Ruby's Rooms

Kenneth Townsend owl tile

2012-02-12T13:39:00.000-08:00

I've recently acquired this lovely owl tile designed by Kenneth Townsend. It's from a series called 'Menagerie' and dates from the 1960s.

The website www.kenneth-townsend.co.uk has more information about Kenneth Townsend's work and images of the rest of the Menagerie tiles.

Saturday and snow

2012-02-08T13:37:00.000-08:00

We had another successful day at the North London Vintage Market on Saturday although it was very, very cold. I had a couple of nice vintage sewing boxes for sale which were both quickly snapped up. Here is a picture of them on the stall.

Luckily the snow held off until the evening when we were safely back home from the market. On Sunday we found that our neighbours who live in the flat below us had built this impressive snowman in the front garden..

Market tomorrow

2012-02-03T14:10:00.000-08:00

Here are just a few of items that I will be selling tomorrow..

Daisy flower suncatcher

1960s tumblers

Wedgwood candlestick

One week to go...

2012-01-28T16:27:00.000-08:00

Next Saturday 4th February I will be at the North London Vintage Market. We now have boxes all over the flat again and I will be spending tomorrow afternoon trying to get myself organised and deciding what to take.

Here is the latest flyer. I will try and post some pictures later this week of things I will be selling.

Bjorn Wiinblad pottery bowl

2012-01-20T13:43:00.000-08:00

I have been collecting Scandinavian ceramics for some time and have acquired quite a few pieces designed by Bjorn Wiinblad, mostly those he produced for the Danish pottery Nymolle. This bowl, however, is one of his early hand-painted pieces (signified by his 'face' signature) on a piece of hand-thrown studio pottery. I love the loose sketchy style of the drawing with swirly brush strokes..

Rorstrand 'Grape' plate

2012-01-18T14:00:00.000-08:00

I was very pleased to pick up this example of Rorstrand pottery for my collection on ebay recently. Its not in the best condition as it has a fair bit of crazing and is pretty badly stained in a few patches. But I love the fruity design called 'Grape' which isn't one I have seen before. It reminds me of Marianne Westman's work but none of the websites I have looked at lists it as one of hers.

Rye Cinque Port pottery

2012-01-16T11:40:00.000-08:00

At the December North London Vintage Market I picked up this lovely small triangular Rye Pottery bowl marked Cinque Port Pottery Rye which dates it to the 1950s. I particularly like the loose streaky way the glaze has been applied to make the contrasting yellow and black stripes.

Swedish textiles

2012-01-13T10:38:00.000-08:00

I picked up this interesting tea towel at a recent market. Its made by the Swedish company Lagerhaus. There are some other great designs available on their website.

Portmeirion pots

2012-01-08T10:36:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I picked up two pieces of Portmeirion pottery at vintage markets at Spitalfields and at the Boogaloo in Highgate. I thought I would post pictures of these and of some other pieces of Portmeirion from my collection.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T10:37:00.000-08:00

December North London Vintage Market

2011-11-24T10:30:00.000-08:00

I am very excited that I will be at the final North London Vintage Market of 2011 in Crouch End on 3rd December. I will be busy getting ready over the next week or so. Here are some photos of my stall at the October market.

In December I will have the usual mix of ceramics, kitchenalia and glassware with a few pieces of vintage jewellery and some nice textiles. New items this time will be a lovely Pat Albeck National Trust tea towel, some Rye pottery ceramics and a boxed set of Sherdley tumblers...

Kempton finds

2011-11-20T10:16:00.001-08:00

Last month we made another trip to the Kempton Park market. These are a few of items I bought. At the back is a big Hornsea Studio plant pot with a geometric circles pattern, it's in excellent condition which is always key with Hornsea pottery which is easily damaged. On the left is a small Rorstrand lidded dish, the design is called 'Amanda' which I have not seen before. Front right is a very chunky Wedgewood 'Brutus' vase designed by Frank Thrower. I have a taller version too and they look good displayed together.

Another more sizeable purchase were these giant letters now on top of our book case!

Hat box

2011-11-16T14:09:00.000-08:00

This is one of the star finds from our Cornwall trip, its a lovely wooden hat box complete with authentic luggage labels and metal edging. Purchased on a very wet and misty day trip to Lostwithiel.

Holiday

2011-11-13T14:03:00.001-08:00

Not much activity on the blog recently as I have been busy at work with an exhibition opening and we have just been away on a week's holiday to Cornwall.

Midwinter ceramics

2011-09-25T14:42:00.000-07:00

It's just one week until the North London Vintage Market and I am busy getting organised. This time I will have a few nice examples of Midwinter pottery for sale. Here's a preview:

Cups & saucers in the 'Focus' pattern by textile designer Barbara Brown. These date from the 1960s

Trio in the 'Madeira' design on the 'Fine' shape, in production from the mid 1960s into the early 1970s

TV cup and tray in the 'Capri' design by Jessie Tait, dating from the mid-1950s

'Cassandra' tureen in the 'Fashion' shape, dating from the late 1950s

Buttons, Brooches and a Big Bowl

2011-09-19T13:38:00.000-07:00

I haven't been selling at any of the North London Vintage Markets over the summer but have been busy buying at carboots, antique fairs and markets and have also been delving deeper into all the various boxes and crates of ceramics and glass that I have squirrelled away. I am now getting everything organised for my first market since June which is on 1 October.

As before I will be selling mostly mid-century ceramics including many Scandinavian pieces, but I will also have examples of 1960s art glass and interesting pieces of kitchenalia, homewares and fabrics. I have also gathered together some quirky pieces of jewellery and some nice vintage buttons:

Cats and Clowns

2011-09-16T13:18:00.000-07:00

This little cat money box is one of the first retro ceramics items I bought and is still one of my favourites.

It was made by Carlton Ware in the 1960s or 1970s, not sure exactly when. They also produced others in the shape of owl, a pig, a noah's ark and a train and a series of cartoonish heads including a slightly quizzical clown. I will be selling another cat (a red one) and a clown on ebay over the next few weeks.

Hornsea Summit ceramics

2011-09-12T09:30:00.000-07:00

I have a lot of Hornsea pottery in my own collection - particularly plant pots - many of which have already featured on the blog.

This week on ebay I am selling off quite a few other Hornsea pieces. Most of them are from the 'Summit' range and or the similar 'colour inlay' range used for tableware. These all date from the early 1960s.

Vintage trunk

2011-09-10T13:00:00.000-07:00

I have already featured a few of my vintage luggage finds on this blog but I have a new-ish addition to the collection which hasn't yet appeared. It's a sort of steamer trunk suitcase combined and has some lovely vintage luggage labels still in place.

I couldn't resist buying it but up till now it has just been sitting a bit forlornly in our hallway. I have now found a perfect use for it as storage for all the vintage fabrics that I have been collecting together for sale at the next North London Vintage Market on 1st October.

As well as storage and transportation I think it will also work pretty well as a display stand as well.

Jessie Tait Midwinter vase

2011-09-04T09:15:00.000-07:00

My family all love going to carboots and we have been busy going to as many as possible over the summer - weather permitting!. The award for the star find goes to my mum for this lovely, and rare, Jessie Tait vase.

The over-glaze decoration of tube-lined stripes makes it beautifully tactile as well as great to look at. I think this one's a keeper for now.. and I have added it to some of my other monochrome 1950s ceramics.

Latest finds

2011-08-14T13:12:00.000-07:00

Just back from a week away in Norfolk where I found these two interesting pieces of Hornsea Pottery dating from the 1960s. Both are John Clappison designs.

Tall 'Impact' vase with textured abstract decoration

'Fish' pepper pot, one half of a cruet. Now I need to hunt for the matching salt pot!

Festival of Britain

2011-07-31T07:13:00.000-07:00

It's the 60th anniversary this year of the Festival of Britain and it's being marked this weekend at the Southbank Centre's vintage festival.

I was very pleased to find this commemorative Festival of Britain teapot a little while ago at antique fair so I thought this might be a good time to feature it on the blog!

Vintage coffee table

2011-07-21T21:00:00.000-07:00

This unusual coffee table is one of my most recent finds. I love the design of the cityscape and its buildings and I think the illustrative style is slightly reminiscent of the work of the artist John Piper. It doesn't have any makers marks but I think it probably dates from the early 1960s..

Sadly I don't have space for this nice table so its for sale on ebay this week!

stylish stainless steel

2011-07-19T13:53:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of nice stainless steel items that I am selling on ebay this week..

Old Hall gravy jug or sauce boat, designed by Robert Welch

Tankards made by Viners

Flowers and Figgjo

2011-07-17T13:10:00.000-07:00

I always like using the bits and pieces I have collected over the years. This Norwegian Figgjo jug is a favourite of mine (the design is Maja) and looks great holding flowers. I bought this big bunch of peachy dahlias in the Highgate Horticultural Society auction yesterday afternoon..

Clock

2011-07-06T14:52:00.000-07:00

Here is the latest addition to our retro home, a lovely reconditioned vintage clock. This was originally a Post Office 'slave' clock, ie. it ran off one central clock in an office block or factory. We really liked the distinctive double line typeface by Colin Banks (1932-2002) and the nice pointy hands. The 24 hour style numbering is also an interesting feature.

Colin Banks, who designed the Post Office typeface seen on our clock, was one of Britain's leading typographers and worked on the modernisation of corporate identities in the seventies and eighties, including British Telecom, London Transport (updating the Johnston typeface still in use today) and The British Council.

June Vintage Market photographs

2011-07-04T14:53:00.000-07:00

Here are a few photographs from the June North London Vintage Market in Crouch End. It was a really enjoyable and successful day and am hoping to be at the next market in October. Until then I am going to be concentrating on hunting around in my own collection and out and about so I should have some great new vintage finds for sale next time..

This photo shows some of the nice bits of kitchenalia I sold, inclduing a nice set of pyrex bowls, some stainless steel salad servers in a fantastic original box plus an unusual cheese board featuring a tile designed by Anne Wynn-Reeves..

This picture shows some nice fishy dishes and two pieces of Piazza ware...

These are some of the vintage buttons I spent hours sorting and colour coding!

Hornsea Elegance ceramics

2011-06-13T13:20:00.000-07:00

This week on ebay I am sellling a couple of really nice examples of vintage 1950s Hornsea pottery.

These are from the 'Elegance' range designed in the mid-1950s by John Clappison. The large bowl is a lovely curved organic shape and its quite rare to find a large piece in such good condition.

Vintage fabrics for sale

2011-05-31T14:38:00.000-07:00

There was a lot of interest in vintage fabrics at the last couple of North London Vintage Markets so I have sourced some more for the 4 June market. Here are some photos...

Set of four bright and colourful napkins, probably dating from the 1970s

Flowery turquoise tablecloth from the 1960s

Another tablecloth, this one with a repeated pattern of coffee pots and cups and saucers, dating from the 1950s

Strange fish plate

2011-05-28T18:47:00.000-07:00

I do like things with fishes on and couldn't resist this black and white ceramic fish plate at a recent flea market. It has no maker's mark underneath so I can't tell when or where it was made.

I think this might be one of the things I will be selling at next month's vintage market in Crouch End. Click on the flyer below right for details of the market..

Rorstrand Pomona tray

2011-05-25T11:06:00.000-07:00

I have recently acquired a lovely new addition to my Rorstrand collection. It's a large tray decorated with the Pomona pattern, designed by Marianne Westmann in 1956. I first saw one of these in a very expensive antique shop in Malmo and have coveted one ever since. It has now replaced the large Picknick tray that previously had top spot on the Ercol shelves.

New plant pots

2011-05-20T13:21:00.000-07:00

I can't resist a nice vintage plant pot and here are photos of my latest acquisitions, both newly planted as well..

This one was made by Thanet pottery, I like the wax relief effect of the design, the leafy pattern also reminds me of the distinctive Orla Kiely stem print.

The other one is yet another Hornsea pottery planter, I hadn't seen this design before when I bought it, though it looks as though it might be from the Saffron range dating from the late 1960s. Just behind it is a Hornsea Studiocraft vase with a circle design, also dating from the 1960s.

Vintage luggage and hat boxes

2011-05-15T13:21:00.000-07:00

Here are two nice vintage hat boxes which I have recently acquired. The top one has a very pretty design and is a good compact shape. Its already been snapped up by my friend Steph, aka Yellow Bird hats and I sure she will be putting it to very good use as storage for one of her beautiful hand made hats..

Here is another photo of vintage trunks and boxes in our flat. The big metal hat box on the top is our newest acquisition, snapped up in a charity shop at the weekend. Not sure what we are going to store in in yet, the big trunk at the bottom holds vinyl records.

Rye pottery planter

2011-05-06T17:39:00.000-07:00

Here is a photo of a lovely Rye pottery planter which I bought at the Malvern flea fair last month. Its a deep cornflower blue colour with sgraffito style decoration. I think it dates from the 1950s. This is one I will be keeping for my own collection.

Just visible in the background is one of my other favourites, a large oblong plate made by Stavangerflint of Norway with a design by Inger Waage, from her 'opaque' range.

Sanderson 1950s fabrics

2011-05-04T17:00:00.000-07:00

I saw this fantastic display of re-issued 1950s textiles by Sanderson in the window of a shop in Highgate and had to take these photos - they are not great quality as it was quite a sunny day.

Here's a picture from the Sanderson website of a room setting using these fabrics. I love the curtain fabric featuring big vases, it reminds me of a Stig Linberg design which I have on cushions. This room layout also features a highly coveted Ercol day bed - just what I need to complete my Ercol collection, we might just need a bigger flat first..

North London Vintage Market - photos!

2011-05-02T05:06:00.000-07:00

I had a another very successful day at the North London Vintage Market in April. Thanks to Matt and Corinna for helping out and to anyone who bought anything from me.

Here are some photos from the day. The lovely T G Green mixing bowl with the sage green interior was the first item to be snapped up..

This time I took an extra table so I had a bit more space to display fabric and other bits and pieces..

I am already excited about the next market which is on 4 June and have been busy sourcing more great items and rifling through my existing collection to see what to take with me. I have already found a Rye pottery vase, Norwegian tureens, a tiled cheese board, a couple of vintage table cloths, some quirky brooches and a lot of vintage buttons. More details and photos to follow over the next few weeks.

Finel Arabia Finland enamel kettle

2011-04-12T14:21:00.000-07:00

This week on ebay I am (slightly reluctantly) selling an unusual item of vintage enamelware, this lovely Finel Arabia kettle..

I did also have some similar enamel mugs which I bought at the same time as the kettle. They were a bit battered but very collectable due to the unusual bird design.. which I think is the work of Kaj Franck.

Mystery tiles

2011-04-06T13:51:00.000-07:00

These are two interesting vintage tiles which I have acquired. They were made at the Dovecot Studios in Edinburgh, possibly in the 1960s? I don't know anything else about them and would love to be able to identify the designer. The style is very distinctive..

Norwegian ceramics

2011-04-04T12:29:00.000-07:00

I have been doing some buying on ebay as well as selling recently and am very pleased with two new additions to my collection of Scandinavian ceramics.

The first is this unusual fish trivet or wall hanging. I love the design of fishes and stars and the blue and white together is really bright and fresh looking..

It was made by Porsgrund of Norway and is the only piece of Porsgrund in my collection.

This is the other item, it's a nice Stavangerflint casserole dish with a design of fishes and lemons by Inger Waage.

More items for vintage market

2011-03-28T13:46:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more items I have found which I will be selling at the North London Vintage Market in Crouch End on Saturday..

Carter tile which has been made into a pot stand or trivet. I love this Daisy flower pattern, its very 1960s! I have also seen the design on a fabric by Moygashel.

Nice stainless steel toast rack made by Old Hall and designed by Robert Welch - a classic.

Unusual stainless steel strainer made by Rostrfitt of Sweden. Nice smooth wooden handle.

Large salad bowl in the Fiesta range by Barker Bros. Very 1950s design of stylised utensils. These are often monochrome in just a bluey grey colour. This one has colour decoration.

T G Green ceramic storage jar with an unusual swirly blue pattern.

North London Vintage Market - next week!

2011-03-26T10:08:00.000-07:00

I am getting ready for the North London Vintage Market next Saturday 2 April. I will have a lot of exciting new items for sale: Scandinavian and British ceramics, homeware, kitchenalia, glass and a few fabrics, silk scarves and vintage buttons.

I will be posting some photos over the next few days.

Here is a pretty Taunton Vale storage jar - I will be selling a full set of these..

Hornsea pottery

2011-03-10T14:05:00.000-08:00

Here is a quirky Hornsea mug from the 1970s which I am listing on ebay this week.

I have quite a few other bits of Hornsea pottery. I particularly like the plant pots...

Vintage buttons

2011-03-08T14:25:00.000-08:00

These are some lovely vintage buttons that I bought at the weekend.

The bird buttons and the unusually shaped blue ones were from a lovely shop called Vintage Treasures in Hinckley, Leicestershire. There are some more images of vintage buttons and buckles on the website. The shop sells vintage fashion accessories, textiles, homewares and has a great range of kitchenalia. Definitely worth a visit in person or online.

Arabia Finland - Pomona preserve pots

2011-02-27T10:03:00.000-08:00

I have been taking advantage of free listings weekend on ebay and have added a few more items for sale. Later this week I will be listing a jam or marmalade pot from the Pomona range by Arabia Finland, with a fruit design by Raija Uosikkinen. This one has a design of sliced oranges. It dates from 1966.

I have had two others which I also sold on ebay - both were larger versions with lids. I particularly like the gooseberry one..

North London Vintage Market - photos!

2011-02-27T09:40:00.000-08:00

I had a great day at the North London Vintage Market in Crouch End earlier this month. It was really busy all day and I made quite a few sales. Thanks to Matt and Corinna for helping out..

Here are some photos of the stall...

Link to the Vintage Market website is on the right...

North London Vintage Market - Saturday 12th February

2011-02-09T14:14:00.000-08:00

I will have lots of lovely and unusual items for sale at the North London Vintage Market in Crouch End on Saturday including mid-century ceramics, Scandinavian glass, vintage fabrics, stainless steel, and other miscellaneous bits and pieces.. depending on what comes out of the box first!

Here is a sneak preview....

Figgjo 'Daisy' ceramic tray

Midwinter 'Focus' jug

Lundtofte Danish stainless steel candle holders

Dansk design candle holders

Dartington avocado dishes

Retro metal coasters

New items for sale on Ebay

2011-01-30T10:55:00.000-08:00

After a long break from selling for Christmas and New Year, I have listed my first items of 2011, including a nice retro 1950s Foley dish found in York, a Denby 'Arabesque' lidded pot bought in Highgate, some Viners cutlery and a lovely Picknick egg cup which I was very tempted to keep for myself.

Here are some photos...

Foley Pin dish with design by Maureen Tanner 'The Gay Nineties'

Denby mini tureen 'Arabesque'

Rorstrand egg cup 'Picknick' by Marianne Westmann

Viners 'Studio' forks designed by Gerald Benney

St Judes in the City: an exhibition at the Bankside Gallery

2010-11-15T13:28:00.000-08:00

Last week I went to this exhibition of printmaking, collage, fabric and illustration held at the Bankside Gallery. Unfortunately I got caught in a huge downpour while on my way there from work and was rather damp and bedraggled by the time I arrived but was very glad to have seen the exhibition which included some beautiful prints. Here is the flyer for the exhibition..

This is the print I purchased, its a screenprint of a poster designed by Jonny Hannah for an exhibition at the Cecil Higgins Gallery in Bedford.

Cathrine Holm enamelware

2010-11-15T13:17:00.000-08:00

Here is a photo of a new addition to my collection of Cathrine Holm enamel pans and kitchenware items. I love these pans - beautiful yet functional..

Here are some images I found online of Cathrine Holm items.. one day my collection will hopefully be like this...

New fishy Picknick pot

2010-10-31T14:11:00.000-07:00

I was very pleased to find this new addition to my collection of Rorstrand Picknick ceramics. It differs in shape from the fruit and veg pots and has a fish design outlined in black over a thick blue band in the middle with further bands at the top and bottom. But it has the same distinctive lid and the fish motif also appears on the large Picknick tray..

Dartington glass

2010-10-05T14:30:00.000-07:00

This week on ebay I am selling some nice functional examples of Dartington Glass. The 'Daisy' bowls came in a range of sizes, the boxed ones are the smallest. They have a lovely frosted appearance. Despite their 'Flower Power' looks I think they were actually designed in the 1980s.

I am also selling some Dartington sweetcorn dishes which I think date from the 1970s.. I love the cute little forks that come with these..

Vintage tiles

2010-09-19T14:09:00.000-07:00

Here are two vintage tiles that I bought this morning at the Alexandra Palace antiques fair. The round one was designed by Ann Wynn Reeves and the square one is by Alan Wallwork.

Briglin Pottery mugs

2010-09-16T14:54:00.000-07:00

Here are two nice Briglin mugs in a lovely subtle blue grey glaze which I am selling on ebay this week.

I recently discovered a good website all about Briglin pottery. Here is the address...

http://www.briglin.com/home.html

Kempton Park

2010-09-09T14:53:00.000-07:00

Last week I made my first visit to the Kempton Park antiques fair. Here are some of the things I bought.. including some mini Krenit enamel bowls and an interesting textile..

Crochet blanket

2010-09-06T15:06:00.000-07:00

Here is a photo of my lovely new crochet blanket. It may be a while before I can make one like this myself..

Picknick pot

2010-09-06T15:00:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos of one of my favourite Rorstrand Picknick ceramic items - a jam pot decorated with slices of lemons. I bought it with a broken lid which my conservator friend Katie has kindly glued back in place.

Norwegian ceramics

2010-08-26T14:09:00.000-07:00

Here are some of my Figgjo Norwegian ceramics. The tall 'Saga' jug was one of the first Scandinavian ceramics I bought.

I am selling a small pin dish in the same range this week. Here it is..

Italian ceramics

2010-08-21T08:32:00.000-07:00

Off to the Cuffley car boot sale tomorrow (weather permitting). Here is a photo of an unusual Italian dish I found at the last sale. I think it is a tourist souvenir from the 1950s. I may be selling this dish and a similar one on ebay next week.

An exhibition visit

2010-08-19T13:22:00.000-07:00

Here is a lovely cushion with a print by Jonny Hannah. I bought this from an exhibition of his work at the St Judes Gallery in Itteringham, North Norfolk.

I am also posting a few photos of the gallery itself and the exhibition sign.

My window

2010-08-18T15:13:00.000-07:00

Here is a photo I have taken of the view from my window, showing a selection of my vintage plant pots and succulent plants. Second from the right is a Poole Delphis pot (cracked sadly, which is why it can live on a window ledge!).

I am selling two Delphis pin dishes on ebay this week. This is one of them. It's a really nice design with flecks of blue glaze, which means it is a fairly early example..