Irish Liquidators and a Question!

Some months ago I paid a visit to Irish Liquidators. It claims to be Ireland's most interesting store and I suspect they could be right. Their slogan is "Rugs to Rhinos"! It has everything including the kitchen sink!

They buy from pretty much anyone. From stores closing down to the guy walking in off the street who wants to get rid of something. It's a 'luck of the draw' kind of place but I usually find something to take home with me. Last time I was there I took away this vintage badminton racket in a frame which you should just be able to make out in this picture. 

Mr. Auburn was a badminton player in his youth! Thought it was okay for €5 and could be nice hung on the wall at some point!? It actually has nice subtle colours to it, creams and mint green.


This little footstool however I hemmed and hawed over as long as I was there. It was €25 which I thought was a little steep as it had a wonky leg. But I have been looking for one to go with the leather chair in our sitting room for ages. In the end I took it home for €20. Its legs are a really good match with the chair and it is the perfect height.

On the way home in the car I had great plans to get some nice fabric and reupholster it and use some nice trim. Since its been home though, I'm not so sure. Or maybe I got lazy. The fabric kinda matches doesn't it? (Please ignore the weird blue colour the wallpaper goes in photos, it really is eau de nil, same as the lamp and the cushion!?).

Is it just too tatty to just clean it, tidy up the trim and leave as is or does it need a redo?? Be honest. What would you do?

 

The Storeyard

Last week I brought a friend to one of my favourite haunts; The Storeyard. 

It's an antique shop/salvage yard with an amazing tea room right in the middle that serve the best desserts and cakes! We spent about three hours mooching around. It's not exactly cheap but I have never left without picking up something. It's a bit like being in a museum. Admittedly, I had to look at the tags on several occasions to determine what exactly I was looking at! It's essentially a big warehouse but is designed really well with lots of little roomsets and areas of interest. Here are a few sneaky pics from inside...

Have my eye on 'The Abbey' metal sign for a while now. The Abbey Theatre is the national theatre of Ireland. Can't understand why no-one has snapped this up already. 

On this table is a Victorian gentleman's travelling suitcase with lots of the original glass bottles inside with cologne, etc. On the outside are stickers from Dublin hotels which have long since closed. I can't help but wonder about the gentleman who owned this. This is what I love about vintage pieces.

These were being sold separately strangely enough. So cute! They were quite large pieces and had lots of lovely details, made mostly of wood.

Loved this little garden vignette. I'm thinking it's a vintage saddle rack!? Bought some of these mini terracotta pots on my last visit.

Love this royal blue upholstery. And the trumpet. I've always kinda wanted one, I don't play or anything!

My friend purchased one of these vintage watering cans. I bought one of these on my very first visit. Behind them is an amazing piece with eight drawers all hand labelled; Ironmongery, Screws, Brushes, Show-Maker...

And my all time favourites, vintage suitcases!!

This was one corner of an amazing Chinese inspired bedroom. The detail in the fabrics and the furniture pieces was astounding. Sorry it was a bit dark in this room.

Love that gorgeous wooden panelling and that feather/down filled sofa was so comfy.

And this sofa with it's lovely cushions.

So what did I buy???

This cute little book on Birds Eggs....

And this vintage wooden golf club. 

This was for Mr. Auburn as he's a golfer but I have a plan for this one... 

 

Faux Vintage Chippy Window

It seems like everyone in Blogland has one. A REAL vintage window that is. 

Layers of chippy pastel paints. Small thick squares of handmade glass. Problem is I don't find them in Ireland. Maybe because we get so much rain they rot in their old abandoned houses. I have really wanted one for the top of my grandparents chest ever since I moved it to our landing. 

So I had to improvise. Necessity is the mother of invention you know! When I saw an old door hanging off a broken kitchen dresser I knew I was onto something. 

It was already missing it's knob. I carefully taped the glass and gave it one coat of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Original. Don't you love that orange wood?

With some heavy grit sandpaper I distressed it quite heavily, taking off lots of paint in places to give it that aged look I was after. 

A clear coat of wax followed by a hint of dark wax and it was ready to adorn my new look landing! 

Using some ribbon and a thumb tack I added a twig wreath to which I wired this little metal butterfly. It used to be a belt buckle.

I'm so happy with how it turned out. 

It's all part of a little vignette that has been in my head for almost a year now. All will soon be revealed!!

 

A Fresh Coat of Original

I mentioned in my last post that as we replaced all the furniture in the hall, stairs and landing following the paintover, some pieces just didn't seem to work anymore.

Colourwise, they didn't work. They weren't terrible but they looked a little tired against the crisp new colour scheme. And so cream has been replaced by off-white. 
Does this make me crazy?

First up was this huge mirror and it was a mammoth task that involved the use of much frog tape.  I used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Original followed by some clear wax. Most items got this treatment. Here is the before...

And here is the after...

You can see a difference right?

Next was the radiator cover, aka my entrance table/hall stand. This I painted Almost White like the rest of the woodwork. I'm not sure why, maybe because this piece feels more like the rest of the woodwork even though we treat it like a piece of furniture. 

A little shelf...

Granted, it still looks a little cream. Perhaps it should have got another coat!

These framed prints...

This frame was painted in ASCP Country Grey... 

Originally, it was a pale gold and the frame was dented and scratched. I got it from my sister who was throwing it away. I was never in love with it, it hung around the corner where no-one really saw it. I love it now, I think the Country Grey really brings out the picture. I didn't wax it as I like the chalky finish. It has been given pride of place at the top of the stairs. 

This was the last piece to get a freshen up...

It was originally stained a dark colour. 

It belonged to my grandparents and lived in their bedroom. 

About 10 or 12 years ago I painted it Jasmine White which had yellowed over the years. The stain coming through I think.

It was naturally distressed over the twelve years I have had it which I recreated before sealing with a coat of clear wax.

This chest used to live in our second bedroom but recently got upgraded to the landing. I knew exactly how I wanted to dress it. If you look carefully in this picture you will see I have moved onto styling, aka the fun bit!

Mother Nature decided to give everything a coat of white today too. Did I say it hardly ever snows in Ireland?

 

Who's style is it anyway?

Well the plan for today was loft flooring however the gale force winds and lashings of rain have prevented any wood cutting outside with a circular saw! We don't have the luxury of a garage for these projects you see. Unfortunately the knock on effect of no flooring in the attic is that the Christmas decorations cannot go back up there and the house cannot return to normal. So while Christmas is out of my head, it is not out of the house just yet.

  Thoughts of sugar plums have now been replaced by do-overs and fresh decor. Top of the to-do list is the hall-stairs-landing. The painting is a big job that may require scaffolding due to the vaulted ceiling so we will be getting a painter in. Both Mr. Auburn and I are okay with this! When we moved into this house it was painted good old Magnolia from top to bottom and it has served us well. I don't suspect we will stray far from the neutral range. The carpet on the stairs and landing is a malt colour and the tiles downstairs cream travertine. These are some wall colours I have been considering from the Colourtrend range (which all look exactly the same in this light!).

Oyster Bed - Patience - Ivory Tusk

We will also be painting the woodwork (doors, architraves, skirting and stairs). We originally painted all the woodwork in Innocence (a pale antique cream). We never got around to staining the newel posts and the handrail as was intended, we have considered painting them but now think we are back to dark staining again.

Heartstone - White Tea

When the painting is complete, we are onto the fun bit. I have plans for some revamped accessories. I would like new door curtains. Check out this lovely fabric which goes on sale next week! (Apologies for the really bad pic taken with my phone). A matching lamp and cushion on the landing also? We'll see if the budget allows.

While over at Butterfly 8)(8 Bungalow this morning I found this post in which Su rearranges her gorgeous bedroom. If you haven't been, you need to visit. Amazing things happen over at Butterfly 8)(8 Bungalow! In this post she mentions a decor style quiz which her daughter found online. I thought that could be interesting so I went over to Sproost and took said quiz myself.

The results are in....

50% Rustic Revival

"the clean lines of the modern softened by rustic vintage elements...a subtle background of light colours provides a nice canvas for all the wonderful flea market, eBay or garage sale finds as well as the classic modern pieces that you love".

source

25% French Eclectic

My home speaks French apparently!..."formal and casual, classy and unassuming...inviting from the moment you open the door...French antiques here and gold details there, the rustic elements provide a balance and warmth that seems to say, come in relax and stay a while. Your love of antiques takes you to flea markets, garage sales and hours of eBay hunting".

source

25% Classic

"all of the beautiful forms, colours and textures of the past...a mix of European influences and French, English and Italian antiques and replicas are often used together...classic rooms give off an air of history that seems to say: I was here long before you, and will remain long after you've gone".

source

I think that's pretty fair actually, in theory I mean. The house is more up-cycled flea market find than French or Italian antique! Had you asked me though, I would have said a mix of country and traditional, home and away, old and new. While I live in a new build, I love to be surrounded with things that had a life before they came to me, that remind me of time long ago, places I have been or people I have known.

What is your decor style?

Egg Box Three Ways!!

You know Mr. Auburn bought this lovely egg box back here and I said I would do something with it.

 Well I did.....like three times!

 

 

For a long while, it sat on our worktop just holding eggs perfectly well in its original pale wood state, then it got Annie Sloaned.

 

Cue Makeover #1.

In my wisdom I thought the ASCP duck egg wasn't a million miles from eau de nil, right? WRONG! It is 2 million. Also it was looking a little too pristine for our house.

 

 Makeover #2.

Perhaps if I tone it down by white washing over the duck egg, and distress the edges a little with some sand paper that will make it work in my kitchen.

(Sorry forgot to take picture at this stage, I was starting to get a little fed up by now!!)

It looked okay but still not right.

 

Who am I kidding, 99% of stuff in this house is off white or cream. Duck egg has to go!

 

Makeover #3

Repaint the whole thing in Original white and make it look old...

 

Once it was repainted in off white I decided to use some AS Craqueleur on it for some 'age'.

 

 

 This was my first time to use it but it was really simple and I love the effect it gives. First paint on the base coat in small strokes and leave to dry.  Then paint on the glaze and quickly dry with the hairdryer to make it crack! Thin coat = small crackles on small box.

 

Then the scary bit - dark wax. I was panicking a lot doing this thinking I had ruined it again at one point but actually you don't have to be scared. I just kept working it in and used a little clear wax on areas I thought were looking a little too mucky.

 

 

Loving Craqueleur!!

 

 

Third time's charm... dirty crackled off white fits right in I think!