Finders keepers: The stuff of people.

In the “collectors series,” - the desire to learn more about fellow vintage enthusiasts through the telling of their most coveted treasures is at last being fulfilled. As the sitters take position surrounded by all things of theirs familiar, what surfaces are sentiments evoked and exchanged; memories still vivid as they speak of those they knew well and conjure up times when the objects were loved by generations before them. From a hand-me-down bevelled mirror to a hand carved horse’s head from a flea market in France - the items revealed have each found their way from a previous life (or several,) and into the homes and hearts of their current owners.

The series begins with local creatives: Kate Clark, Diane Day and Leonie Whatley-Leroide (recently featured in the Guardian: https://amp.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/apr/15/ignore-trends-ask-for-more-photos-and-haggle-how-to-buy-vintage-like-a-pro) 

whose willingness to share about their most prized, cut the ribbon on this project. The conversation was often swayed to moments in childhood, specifically the mention of relatives, whose association with these objects created a bond everlasting. These past weeks have gifted the privilege of moving back in time with the story-tellers and observing a tender caressing of things they hold most dear.

The first and one of the most striking pieces to be introduced to, was Kate’s fully stocked cocktail cabinet. When opened, even more surprises came to surface - from a selection of spirits to martini glasses and as a nostalgic extra: cherries to continue a tradition from the days her grandfather’s “weak snowballs.” The bright pink tassel hanging from the key on the cabinet door is Kate’s own creation; a token symbolising the development of “making” traditions inspired by her grandparents or indeed her early influencers..

"I love old things they have a character and are unique, often imbued with very cherished memories. Like people a few drinks and scratches give them a quality you just cannot replicate."

Appearing to evoke the most memories was “an old Crawfords biscuit tin, with a scene of the Highlands on it.” Fondly Kate tells..

"Granny always kept custard creams in it. When we were little my cousins and I used to jump into my Grandparents bed- 5 of us wriggling eels, wait for their electric teas maid to flash, beep and make the tea. We loved it! The biscuit tin was handed around, we got our lovely custard cream and we got our tea in a bone china cup & saucer. It was a morning highlight! When my Granny died it was the one thing I really wanted to keep was the joyful biscuit tin. It now resides by my bed. I secretly want and electric teas made too!"

Going back to when the idea for the series flashed up in my mind ; I was walking  the dogs one winter’s morning and remember thinking..what if I approached people about their favourite things, what would they choose and why?  There was a brief period when, with little time for planning, I wondered whether anyone would be willing to participate. Reaching out to a few in the neighbourhood, Diane Day, a gardener and florist by trade, who worked at the local fruit and veg store grew interested. Following an initial message or reaching out about a potential feature, Diane took a short time to process which of the many special items in her home meant most to her. After agreeing to meet, there came a gentle knock at the door and standing outside, holding her  “chosen”object was Diane.

"The mirror was in my parents home.. I can't remember it not being on display all the time I lived there. I've always thought of it as Mum's but am guessing it was a wedding present."

Through the glass reflecting brightly in the sunlight that day, I got a sense of the connection that could have been, between Diane and her mum who passed away 25 years ago. At around the same time, the mirror had disappeared until it was found again whilst clearing the family home. Since the rediscovery, this early retro, all-glass edged mirror sits balancing on a radiator in the bathroom, its presence tactile and reassuring.

Comparing experiences from the first conversations had, allowed the series to take on a more personal stance. Then came a very welcome invitation from Leonie to meet at her Victorian home in a popular Wiltshire town. Stepping into the hallway, I was drawn to her style and knew instantly we shared a desire for sourcing items unique. As collectors and sellers of vintage and antique pieces, we concurred about the thrill of making discoveries and then, as if as a price must be paid for too much fun - the reluctance to part with these, when the time finally comes to send to their new homes!

"If your heart beats a little faster and you cannot get your hands on it quickly enough because you're so scared somebody else will spot this breathtakingly, heart stopping beautiful item and snatch it from you, that's a pretty good sign."

Of the many treasures Leonie displays in her home chosen are: a hand carved horse’s head found at a at a “French Vide Grenier,” or “empty your attic” flea market in France and a series of oil paintings created in the early seventies by her father.

"It was love at first sight," she says of the moment she discovered the horse’s head with a broadening smile..

"he looked at me with his big, wooden, single eyeball and my heart was lost forever. I love that somebody sat down and created him with such love and attention and the kind of skill that is more creative and intuitive than perfect."

Turning to her father’s paintings, more tales are spilled with great passion and affinity..

"He painted them off the back of some large format photographs he'd taken. The photos are of an old girlfriend of his (a ballet dancer called Emmy) standing on the beach, and in the way the light and the mist caught and distorted her silhouette inspired him to paint them. I've loved this melancholy pair of painting since I was so small, they have been on the walls my whole life. They are part of the tapestry and backdrop of everything I ever remember and I'm so glad they're mine."