Throughout the years, my love for vintage finds has grown. When I was a kid, my mum would buy the Saturday paper and circle all the garage sales within an hour’s drive. We’d spend the day visiting them, searching for treasures – though I didn’t see it that way at the time. I would have rather been doing literally anything else.
Our small and humble home was always clean and never cluttered. I loved looking at the special pieces my mum found, but I didn’t enjoy the hunt. Eventually, she stopped bringing me along and went with my aunty instead. My aunty became a professional Trash and Treasure stallholder. She had an eye for good buys, carefully cleaning, folding, and storing them away. On weekends, she and her husband would rise early to set up their stalls. They made a good, honest living with their business, restoring or mending pieces where needed.
Mum continued going to garage sales, and her collection grew. She also began gathering beautiful blue pots and terracotta planters. Today, they circle our verandah, filled with plants that have flourished over the years.
In my 20s, I bought my first apartment in an outer-city suburb. It was built in the ‘70s and needed furnishing. I was given two second-hand couches with a blue and white striped baroque pattern, which I kept for seven years. An ornate wooden coffee table, a few side tables, a chest of drawers, and bedside tables – all pre-loved and full of character – completed the space. I painted the walls a cheerful yellow with white trims. The nicest-smelling wood polish I could find brought out the beauty of the furniture.
I remember buying my first piece of furniture: a jarrah bookshelf from the Subiaco Markets. It was ornately carved and just the right height. I filled it with books and trinkets from market stalls and city art fairs. On my way up the stairs, I would pick small flowers from the apartment gardens to place on the shelves.
When I got married, we built a new house. We donated the blue couches and bought a romantic little two-seater wooden outdoor couch. Being young and in love, we made do with that until I was heavily pregnant. Then we purchased a long green couch for one room and a long grey couch for another. An extendable wooden dining table and a console table complemented the vintage furniture we already owned.
With the arrival of our babies, we needed more storage. A family friend who made furniture built us a custom white TV cabinet with shaker-style doors. It blends the old with the new beautifully. I keep telling myself I’ll update the handles one day, but it’s still on my to-do list.
Mum gifted us her collection of crystal wine glasses, Grandma’s painted rose cup and plate set, and a crystal punch bowl from my aunty. Our wedding gifts included crystal vases, white plates, and champagne flutes. To store everything, we searched for the perfect glass cabinet. After a long search, we chose Ikea’s Hemnes Glass Door Cabinet. Its classic design fit seamlessly with our existing furniture while being brand new.
Over time, we added more pieces. A jarrah drawer cabinet from an old warehouse shop in Fremantle now holds our medicines. A green wooden cabinet, once likely used for sewing supplies, keeps my art materials organized. Mum gifted us another cabinet for storing plates.
When we moved to our country home, some old furniture was left behind for us to keep. A small side table with doors, a large gold-framed painting of a country house, a nested set of black wrought iron tables with glass tops, and some rickety outdoor tables now loved by our kelpies. A friend even salvaged a bookshelf from a painting job and gave it to us.
I love wandering through vintage stores, though the furniture is often beyond my budget. Instead, I bring home small treasures – a lavender tinted bottle, gold cups, books upon books, earthenware, wicker baskets, antique irons, vases, and vintage platters for arranging vignettes.
I also enjoy finding new pieces in gift shops. Silk flowers, candles, photo frames, lamps, and glassware help create a cozy and timeless atmosphere.
When I design my patterns, I create pieces that blend seamlessly with both old and new. I want my designs to bring warmth, charm, and a sense of home to any space – whether filled with collected treasures or curated simplicity.
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