After spending the last five years working from home, I decided it was time to mix things up and look for a new environment to work from. Ok that is not totally true... if I am to be 100% honest here, my main motivations to work away from home were:

+ I was starting to feel a bit trapped within the walls of my house
+ I was needing a clearly defined separation between my work, study and home life
+ The days would roll by, weekends would come and go, and I started to feel like I was stuck in one long continuous day
+ Conversations with my cats were becoming more and more interesting - was this a sign of madness or was I simply craving more human interaction?

For those of you who have done the whole work from home thing, you will totally understand it has many benefits, but at the same time can become both challenging and stifling.

I was starting to feel like I was lacking structure and also discipline in my life. There were too many blurred edges - for example, weekends were not weekends anymore, and work was way too accessible and I would catch myself after dinner checking on something or answering an email. I was also beginning to allow clients to contact me after hours as if that was ok too. Over time this kind of balance, or should I say imbalance between work and relaxation time started to take it's toll. Throw full time study into the mix and you have the potential recipe for a complete break down.

So when the opportunity to work in the most awesome creative space with Bek and Tim from  One Small Room was presented to me, I pounced on it! They recently set up business in a character church hall for their overflowing creative endeavors (interior design / architecture, styling, vintage furniture restoration etc) and were kind enough to offer me a corner to work from all styled up and ready to go!

And the best part, when I leave I can totally leave work there and I now have a more balanced home life. It is incredible what this simple change has done for me. I am even enjoying jumping in the car or jumping on the train with work as the destination. The time and space between home and the hall gives me a moment to clear my head and prepare for the day. So different to walking from the kitchen straight to the desk! I have also discovered that I have so much more free time for study and the things I enjoy the most - like chatting to my furry friends.

It is amazing, and quite possibly the coolest creative space west of the city! More central for client meetings too! So it now seems timely to point out when you will find me in my new work digs ...

Business Hours: Tuesday to Thursday 9 – 5pm
4A William Street, Croydon (by appointment)

Here are a few happy snaps of the amazing collection of vintage goodness also sharing the hall space with us...and yes sometimes I find a little distracting!

Last week I purchased a teak coffee table from e-Bay and when I went to collect it I had no idea the treasure I was about to discover in the burbs ...

I arrived at a cute 1950s dwelling in Everard Park, and as I was walking across the front lawn I realised that the home was being used as a so called "pop-up shop" - a place for pick-ups of retro bits and bobs being sold via Gumtree and eBay.

I was greeted by a lovely lady called Heather, who proudly showed me around her mother's home still beautifully dressed in its original 1950s decor. Each room including the garage was setup with a life time of vintage collections, including original left over items (dresses, ribbons, buttons, underwear) in new condition from a 'haberdashery' and dress shop in Renmark. Heather's husband's parents ran a quaint store in the 1950s and 60s in the riverside country town.

I was overwhelmed with all of the amazing collections and was disappointed I did not have my proper camera with me. So the snaps above were quickly taken on my iPhone. 

As I left I said this really is like a retro delights pop-up shop and asked her if she was open to others stopping by. Of course, she was very happy with the idea of me helping to spread the word through the Retro Delights blog and Facebook page!

Heather lives just around the corner so would be available to meet people at the cute home most days.
If you are interested in checking out this cute pop-up shop, please contact me directly or via the Retro Delights Facebook Page and I will send you Heather's email address.

Toodle-pip!

Vintage bottle found at the Dump over 40 years ago!

Mum discovered this bottle wrapped in an old cane basket at her local rubbish dump about 40 years ago. Actually I think she was pregnant with me at the time... (do the math) - Anyway, she asked the guy at the dump if she could have it, and it ended up being proudly displayed in our living room for my entire family life. Both my sisters and I used to roll around on it on the carpet when we were very little. I borrowed this beautiful bottle for our Inside Out Magazine photo shoot as I knew Mum would get a huge thrill if it ended up in the mag. (wait and see!)

My new Blue Demijohn. Hestor the Cat likes it too!

Then during one of my recent visits to Three Card Trick I spotted this stunning Demijohn Blue number and had to have it. My purchase decision was mainly inspired by my Mum. Not that I really need a big bottle, but Mum has always been a bottle collector and so maybe, just maybe I am taking over from her?

From the Angaston Hospital 40 years ago.

When I phoned her to let her know about my bottle find, we started talking about glass in general and how amazing it is and how it can be sterilized and reused over and over.

It made me think of a bottle that I found in storage that I had saved from Mum's original collection, and told her how I am now using it to store my olive oil. I asked her if she remembered this bottle with the embossed measurements running in both directions on the side - so they can be read if the bottle is hanging upside down.

She told me the bottle was given to her full of baby formula when she left the Angaston hospital after giving birth to me!!! How amazing is that...! And now it sits on my kitchen bench and I use it everyday.

Not quite a "message in a bottle", but a pretty good story and I treasure this bottle even more now!

Toodle-pip!

This week I discovered a new cafe called Rockefeller Cafe + Kitchen that recently opened in my neighbourhood. To my delight it is full of the most amazing collection of 1950s kitchen tables and chairs.

So today I thought I would go down and test out my new camera, and as predicted absolutely no shortage of cool photo opportunities! As a "welcome to the neighbourhood gift" I gave the owners Georgia and Maria a set of my Good Health retro posters, so we may see some Retro Delights love adorning the walls very soon!

I went a bit crazy with the camera so check out the full set of photos on my flicker page here > and don't forget to visit Georgia and Maria and their amazing collection next time you are in Largs Bay.

Rockefeller Cafe + Kitchen
Shop 5/ 245 Fletcher Road, Largs Bay
Open: Wed - Sun 7:30 am - 4:00pm


Toodle-pip!

It's official I have a Teapot Crush. Mmmmmm, I am addicted to tea and the whole ritual of making it in a pot, so that could be the reason! But there is something about the shape and design of a teapot. Search 'teapot' on Ebay and you will be treated to a vast collection, but the best designs I believe were made in the 1960s.

There are a handful of designers like Orla Kiely, Marimekko and Surface Art who are influenced by this decade, and successfully combine our modern day needs with appealing retro design. Thank you!

So the collection has begun... 2 down 3 to go!

'Relief' Teapot by Jens Quistgaard

'Siirtolapuutarha' Teapot by Marimekko

This gorgeous teapot caught my eye last week at Three Card Trick here in Adelaide. I do have a bit of a weakness for Danish design, and my new love of Scullery Made Tea lends itself to starting a teapot collection...

"Relief" by Jens Quistgaard. Click to enlarge image.

I decided to do a bit of research about the teapot and discovered it is part of an exquisite range called "Relief" designed by industrial designer Jens Quistgaard.

Serving Pieces c.1960 by Jens Quistgaard

Odin 200 1958 by Jens Quistgaard

Quistgaard was known for his fluid lines and for using unusual materials, often in combination. His signature pieces included salad bowls and cutting boards of teak and other exotic woods, and elegant stainless-steel cutlery, that was an affordable alternative to silver.

Enameled Kitchenware by Jens Quistgaard

He was also one of the first designers to rehabilitate enamelled steel as a medium for cookware.

His work, which won many international awards, is in the permanent collections of major museums, among them the Metropolitan Museum, the Museum of Modern Art and the Louvre.

Thank you for bringing your beautiful designs to our world Quinstgaard.  Jens Quistgaard (Denmark, 1919 - 2008 ) 

[ Photos from Decopedia ]

Sharing some Valentine Love found over on Flickr here >

I recently stumbled across the brilliant website "Dear Photograph". A beautiful collection of photos of a photo from the past in the present. The captions on each image also pull on the heart strings!!

Enjoy looking over the website. I totally understand why this site has over 65,000 followers on Facebook!

Absolutely loving this Kitchen display found in "Decorate", a book I bought from One Small Room last week. Definitely need to start collecting an assortment of green, white and brown crockery!