Roots of Inspiration: African Trade Beads

[image of beads made in Venice and traded to Africa in the late 1800s and early 1900s from the collection of Robin Atkins via: beadlust]

1. CB2 insulator pendant lamp, 2. Royal Copenhagen Blue Fluted Mega dinner plate, 3. Diane von Furstenberg Batik dot sheet, 4. blue japanese stackable vintage mugs, 5. Sandra Figuerola for GAN Kilim Palermo rug.

Matthew and Jade's collection of Italian Art Glass from the current issue of Covet Garden reminded us of our fascination with the history of African Trade Beads. These decorative glass beads originated in Venice in the 16th century and were used as currency throughout Africa, North America and the West Indes over the next 300 years. Today, these beads are still treasured for their rich colour and lively designs. Older examples show their history through wear patterns.

Which got us to thinking of other finds that could complement the subtle beauty of the blue and white beads pictured above. This simple palette has us thinking about summer, sitting in a sunny room wearing a simple white dress and playing with our necklace made of Trade Beads. Sigh.

Best of Covet Garden: Clever Kitchens

[Olga's Kitchen from Issue15 . Photography: Donna Griffith]

We here at Covet Garden like spaces that have beauty and brains. We went through our back issues to revist some of our favourite kitchens. There's a mix of streamlined to colourful, but they are all amazing examples of how to fix up a kitchen without spending scads of money by using personal items such as art work, budget-friendly finishes or a new paint job.

[Arounna and John's kitchen from Issue18 . Photography: Ashley Capp]

Kitchens are hard working rooms. We cook in them, we hang out in them and you will always find us in the kitchen at parties. Which explains why impersonal "where-the-hell-do-they-keep-all-their-stuff?" spaces don't really inspire us. Now clever storage solutions, such as Arounna and John's  lockers-turned-bins... that's the kind of idea we can get behind!

[Kurt and Lori's kitchen from Issue9 . Photography: Michael Graydon]

Each of these kitchens have a "why didn't I think of that?" appeal. You'll notice at least three rooms with white laminate cabinets. Yet each is made unique by such details as handmade countertops, colourful backsplashes or plain old interesting use of space.

[Tara and Terry's kitchen from Issue13 . Photography: Kim Jeffery]

The easiest way to makeover a kitchen is with colour. We love the way Tara and Terry were able to reimagine their home's existing cuisine (who wouldn't want to buy the house for that stainless steel sink alone?) with a refreshing coat of green paint? A few upcycled items, like the sliding freezer door, and a kitchen island also give the space a modern update.

I'm going to hang a gallery wall in my kitchen this weekend. What inexpensive update would you most like to try?

Adventures in Cape Town: Behind the Scenes at Skinny LaMinx

[image: skinny laminx]

Covet Garden's own Jessica travelled to Cape Town, South Africa earler this month. She came back with lots of great stories and discoveries to share. This is the first of four posts detailing her adventures.

Regular readers of Covet Garden know of our admiration for Heather Moore, the illustrator and designer behind the textiles and homewares label Skinny LaMinx. So when I found out I was going to Cape Town, I knew I had to visit her new brick and mortar shop, which opened last December. And as you can see from the photos, it's an amazing showcase of her distinctive style. My fellow Covey G'er Rhonda wants to live in this store!

Heather is pretty amazing herself. I emailed before leaving Toronto and she gave me great tips on exploring her city. We also met at her shop and she let me peek into her studio. I loved seeing the bits and pieces of inspiration she keeps on hand, such as her collection of Arts and Crafts-style book jackets, and a vase full of wooden spoons (which were no doubt the inspiration for her "Borrowed Spoons" tea towel). While being in South Africa provided new context to the way Heather is influenced by her surroundings in her pattern and imagery (like the amazing plant-life I spotted on my trip up to the top of Table Mountain), there is something very international about the Skinny LaMinx style. 

Similarly, Heather takes inspiration from her colourful collection of vintage fabrics, but there's something very fresh about her designs and the interior of her shop and studio.

[studio photos by Jessica Reid. Pillow by skinny laminx]

I couldn't resist buying a metre of her "Flower Field" fabric in Rosy (pictured above). I'm not sure what I'll make out of it (suggestions are welcome in the comments below), but it will at least be lovingly hoarded for some time.

Sneak Peek: Matthew and Jade and the Art of Collecting

[image: Tapio Wirkkala for Venini via Araks]

Each and every householder that we've featured in Covet Garden have been collectors of sorts. From Nancy's dolls in Issue 14 to Alexx's Texasware back in Issue 7, we've been introduced to many cool and unusual objets. But Matthew and Jade — the stars of our February issue (which goes live this Friday) — take their passion for Italian art glass to a whole new stratosphere. So we had to ask them for some tips on accquiring what we think is a world class collection. Scroll down for their secrets!

[image: Venini Star Burst chandelier, via Lewis Trimble]

1. Start with what you love. Jade and Matthew's interest in art glass actually expanded from wanting to learn more about some ceramic pieces they bought simply because they liked them.

2. Do your homework. In their case, once they started doing research, they discovered that a lot of the designers they admired also made glass pieces for Italian companies such as Bitossi and Venini. And when you train your eye to look for certain glass colours, shapes and qualities, it makes it easier to spot treasure that might be hiding behind a blurry image on eBay or in a jumble of vases at an antique fair.

3. Pay what you can. Certainly some the couples pieces might go for thousands of dollars on 1stDibs, but they first started buying on eBay or by making connections with dealers. If your current financial portfolio consists mostly of subway tokens, you can still get in on the game by starting small. It's like when you go to a carnival midway and you win three small stuffed bears. You can later trade up to the really big bear later on.

[image: Bitossi pottery via Leilita]

4. The internet is your friend. Odds are that you probably won't find a Sottsass or a Karim Rashid at your local Value Village. The beauty of the worldwide web is that the piece you're looking for is out there, just on the other side of the world. As for shipping glass through the mail, Matthew says only one objet he's ordered has arrived broken.

5. Be willing to travel. Matthew and Jade also make road trips for their glass and for furniture finds. If you're willing to make the drive, you can search Craigslist ads in other cities. Even on eBay or other online vendors, furniture pieces are often terrifyingly expensive to ship, so an out-of-town adventure will actually save you some money. And while you're on the road, you may as well check out some destination antique fairs such as the Brimfield Show in Massachusetts. The beauty part about a big show like Brimfield is that it brings dealers together in one place, so you can focus your energies.

6. Ask a lot of questions. If you're looking at your collection as an investment, provenance is crucial to an item's value. A lot of art glass, for example, is unsigned save for a little factory sticker. Do not remove the sticker! Find out as much as you can from the previous owner — where and when they accquired the piece, if they have original packaging, etc. If you have an unsigned, unlabelled, unknown piece, look for books and catalogues of a designer's work to see if you can find documentation of a piece. And if you can't find documentation, remember rule number one: you bought it because you love it!

Kathie Winkle's Mix and Match Modernism

[image: Viscount plates and Edelweiss cup and saucer, Six Balloons Vintage Delights]

It's easy to love the designs of 1970s tableware. It's colurful and clever and, as most of it was designed for everyday use, it's not very precious. The problem with collecting a full service of anything vintage is finding a full set. Which is why we love the settings designed by Kathie Winkle — while eclectic, you can mix and match designs and still have a look that hangs together.

[image: Calypso, Mexico, Renaissance and Olympus plates, Five and Two]

Kathie Winkle was originally trained as a painter at  Shorter and Son, Stoke-on-Trent — the centre of mid-century ceramics. SHe later joined James Broadhurst & Sons Ltd. where, around 1958, she began producing her own designs. Her abstracted creations were a welcome relief from post-war "Utility" design and became an instant hit. By the early ’60s until the mid ’70s, Winkle was responsible for all Broadhurst’s pattern designs.

[image: Compass dinner plate,  Pineapple Ice Bucket Retro]

Winkle's unfussy geometric designs were also informed by her work as a painter:  A black outline was printed on the form, and the bright colours were hand painted in before the wares were glazed. only a small number of colours, usually three or less, were used on each piece to reduce the cost of production. The fewer the strokes of a painter’s brush meant more affordable products.

[image: Calypso mug, Fine China Replacements]

While Winkle created over 100 diiferent patterns for Broadhurst, they also emplyed a basic shape range was used. So while the pattern on a plate may have changed, the shape of the plate, or mug or charger stayed the same. These cost-cutting measures as well as Winkle's clean designs mean that mixing and matching pieces is easy. If you like the thrill of the hunt, you can find inexpensive but incomplete settings at thrift shops and yard sales. You can also find small sets on eBay or online (Google Winkle and you'll see what we mean).