Vintage French Christmas Countdown: For Him November 19 2014

There will be a small overlap with the present suggestions for ‘Him’ in your life., because, as you will be picking up, here at Vintage French, we believe that a Vintage purchase should be an investment piece and see the owners through the different stages of his/her existence as the background around the piece changes.

So as the big ticket, the classic club chair wins hands down every time!! What man doesn’t want to create a Man Cave to retreat to/to read the paper/listen to music/have a brandy and a cigar?! Even if your home doesn’t have a separate room for him to call his own, an alcove or a corner of a room can be easily be transformed. Couple the club chair with a cool coffee table, our Industrial lamp, the library ladder and maybe a mirror on the wall behind, et voila! Man Cave created.

In keeping with this man cave theme, stocking fillers are easy. Our beautiful and elegant ash tray would make a cool ‘bits’ (of the emptying pocket type) container, or will be very cool to use with that cigar.

I would love to see this vintage ski jumper framed on the wall of a man cave. For a sports enthusiast, it is a very cool statement piece.

If my Husband hadn’t already seen our Vintage Adult magazine, it would be definitely be in his Christmas stocking this year. The contents are modest but elegant (thanks to early photo shopping and the restrictions of publications in the 1960’s) and this is a one off collector’s item.

Vintage French: New Studio Space November 19 2014

October and November in Haute Savoie involves spectacular autumnal coloring and occasionally beautiful blue skied clear crisp days. A lot of the time however, it rains. A lot. And is cold!!

Up to now Vintage French’s photographic studio has been located underneath the terrace of our rented home!! With the winter approaching we had to come up with a solution that allowed me to keep bringing you pictures of delicious Vintage French stock through the winter season. Over the weekend, we have created a studio in our cellar, which I am popping with excitement to share with you.

Now I realise this is not a top quality photographic studio, but it is important to us to keep an eye on the budget so we don’t blow the prices for you and so we can keep delivering excellent value, quality vintage pieces at the same time as improving our photographs to give you an ever more accurate representation of our stock.

We did a family photo shoot in the new space this weekend, more on that next year.

Vintage French Christmas Countdown: Presents for the Boys November 17 2014

Small Boys.. vintage tricycles and scooters.. school desks for their bedrooms, and the awesome vintage postman’s bag to store toys books, or to even use as a school satchel.

Decorating their bedroom couldn’t be easier. What boy won’t love a vintage school map on their bedroom all (both our boys do!).. see our selection and for a sports fan.. this classic 1960/70’s ski jumper, mounted on the wall makes a very cool statement piece for big boys!!

For French speaking kids.. we have a selection of classic children’s, 1960’s reading books which would be perfect as a stocking filler and will help them hone their language skills… Another excellent stocking filler is one of our classic French alarm clocks. All our kids have them by their beds!! Please contact us for details.

For older boys.. who are setting up home for the first time, these classic club chairs will last them a lifetime. Elegant, cool, they will be the envy of their friends.

Or for a tighter budget, this 1970’s red and black chair would be perfect to use as is or would make a brilliant piece to reupholster in the future.. either way a very cool statement chair for a teenage boy’s bedroom or first sitting room.

Our Industrial floor lamp is a great addition to an older boy’s bedroom or sitting room.

Vintage French Christmas Countdown: Gifts for the girls November 14 2014

Ok... the house is nearly there.. onto presents for the girls.. for the little ones.. easy.. visit our Vintage for Kids section for a variety of dolls prams, high chairs, and for the tomboys, vintage scooters and tricycles.. some of the stock is beautifully up-cycled by So Sweet Vintage based here in France.

For the older girls, making their bedroom glamorous would be their dream Christmas present. I am wanting to create a dressing up space for our daughter.. a beautiful mirror, chair and light to make a grown up elegant area in her room, all items which she can take with her when she leaves home.. This is how my Vintage French mind works!!

Upgrading her childhood bed, to a small double elegant bed would be most girls dream. We have these wonderful Corbeille bed frames which can be upgraded to match your colour scheme and style - both the paint work and the upholstery. They have these beautiful rounded foot-ends, which are unusual and very cool. Choose a new fabric and wood colour and create a grown up, beautiful bed for your daughter.

Our daughter is likely to get one of these very cool Vintage French school tables this Christmas.. she is approaching homework age and just loves to colour and practice her letters, she will be in heaven.

For stocking fillers we have a bundle of vintage children’s French story books and vintage Paris Match magazines of the Young Queen and Bridget Bardot to add a little vintage Hollywood Gglamour!!

Vintage French Christmas Countdown: Dining Room November 12 2014

So with our ethos in mind, a Vintage French purchase will always be an investment piece. One that will sit within a backdrop that will evolve, change colours, change styles, change uses as a family grows up, leaves home etc.

Our dream Vintage French dining room this Christmas would be one where there are classic candles, beautiful mirrors bouncing the soft light around and interesting lighting… all of which will work with a new fresh colour scheme for New Year celebrations, for dinner parties and beyond.

For table decorations, this magnificent pair of French 19 Century candelabras are wonderful. They come up for sale so rarely, last seen for sale 20 years ago through Sotheby’s! We also have a more modest, but equally impressive single candelabra.

On the walls, our difficult to find set of three Italian Wall sconces….On a warm coloured wall these would make a very moody and elegant impression, or our chandeliers create a classic and elegant feel.

In my view, there isn’t a room in the house that doesn’t benefit from having a mirror on the wall. This, convex sun mirror creates amazing impact and bounces the light. Large or small, we have mirrors for all spaces.

The Vintage French Ethos! November 11 2014

Here at Vintage French we don't advocate buying vintage for the sake of vintage. We don’t advocate cluttering up your home with old things for the sake of it. We have grown accustomed to a throw away world where styles and fashions change at an alarming rate. Our pockets are lighter for following this purchasing trend and our rubbish dumps fuller.

Vintage French Hubby adores clean modern minimalist bachelor flat living and my having grown up with antiques that generations of our family have collected and recycled over centuries, our Vintage French vision is a healthy marriage between the two styles.

For us the most exciting Vintage French home has a simple backdrop; clean lines, modern flooring, maybe a John Lewis sofa and Ikea storage with the punctuation of vintage. To us at Vintage French, this style is a celebration of craftsmanship, a celebration of the materials used and a celebration of the history and a story the vintage piece can tell. A vintage piece will bring character and sometimes humour to our space.

So in choosing our vintage purchases we think very carefully about the surroundings the piece will be able to work in for decades to come. If we can’t image a piece in many settings, it doesn’t make it to our catalogue. We hope you agree!!!

Period Living November 10 2014

Vintage French is represented in Period Living Magazine's December issue.

Find our Trunk on page 25 taking center stage and our RL picnic hamper on page 30.  

We are so grateful to Rachel Watson, editor of Period Living and Charlotte Boyd who styled the Christmas Decoration feature and chose to include our products.

Make sure you buy a copy - out now!

Christmas Countdown - The Spare Bedroom November 10 2014

So storage sorted, now I'm thinking about our spare room...!

I love items in the home that not only have a history, are beautifully made but also work hard. For our spare bedroom I will be choosing side tables that can multitask.

These beautiful Baumann Bistro chairs look so simple as bedside tables but will double up as extra seating on Christmas day, as will these cool, 1960’s Formica chairs.. even better these stack up beautifully waiting for the kids to have friends over for play dates.

These Vintage Mountain Footstools could be your hardest working piece of furniture. These could be used as bedside tables, stools or even drinks tables.

Another idea for side tables in the spare room could be these very cool travel trunks. These will double up as storage for extra linen, blankets or clothes storage for your guests. They also come with a tale to tell, plus evidence in some cases of their travels.

What better way to make your guests feel special than to have a statement bed in your spare room. We have chosen these Vintage French beds because the quality of the sold wood is simply beautiful and the workmanship is breathtaking. Each of these beds are totally unique. You will not find one to match anywhere. Keep the decoration around the beds simple, let the beds make the statement and your guests will be impressed.

Christmas Countdown November 06 2014

I found myself buying the first Christmas present yesterday which brought me out in hives thinking of all the things I need to get organised before our Christmas guests arrive in just four weeks time.

Firstly I need to clear out the kid’s toys and organise everything in the whole house… no mean feat then!

I recently purchased these beautiful and unique vintage boulangerie baskets for storage. They look great and they are really robust for organising the kid’s paraphernalia.

They also make handy storage for vegetables in the larder, pinecones and wood for the fire and even blankets (blankets are a must for us as our home in France is freezing in winter!)

Having enjoyed a balmy autumn here in Annecy, the temperatures are now dropping and the kid’s coats are strewn all over the floor… tell me it’s not just my kids that dump them and walk off!! This classic coat hook would provide plenty of hanging space for the family’s coats and guests too over the festive period.



I’m a big believer in introducing kids to vintage as they learn from an early age how to respect items, especially pieces that have survived the test of time. With that in mind, we have some fab vintage items ideal for a little girl’s bedroom. From dolls chairs to a buggies and high chairs.



And not forgetting the boys we have vintage scooters, tricycles, maps and a retro croquet set. Perfect for keeping active boys entertained over the holidays.

Delivery Included November 03 2014

NOW AVAILABLE: Vintage French for Kids October 09 2014

28th Sept Bath VA September 19 2014

We are now on Twitter September 05 2014

We are now on Twitter! Please follow @Vintagefrenchfr for all our latest news, events and photos. 

 Happy Tweeting! 

MORE NEW STOCK ARRIVING THROUGHT THIS WEEK September 02 2014

SINGLE ARMCHAIRS August 19 2014

NEW ARRIVALS JUST IN.. July 23 2014

SUMMER DISCOUNTS June 17 2014

10 wooden Cafe Chairs

Infant's Wrought Iron Day Bed

New Team Member !! June 06 2014

5 Reasons o hit the Second Hand Shop May 23 2014

This is an interesting article and has some lovely pictures show casing the mix of old and new.  Read on !!

 http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/26469738?utm_source=Houzz&utm_campaign=u494&utm_medium=email&utm_content=gallery1

Viewing by Appointment !! May 20 2014

Create the perfect setting for your al fresco eating this summer... May 12 2014

New Stock Just In !! April 23 2014

Visit Vintage French Pinterest page for my inspiration April 15 2014

OPEN FOR BUSINESS !! February 19 2014

WELCOME to Vintage French.. we are thrilled to be launching our online shop today.  Please note that we have paypal set up for you to purchase immediatley, and will shortly have other forms of payment available.

With enormous thanks to those that have already shared our facebook page, we are starting to build up interest in the website.  Please continue to tell your frinds about us to help spread the word !!

Enjoy browsing around the store and please feel free to contact me.

Sophie

sophie@vintagefrench.fr

0033 671934320