I was chatting to a friend recently about buying vintage for her home. She is yet to be converted to the joy of decorating with old second-hand stuff – she says it can too often make a home look like a junk shop. Now while I admit that there is a risk of timeworn elegance turning into a tatty mess if you go overboard and don’t choose carefully - I firmly believe that introducing vintage elements brings a certain charm and character to a space that you simply can’t achieve when everything is brand new.

So this post is the first in a series to convince my friend Laura and any other vintage-sceptics about the joy of second-hand treasures – first stop: the kitchen.

Three pieces jump out at me here – the construction sign, the enamel bread bin and the yellow painted chair – all of which look vintage and just perfect for this contemporary industrial style kitchen.

Lovers of modern minimal design may initially look upon decorating with vintage as not for them but I hope this image dispells that notion. The simple addition of this old picture ( I can’t tell if it’s a photograph or painting) gives life and style to what would otherwise be quite a stark and boring space. This shows how modern and vintage can fuse seamlessly and how often the smallest details are the most effective.

Beat-up old furniture, a repurposed butcher’s block and chipped enamelware are at play here to give personality to a plain white room. Few of us are lucky enough to have such a vast kitchen space, but with a lick of white paint each of these elements would easily transform the drabbest of rental kitchens.

A collection is a great start for your first foray into vintage – it gives shopping some focus, which is very useful when presented with heaps of stuff at markets and fairs. Displayed en masse, collections like clocks, mirrors, vases, even a certain type of art – portraiture or flowers for example, look truly stunning.

All images: Housetohome.co.uk

Well, what a weekend! We had a great day at Spitalfields Market on Saturday and are now feeling suitably festive after a few cups of mulled wine and some vintage Christmas shopping.

Despite it being a little quieter than our last visit, our wall mounts proved popular with shoppers and we received several furniture enquiries, so all in all it was a really successful day (our mums had a lovely time too). I'd like to say a big thank you to everyone who signed up to receive blog and newsletter updates - your support is much appreciated!

Were you a trader or visitor to the market on Saturday? We’d love to hear about your experience of Judy’s Vintage Fair at Spitalfields, so please share in the comments.

Mabel is the latest addition to our furniture family and will be coming down to Spitalfields with us at the weekend. We instantly fell for her unique and stylish shape and knew she would make the perfect piece to add elegance to a hallway or bedroom.

We painted the frame in a soft shade of white to compliment the delicious dusty red velvet, and finished it with gentle distressing and a special antiquing glaze to give an authentic aged effect. Mabel is in fantastic condition for such as old piece and we are really excited to finally show her off!

Here's a peek at some our lovely rustic block mounts for our stall at Spitalfields this weekend. These beauties have been saved from the pages of an old atlas and mounted onto painted wooden blocks. There is just one of each so do stop by to snag your favourite destination before it goes!

The only place to be in London this weekend - Judy's Affordable Vintage Fair at Old Spitalfields Market. We will be joining lots of amazing traders selling vintage, vintage-inspired and upcycled fashion, homewares and furniture at this legendary market.

In addition to showcasing our furniture, we'll be selling our new collection of block mounts and introducing some new little surprises too! The block mount collection includes old maps, vintage travel posters, fairy tales and nursery rhymes – they come ready to hang and at £12-£20 a pop, they make the perfect Christmas gift! Stay tuned for pictures of our goodies this week and we hope to see you there!

There’s something so lovely about vintage cutlery, don’t you think? Pieces seem so much more intricately made and elegant than what we find new today, and I love the tarnish and scratches that naturally come with age.

I am instantly drawn to interior and food styling where vintage cutlery is used as it gives real life and character to a picture story. Just check out Katie’s wonderful work to see what I mean.

one; two; three; four

So far we just have five bone handle butter knives that I picked up a few months ago, but I’m trying to replace our entire newish set with mismatched old pieces I come across at markets and on eBay, although at this rate it may take some time!

Hannah @ Ruby Rhino

Are you organised when it comes to decorating or do just go for what you like and hope it works? While I love moodboards and building on a colour scheme or idea, I have to admit that my chaotic side often takes over and I just pick up things I love – trusting that they’ll blend in somehow. This can be quite a risky approach (and goes against everything they teach you in interior design school) and to be honest, I sometimes wonder if our interior style is a little too random as a result.

Yet some kind words from fellow interior-loving friends visiting at the weekend helped to reassure that perhaps it works more than I realise. When you live in a space every day it can be difficult to step back and look at the bigger picture, so it can be a good exercise to try to see it through fresh eyes to work out if something is missing or needs to be taken away.

One friend mentioned that we had lots of interesting ‘objects’ and asked where we’d got them all from. Well, I’m sure you know the answer with my penchant for markets, charity shops, Etsy and eBay. If you like treasure hunting too, you’ll know it is certainly not an easy or fast way to shop, but one that I love for collecting unique or vintage items that add layers of interest and personality to our little space.

Thankfully, if you haven’t got the time, energy or eye for sifting through heaps of junk to unearth the occassional gem, there’s some great retailers out there that do it for you and here is a selection of my favourites.

Buying vintage items that have been sourced by expert eyes comes at a premium – after all they’ve spent hours travelling and trawling the junk so you don’t have to – but I think it is often a price worth paying for that perfect piece that will give your home unique and quirky character. You may stumble across something just right - like this sign from Bubbledrum which sums up our lives perfectly at Ruby Rhino HQ right now!

Bubbledrum

Bottle Green Homes

Re-Found

I can’t get enough of vintage travel posters. I just love how much more creative they are than the generic advertising we see nowadays and how each one gives a perfect snap shot of history.

There’s quite a few sources to get your hands on them, like art.co.uk, allposters.co.uk and zazzle.co.uk – but my preferred place for UK and London focus posters is the online shop at the London Transport Museum.

There’s so many to choose from and with prices starting at £9.95 for A4 size, they are super affordable to get framed. Here’s a selection of my favourites.