I believe home interiors are most pleasing to the eye and soul when they have a mixture of ages and eras and values. That’s the tricky part with home staging. Most of the time all the furnishings, décor items and art are new, so it’s tricky (but not impossible) to create charm and personality with the staging. Some of my favourite home stagers use a mixture of old and new items in their work to give a property a much more “lived in” feeling.

This week I thought I would list my favourite “old” items that we enjoy in our home.

Vintage Tea Trolley

Used as a bar cart at our place as we are not big tea drinkers, I bought this piece on Trade Me for $50. It’s a little wobbly with age (who isn’t?) but the time honoured timber and beautiful circular accents work really well in our 1930’s home.

Antique Schnauzer Cup & Saucer

As a family we are firm fans of the Miniature Schnauzer thanks to dear Jock. Bella found this Schnauzer tea cup in a thrift store and knew it needed to adorn our shelves. On another thrifting trip some time later she came across a dainty saucer displaying the same Schnauzer so now this celebration of the wonderful Schnauzer sits pride of place in our dining room.

Picture Of The Tiri

My husband’s father was one of the original Pirates who started private radio in NZ from the waters of the Hauraki Gulf on a ship! A good friend of ours, who we worked with in radio, found this vintage print of the Tiri and framed a copy for Jason’s birthday. A treasured gift with nostalgic memories hanging proudly above the bar cart.

STOFF Nagel Candle Holder

I was for a time obsessed with these little beauties and would pick them up on occasion on Trade Me. They’ve been a flexible vintage addition to our various homes over the past few decades and I’m still in love with their architectural elegance which works well in any space.

Mid Century Plant Holder

I bought this for Jason as a birthday present – another Trade Me purchase! I love its copper bowl and tripod timber base. We’ve tried several plants in this plant holder, but the current Peace Lily seems the best to handle its reasonably sunless position. Sitting beneath one of Bella’s photographs which stays with the mid century vibe “Rain in Palm Springs”.

Ceramic ‘Olive’ Pot

This beautiful ceramic pot was given to me by my mum and was a classic part of my childhood. My parents used to keep this pot filled with Pelion Kalamata Olives and I was known to climb up on the kitchen bench so that I could grab fist fills of olives and devour them. This might have been the start of my preference of savoury over sweet, and my love for olives has continued to this day.

Vintage Leaf Dishes

It’s hard to find the ideal place to throw keys, loose change and gym fobs in the hallway, but when I spotted these antique green dishes at an antique store in Greytown I knew they would fit the brief. The beautiful forest green glaze and leaf pattern work so well against the light top of the hall table and rich timber paneling of the hall. A functional and beautiful welcome home.

In With The Old!