intimacy unique to the Greeks. While they do sometimes feel full of hope and sexual promise, they are mostly full of friendship, which I think is really beautiful.
He also painted goats, inspired by their resilience in amongst the scorched landscape of Greece. Naturally, I liked those paintings too.
Oddly, his painterly style feels similar to that of this substack’s name-sake, Geoffrey Houghton Brown. Both Geoffrey and Craxton had a cubist style, playing with angular lines and shapes that manage to make features harder, sharper and more masculine, while at the same time somehow softer and more feminine, almost balletic or choreographed. I think that if their paths had ever crossed, they would have had lots to talk about.
Craxton described himself as “a kind of Arcadian” and “a gay man who loved women.” Both are iconic, and feel somewhat relatable.
It really was one of the best things I saw all year.
More anon!
