And Stret-c-h

Some domestic problems are hard to solve.  How often have you wondered how to get those pesky Chateau Lafite stains out of your white cashmere carpet? Or the most efficient way to clean your priceless antique crystal chandelier? 


Most common of all - how do you stop your freshly laundered doilies from shrinking and losing their shape?


Reader - we have a solution.





Simply purchase a vintage Pinabord Doily Stretcher and misshapen doilies will be a thing of the past. Place your doily on the board, use the highly mathematical grid to pin it into the correct shape , spray on some starch, et voila!





(NB. Strictly for domestic doily use only. Antimacassar stretching should only be attempted by qualified professionals.)

The Knitterati

We at The Curious Eye have always considered ourselves above discussing celebrities to boost our exposure. However in this case we feel we must make an exception. 


After all, how are we supposed to resist this?

Yes, your eyes do not deceive you - it's a knitted Bette Davis as "Baby Jane" doll. You have to admit, the resemblance is uncanny.

Baby Jane is not alone, she is part of a cache of fabulous celebrity knitted dolls from the 60s and 70s found by our dear friend Sean Barnett (and currently for sale at his stall at Ezra St Market, just off Columbia Rd).


Here we see Frank and Peggy Spencer, the ballroom superstars of their era.

Max Miller, The Cheeky Chappie (poised to offend with his 'blue book' of jokes).

And the other Max - Max Wall, looking very dapper.

This lady has caused some debate, is it Hermione Gingold? Danny La Rue?

No. After a lot of research, I've come to the conclusion that it's Phyllis Diller.

(If it isn't the resemblance is uncanny)


Last but not least - everyone's favorite musical genius (and comedy straight man) Mr André Previn.

Which gives me the perfect excuse for us all the enjoy this...

The best part of this whole thing is that Sean not only has the dolls - he has the pattern books for them too - the creator of these little gems (the aptly named Dolly Robertson) actually wrote down how she came up with her designs, presumably so that future generations could knit obscure characters from the 70's too. So if you ever feel the urge to knit yourself a miniature Molly Sugden, or a tiny Windsor Davies, or even a Pam Ayres of your very own - now's your chance.

For the patriotic amongst you - here's a sneak peak of how to create a scale model of everyone's favorite heir to the throne.

Time to get the knitting needles out!


The dolls (and other delightful goodies) are available at Seans stall, every Sunday on Ezra St, E2.

Lille next weekend

Next weekend is the grande braderie de Lille , I'm going to be in Paris so I'll be heading up by train, it's only and hour away, also about and hour from London by Eurostar. Ever since last year I have been dreaming about this work bench I saw there ! it would have been perfect for my new kitchen. Even if by some weird stroke of luck I find it again this year I still wont be able to take it home on the train !

Illustrated Book Of The Week : Shop America

If you put all my favorite things into a pot, stirred them up and made them into a book. You might well get this.

Shops! America!! Mid Century Design!!! Who could ask for anything more?





Shop America is a large format collection of 'style suggestions' for shop design from the Thirties and Forties. Idealised images of dream stores from one of the most romantic eras of design in the Twentieth Century.





Everything from sporting good shops and pharmacies





to cosmetic stores and opticians





The use of colour is particularly inspiring - just look at the tones suggested for a supermarket (Much as I love Waitrose, this is far more alluring, isn't it?)





And the illustrations are incredibly stylish - even the sweetshops have a hint of 30's pulp fiction..





Others are straight out of classic film noir. I could swear that this woman is about to pull a revolver out of her purse and shoot the other chick dead. I've watched enough Joan Crawford films to know, eyebrows like that can only mean one thing...





...Trouble.

Shop America: Mid-Century Storefront Design, 1938-1950 Edited by Jim Heimann, with an essay by Steven Heller is available from Taschen Books

Stijl-ish

It's amazing how really inspiring exhibitions just keep on, well, inspiring.

It's been nearly eighteen months since I saw the van Doesburg exhibition at the Tate Modern (I've already written about it here) - but I'm still feeling the after effects today. A couple of new acquisitions have brought it back to mind.

Like this.

Which really makes me think about some of the less well known artists that were shown. I'd never heard of Ilya Bolotowsky before, but his use of colour is very exciting. Paintings like this one take the classic forms of 'De Stijl', but elevate them with a very sensual ,stimulating palette

This blanket has an equally compelling colour range. Lilac, yellow and two tones of brown? Very unusual. The man I bought it from claimed it was Scandinavian, but I think it's probably a classic American camp blanket. Wherever it's from, it's a beauty.

Then there's this little darling.

Which totally reminds me of some of van Doesburgs archectural projects, like his design for the cinema and dance hall at, L'Aubette in Strasbourg.

It's actually a card table that has had lino inset into it. I've never been much of a fan of lino - as it has too many bad connotations of damp loos and shabby kitchens circa 1974 - but I may have to rethink that. The work on this table makes me want to start creating 30's inspiring patchwork lino floors in my bathroom, cubist lino-covered furniture, linoleum light fittings...

Stop! I'm getting carried away. I need to calm down and have a cup of tea.

I'm not sure that van Doesburg would approve of that pompom though...

Monastic Fantastic

The other day, a good friend of mine described some of my recent purchases as 'monastic' - and I was delighted. As every good modernist knows, if form follows function, then monks are probably the most modern thinkers in the world. These guys make the Shakers look like they're overdoing it a little. If it weren't for those ridiculous haircuts, they would be the last word in chic.

Minimalism is something of a dirty word right now - a throwback to the Nineties when it suddenly seemed like a great idea to live in a grey concrete box, with just a futon mattress and a single perfect feather suspended from the ceiling as decoration.

Still, there's still something very appealing about a spartan aesthetic, and a simple white vessel never loses it's poetic charm. I'm not going to start writing a haiku any time soon, but I'm sure you know what I mean.

This enamel coffee cup is a great example. Simple design, elegant use of material and perfect proportions.

As is this cutlery drainer. A little more soulful than something plastic from Ikea.

And the ceramic bowl at the top of this post? Well, if it seems a little sparse for your liking - a few nectarines take it from Norman Monastery, to Provencal Farmhouse in no time at all.

A Clean Sweep

I have friends who claim that they love to clean. They talk about the 'meditative quality' of washing dishes and the 'profound satisfaction' that they gain while thoroughly scouring the inside of their ovens.

I am not one of those people

If it's up to me, I'll take the meditative quality of watching something lowbrow on television, and the profound satisfaction of a large roast dinner. Cleaning, for me, is a necessary evil.

However, it must be done. So, In an attempt to build up my enthusiasm, my solution is to make it as aesthetically pleasing a task as possible. If I need to sweep up rubbish then I'd prefer to do it with a beautiful vintage brush, with a classic maroon/cream colourway. If I have to dust the shelves, then at least I can enjoy the look of my classic ostrich feather duster while I'm doing it.

Now if only I could find a way to make doing my tax return a more beautiful experience...

Emma Newton - True Romance

Spitalfields never ceases to impress us, here at the Curious Eye.

Our latest romance is with the delightful stall of Emma Newton - and 'romance' is the key word here. There is a delicacy and femininity in Emma's offerings that is extremely romantic. Not in a soppy way - there is nothing cloying or naff about Emma's taste. It's just that her wares are always so simple, beautiful and well chosen, that you get the feeling that she finds everything she sells at dawn on a sunlit beach, as she steps out of her driftwood shack, wearing a muslin shift.

We haven't asked her if that's true, but we are almost sure that it is...

Emma's stall can be found every Thursday at Spitalfields Antiques Market.