Monday 27 January 2014

1940s Interiors

A photo survey

There are so many wonderful image collections out there, on flickr, pintrest and the like, but it is surprisingly difficult to come across images of interiors from the 1940s.

My interest in 1940s interiors is a personal one, that is, I'm looking for inspiration for our home, so I have put together a short(ish) collection of scanned images from some of our books and magazines, which I think is worth sharing here.  This selection follows on from an earlier post on 1940s fabrics.

The images are mostly of fairly modest homes, a reasonable starting point since we're not likely to be in a position to furnish our home with Andre Arbus anytime soon (which reminds me, I need to speak to those lotto people about this on-going issue...) and I have selected them because each one has a particular feature or finish that interests me.

And why the 1940s?  Well, it's hard to pinpoint, but I'm very fond of art deco, streamline moderne and post-war modernism and the 1940s is the in-between point of these styles.  It's a place where there is a way to blend the otherwise very distinctive and opposing styles spanning either side of the second world war, and that's great for me and my partner and our eclectic tastes.  So, here we are:


1. Textiles: Stroheim & Romann. Ceramics: Royal Copenhagen Porcelain Co. Ltd.  From 'Furnishing the Small Home' - Margaret Merivale (1945).
2. Fireplace treatment. Designer: W. Curtis Green R.A. ibid
3. Room detail. Joseph Aronson. ibid.
4. Studio room by Helen Park. ibid.
5. Room detail.  Oliver Hill. ibid.
6. Dining room, Bowman's Ltd, London.  From 'Design in Every Day Things' - Australian Broadcasting Commission (1941).
7. Hand woven woollen materials by Catherine Hardess of Melbourne. ibid. 
8. Living room of Miss Patricia Detring, Bel Air. Designer: Paul T. Frankl Associates.  From 'The Studio Year Book.  Decorative Art 1943-1948' - ed. Rathbone Holme & Kathleen M. Frost.
9. Scale model of living room.  Designer: Edward D. Stone. ibid. 
10. Japanese pavilion, World's Fair, Paris 1937.  Designer: Junzo Sakakura.  From 'Furniture & Interiors of the 1940s' - Anne Bony (2002).
11. Shangri-La Hotel 1939-1940.  Photographer: Julius Schulman. ibid.

Sunday 26 January 2014

Experimentation

Velvet Cream - a new soap

I haven't made a new variety of soap for a while.   I've been busy just restocking some 'old' favourites after the Christmas rush.   So, yesterday, I whipped up a log of Velvet Cream.   This soap is made up of the usual olive oil and olive pomace - a great base for soap because it is super mild and gentle.   Added to this is a generous amount of cocoa butter and mango butter.   This will give the soap its creamy, luxurious feel.   Finally, I added a dash of castor oil.  I find that this gives the soap a silky feel on the skin.

For scent, I used vanillin and tolu balsam.  I don't know how this will take in the soap - this is the experimentation part.  I haven't used either before.  The vanillin tends to crystallize, which might be annoying, but has a delicious vanilla scent.   The tolu balsam is soft and mellow and has a rich vanilla/resin scent.   Overall, I think the scent is delicious, so I'm hoping it holds in the soap for the duration!   

Here it is then, in its mould.   I'll have more pics after 4 weeks when it is ready to use.


Saturday 18 January 2014

1960s Toy Stencils

Colour Inspiration

Some time ago, I came across a bunch of old toys and stuff from my childhood including these wonderfully coloured plastic stencils.  I love that translucent soft plastic and the 1960s Eurasian designs.   I think my favourite was the seal, though the lion and squirrel come pretty close.


Saturday 4 January 2014

Available Stock

A guide to some mighty fine soap!

After the Christmas rush, I have sold out of a number of varieties, which I am currently busy replenishing.  However, there is still soap left in the store and below, you will find some of my favourites:


Top row:
Evening Star - Gentle and indulgent, Evening Star soap has a rich and creamy lather, brimming with luscious oils including macadamia nut oil and pine nut oil. The scent of basil and star anise is fresh and seductive, just what you need after your day out on safari. A Pernod martini is recommended after use.
Sunday Spice -  A gourmand's delight, Sunday Spice is a creamy, rich soap packed with luxurious oils for your skin like cocoa butter, shea oil and avocado oil. With the mouth-watering scent of carrot seed and ginger, you'll think you're on the bank of a river, sitting on a gingham picnic rug with a slice of home made carrot cake in your lap! A super luxurious and delicious soap.
South Pacific -  We all have our own Bali Hai and in this soap you will be wafted there on a dream of exotic lemon and tropical flower scents. Enriched with coconut oil, cocoa butter and apricot kernel oil, your skin will think it's on holiday too! A great conditioning soap.

Middle row:
The Emperor's Chai -  With delicious and spicy cardamon through a creamy blend of cocoa butter, macadamia oil and pine nut oil, you will have your very own dream cup of chai in a bar of soap! All that, and beautifully served up packaged in its own box.
St Clement's -  Wonderfully scented with mouth-watering sweet orange and may chang essential oils, this beautiful soap will have you dreaming of summer escapades through the citrus groves of southern France. Blended with oils including olive oil, olive pomace, macadamia nut oil, vitamin E-rich rice bran oil and jojoba, St Clement's is well suited to condition and gently sooth sun-kissed skin.
Madame X... -  With the seductive scent of ylang ylang, rose geranium and black pepper, this spicy floral will bring out your adventurous side. Lavished with super rich oils including olive oil, olive pomace, cocoa butter, apricot kernel oil and exotic musk melon oil, your skin will feel sensuously smooth and silky, ready to start your day of mystery and intrigue! Packaged in green - the colour of the unconventional! What a soap!

Bottom row:
Smokey Joe -  This soap is a sophisticate. A luxurious blend of oils including olive oil, avocado oil and vitamin E-rich rice bran oil make for a fine conditioning soap. The smokey, green and earthy scent of cade and vetiver takes this soap to another level. It is the lapsang souchong of soaps.
One Fine Summer -  Lying in the grass looking up at the blue sky, walking through the pines by the beach front or drinking your first Pimm's No.1 cup for the season, One Fine Summer will evoke your fondest summer memories. With a gorgeously breezy citrus-floral scent and lavishly blended with macadamia nut oil, shea oil, olive pomace and olive oil, One Fine Summer is a luxuriously creamy, all-natural and vegan soap. A superb skin-conditioner.
Spring Sherbert -  A sumptuous blend of oils including apricot kernel oil, cocoa butter, olive oil and vitamin E-rich rice bran oil give this soap its fine lather and conditioning properties. But for you romantics and dreamers, it will be the fizzing floral scent of lemongrass, lavender and lavendin that will fill you with the excitement of a new spring day.

Shanghai Lil and The Scarlet Fez soaps are $7.50 and postage is $7.00 for up to 3 soaps, and $11.00 for 4 soaps or more.  Let me know if you have any queries or if you would like to reserve a favourite soap which is not currently available.



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