Axminster Old Chapel, Devon EX13

On my festive trip to the countryside I found the ideal antiques shop for a bank holiday rummage. The Axminster Old Chapel had all the charm and bargains to keep this shopper happy, even after the inevitable cash hemorrhage of Christmas.

Tucked away in the sweet Devon town of Axminster (the home of Hugh F-W and the River Cottage cafe - stop in for a cake!) this antiques shop gave us both plenty of antiques to admire and also had one or two deals that were too good to miss...

Products ranged from oodles of pretty ceramics...

To vintage radios for the more technically minded...

There were some great twentieth century pieces...



Including these elegant art deco mirrors (we picked up the right hand one for a bargainous £11!)

As you can tell by the name the showroom in located in a stunning old chapel with original elements like these windows still in place...

More fab crockery (not too sure if my love of leopard print could go quite as far as china though...)



Ace antique kitchenalia...

I'm such a sucker for that deckchair stripe, but the wire magazine rack could be pretty nifty too!

But our final find of the day turned out to be my favourite. A box of vintage bottles...for £5 you say? It would have be rude not to...

Of Cabbages & Kings, N16

Stumble of the week...goes to the Of Cabbages & Kings Market in Abney Public Hall on Stoke Newington's lovely Church Street. 

We were drawn in by the beautiful bunting and stayed for the eclectic designer/marker stalls. This market takes place on the 1st Saturday of every month, but there are fairs here regularly so it's worth keep an eye on this venue...

We browsed sweet practical products from Takae Mizutani and Sons...

Clever ceramic ideas and art from Yoyo Ceramics...

Inspiring prints from Karin Akesson...(yes I like to think Tomorrow Will Be Sunny - thank you)...

And finally even more ace prints including these letter press cycling theme posters from Dynamo Works and LondonEreas prints from the fabulous Vic Lee  (search for a local area or haunt if you've not seen before - they are truly fantastic).

Brixi, Brixton Village

Brixi is another diamond in Brixton Village. This eclectic little shop stocks what they call 'old and new oddities' but what I call spot-on loveliness. Vintage one-off home pieces, chic gifts, fabulous jewellery all in a beautifully dressed shop. Here are some of my fave bits: 

Rocking the stag and bikes trends...

 And aztec print...how cosy do these look?!

This blackboard is such a cool idea for a shop. The effect looks great plus you can save on price tags... 

The well chosen mixture of products available included these nice simple vintage milk bottles (one if my current obsessions)

And what a doll's house! It was showing jewellery in Brixi - a perfect use for someone far to old to justify buying it right?

Even the signage is cool at Brixi. Well worth an explore for one-off homeware, unique gifts and that doll's house you always dreamt of. Do I need to give you another reason to visit Brixton Village?! 

Circus, Brixton Village, SW9

This one has been on my list for a while...I *finally* made it to Circus in Brixton Village recently. After seeing the launch of this creative little interiors and vintage shop in Elle Decoration I was pretty much sold already. But then finding out it was in neck of the woods put it straight to the top of my (embarrassingly actually real) list. 

But what makes this shop even more special for me is its placement and involvement in Granville Arcade or Brixton Village as we like do call it down sarf London. This market arcade has been part of Brixton life since the 30s yet it fell into rack and ruin...but it then got happily transformed in 2009 and has now become one of the most happening, friendly places to shop and eat in my area. Hurrah. Which is where Circus comes in...

The first thing you notice about Circus is the cardboard. This creative homeware, acessories and arts shop has basically been built of the stuff. A great recycling message and an even better paired down look. 

The shop is small and perfectly formed with the designer/maker products carefully curated by the owners (one of which was the delightful and delightfully named Tabitha who very kindly gave me the low down on the shop on my visit). 

The fabulous selection at Circus ranges from original prints...

To vintage tableware...

And a mixture of old and new all the way throughout the store...

Fliff ceramics are on of the latest designer/maker additions...

Lovely to see local support alongside these hand-embroidered accessories...

You can the exposed cardboard on these shelves, holding up this collection of glassware, I love that perfect autumnal tone of these...

And check out that exposed lighting display...love...

More accessories beautifully displayed...

Circus is a great store, you can see the effort behind the project and the thought that goes into the product choice and shop design too. 

Brixton Village is an ace location to shop, eat and explore. Circus is the cherry on top. And you know what? I really like cherries. 

Bermondsey Market, SE1

I admit I am obviously slow on the uptake as I knew nothing about how trendy Bermondsey is becoming. Why did no one tell me before! 

So when I took a trip simply to check out Bermondsey Market this Friday I was happily impressed by the casually hip area on Bermondsey Street. The newly opened White Cube Gallery is sure to bring other newbies, like myself, to this street packed full of classic architecture (that made me feel a bit Dickens-esque), independent shops (including the coolest pet shop) and sweet eateries (where I discovered Vietnamese baguettes - yum). 

And all that before I even got to the market...which was definitely a good sign. 

Bermondesy Market (officially New Caledonian Market) is a weekly antiques market placed right at the end of Bermondsey Street. The market opens at 5am for any early birds, but I headed for a more reasonable start and took a break from the rush hour to stroll up from London Bridge, which took about 15 mins. 

It boasts a great selection of antiques mainly Edwardian, Georgian and Victorian silverware, glassware, beautiful jewellery and various other fascinating pieces. Like this dainty vintage cash machine - who wouldn't want to open a cutesy little shop if you had one of these?

There were lots of real classic antiques finds at this market...

Plenty of vintage timepieces...

Fabulous crockery, ranging from the delicately designed...

To cool 70s plates...

There was even the occasional vintage robot thrown in for good measure!

I think I liked the frames and table itself more than these actual pictures...look at the colours...mmm

The last thing that really made this market for me was the location. Other than being perfectly placed at the end of one of my new fave streets, it is beautifully positioned in Bermondsey Square framed in old and new architecture. How lovely. Oh and the crisp autumnal morning may have helped a little...

The Peanut Vendor, N16

Every time I visit Stoke Newington I cannot help but gawp at the latest lovelies at The Peanut Vendor. I can however forget to put the pictures up online...therefore please excuse the historical (well a couple of week's old anyway) nature of the images, but I can assure you this shop never disappoints! 

The Peanut Vendor is a vintage furniture shop based on lovely Newington Green and with a very nice online shop too. Visit this shop for quality antiques - everything from utility storage and classic bakeware (as seen above with very cool vintage bunting)...

To brilliant 70s style bathroom accessories...
I simply have to get some of this lighting at home...


And start using these for my filing...
The beautifully styled shop always makes it a delight to visit.

And, when I went, there was even a nice bit of taxidermy! I implore you all to go...at the very least to keep my up to date with what's now in store...

                            

New Vintage, SW11

After getting my car booting fix this morning (I hadn't been for weeks - imagine!) I happened upon a sweet vintage shop that made it well worth getting out of my pyjamas on this lazy Sunday.

New Vintage is a shabby chic fest of revamped antiques furniture, china, accessories and some really lovely fabrics. Plus (I think it's fair to say) the most fabulous and extensive selection of lampshades. 

It has a quirky sense of fun with some sweet pieces like this cheeky gal (who wasn't actually for sale as the owner can't bear to give her up!)

I really liked the use of display in the shop with these overhauled dining chairs strung up artfully. 

There were some really good prices for china...

And other accessories to make a perfect afternoon tea.  

An added bonus is that New Vintage based in a part of Battersea I'm just getting to know at the moment, Battersea Park,  that also has a very nice sprinkling of charity shops to browse. Afternoon vintage shopping fun sorted.