Dress up time!

Closeup of rose detail on the dress.

Bolette N. is an au pair from Denmark who visited the shop last weekend with her host family.  Bolette was quite giddy when she reached the third floor of the shop and found Ann's collection of vintage clothing.

Ann was in the shop Sunday with her latest finds from Germany and took Bolette under her wing for some dress up fun.  Bolette found a vintage prom dress and some vintage jewelry that made her eyes sparkle.  Bolette said the outfit made her feel so happy that she wanted to wear it all day long.

Ann said that now that school is back in session, she's seeing a lot of girls come in the shop with their moms looking at vintage dresses for upcoming dances.  Vintage dresses and jewelry are a great way stand out from the crowd with something unusual or unexpected.  After all, why should a gorgeous party dress only have one day of fun?

The dress Bolette is wearing is $119 and the lucky silver shoes are available for $25.

The vintage rhinestone earrings ($15), bracelet ($19), and necklace ($19) mimic the delicate rhinestone straps on this party dress.

 Click here to follow The Old Lucketts Store on Facebook!

***UPDATE:  Here is the link to Wild Thyme on Facebook.  Be sure to like this page for new info. on what Ann is bringing in to her space at The Old Lucketts Store.***

Oh where, oh where did my _______ go?

When you work the front counter, you get to hear all kinds of creative ideas and stories about where our finds end up.  For instance, two weekends ago I asked a woman who bought an over sized shutter where she was going to display it.  "I'm covering it in glass and it's going to be the top of the island in my new kitchen," she said.  Ahhhh, genius!  Our customers are so creative!  Little did our dealer Mary Lou know that the piece that caught her eye a few months ago, would be so prominently displayed in a kitchen, loved, used, and talked about for many years to come.  Here are just a few purchases over the past few days and their stories...

A cute couple stopped in over the weekend.  They're getting married in Roanoke, VA in a few weeks and picked out lots of bottles in different sizes to decorate the tables at their reception.  The same day, another woman bought handfuls of chandelier crystals.  The crystals will be attached to tags on a "wish tree" where guests at her daughter's wedding can each sign their name on a tag and write a special wish for the bride and groom.  

A musician stopped in.  He has been redoing his rec room for the last few years.  He picked up these really cool industrial canvas pillows with numbers stitched on them and a giant antique flag.  We've asked him to email us pictures when he's done decorating.  We hope he does!

We had Henry put up some lighted circus letters that spelled out "FUN" over the door.  Minutes later the owners of Cirque du Rouge tattoo parlor in DC walked in and purchased those same letters along with our favorite kudu taxidermy head (now renamed "Kale") for their shop.

We had a dad buy this industrial table to use as a desk for his 8 year old son.  Oh kid, you really have the coolest dad ever!

A couple purchased this claw foot tub.  They're using it as a water trough for their retired Thoroughbred horses.  (They said it's easier to clean!!!???)  Wow, those horses are living large!

 

If you've decorated your home with an item from The Old Lucketts Store and would like to share your story with us, please email the shop (attention: blog in the subject line).  We would love to feature your items and how you're using them.

Have a wonderful week! 

 

Fresh Off the Wagon - 09.09.11

The rain kept coming this week...  Here is a picture of our parking lot Thursday night taken from the porch looking out at one of the pavilions.  Thankfully we didn't have any major flooding issues but the wind and rain certainly kept us on our toes all week.

Our dealers dashed back and forth to their vans in between the raindrops to bring you lots of new treasures.  We're featuring several new items Fresh Off the Wagon this week.  I'll only pick a few for this post, but if you'd like to see a cross section of our new items this week, please check our Fresh Off the Wagon page on our website regularly.  The site is updated weekly with new finds.

This awesome woven chair looks so comfy and would be great to curl up in and read a book on rainy day like today.  It's offered for $189 from dealer AFS.

Continuing on with the woven theme, here is a sweet glass topped wicker table and chair set.  The table top measures 30" round.  This one is from dealer code CHD for $198 this week.

This goes on the all time favorite list.  This beauty is made from pieces of reclaimed wood.  I can just imagine it in another lifetime in a general store, or maybe it would go perfectly someplace else... like MY KITCHEN!  The hutch measures approximately 68"wide x 18"deep x 94"high and is $1,950 from dealer CNS.

Stay dry and have a lovely (hopefully sunny) weekend!

Click here to follow us on Facebook!

Design Dilemma - Choosing a Coffee Table

We'll be trying to answer some Design Dilemma questions we frequently receive.  Here's a common one:  "Hi!   I have a new apartment and need to buy a coffee table.  I always take measurements of things I like but I never buy anything.  It seems that there’s a lot out there, and you can use just about anything as a coffee table nowadays.  I like the idea of using something unexpected, but I'm just not clear on how the measurements relate to each other and if the scale & piece would really work in my space.  Please help!  ~ Coffee Table Jitters

 

Answer:  Dear Jitters,  Coffee tables can be confusing, but they're so much fun!  There are so many different shapes, styles, and finish options out there.  I hate to say this, but most anything goes!  There are a lot of things that can function like a coffee table too, for example industrial carts, an over-sized ottoman, or two small and low tables side by side.  A lot of it does come down to what you like and what inspires you, but there are some standard measurements and formulas you can refer to.  

Here are a few ideas from our Design Notebook. The pictures were taken at The Old Lucketts Store or our Design House and reflect items we try to find and buy up on our travels.  Best of luck!  Your Friends at The Old Lucketts Store.  

More importantly, what vintage items do YOU think would do great double-duty as a unique coffee table?

If you have a question for us or a Design Dilemma that you'd like help solving, please leave a comment to this post and we'll try to feature it in a future blog post.

Click here to follow us on Facebook!

Jewelry Bar

First things first.  A very special thank you to everyone who joined us this past weekend for our September Design House.  We had such a good time that we kept the house open and rockin' an extra day and stayed open for Labor Day.  We've already started planning for the next event which will be Friday, September 30th through Sunday, October 2nd.  Check us out and see what kooky and spooky things we'll be decking the house with later this month!

One thing I love about The Old Lucketts Store is the endless inspiration.  Another thing I love is the reasonable pricing.   One of our dealers, Jennifer, has set up a jewelry and findings station in her booth on the first floor.  She has ball chain lanyards for sale along with a diverse assortment of trinkets and charms to make your own necklace.  Such a cute idea Jennifer - and the prices are super reasonable too!  

Jennifer used vintage metal bowls, desert dishes, and cake plates to separate her trinkets.  A few other bursts of her creativity in this picture include a chalkboard made from an antique frame and a really cool console table with a feed sack top covered in glass.

 

You can dress up your chain with framed vintage photo pendants, spell something with tile letters, or add findings like vintage watch faces, old bulbs, and metal numbers.

 

Vintage champagne glasses filled with with framed pendants.  Prices vary by finding and design choice, but you can make a really unique necklace for around $20.

 

A few parting words...    Have a wonderful week!

Please click here to "Like" us on Facebook!

September 2011 Design House - More Finishing Touches!

I was able to sneak in the Design House again today for you.  The house is open tomorrow through Sunday Monday 10-5 each day.  (We just added a day!  The Design House and the store WILL be open for Labor Day on Monday, September 5th.)   Here are a few pictures I took today.  We hope you can join us this weekend at the September Design House for a TON of new furniture, fresh design ideas, great people, great music, and a great time!  

Pull up a chair and relax.  Amy and Suzanne have accessorized the house with these colorful pillows - a great inexpensive way to add instant color and texture to any space. 

A to die for kitchen island up on the second floor with exposed wine storage.  In the background we have another glass front cabinet for even more storage flanked by two antique architectural columns.

 

This beautiful and functional multi-drawer vintage cabinet on the second floor caught my eye immediately.  Oh and check out the great light that mimics an antique scale - so unique!

 

A beachy and more serene feel in the large master bedroom upstairs.  Neutrals that work anywhere, including this hardwood coffee table.

Don't just dress up your home.  Amy has added a selection of new necklaces, which are great gifts or go ahead and treat yourself!

The wall color in the "yellow room" upstairs is carried through on these lovely metal bird trays.

Unique lighting and a variety of both open and glass front cabinets this month.

Outside we have a schoolhouse full of chairs and a selection of vintage metal lockers (it's September after all!).  And yes, that piece by the red door is an old vent off the top of a barn and turned into a light fixture.

A big thank you to everyone who followed our blog posts and Facebook posts as we prepped this month's Design House.  And here is a little reminder of how far we've come this month...

If you would like to see more pictures of the September Design House, please "Like" The Old Lucketts Store on Facebook and take a peek at our photo album.

September Design House - Finishing Touches

In a few short weeks, we emptied the Design House, selected three new paint colors, and repainted several rooms in the Design House.  Next, we welcomed a new crate of hardwood furniture, unpacked the crate, and inspected it.  And last week, we loaded the large pieces of furniture in the house to set the tone and structure for each room. This week, the entire crew is over at the Design House putting the final touches on the rooms.  We are still organizing, hanging, fluffing, and rearranging, but we wanted to show you a few quick snapshots taken today of a few of the rooms.  Everything is coming together for The Design House opening - this Friday at 10am.

****************************************************************

The September Design House will be open Friday, September 2nd through Sunday, September 4th, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.  The Design House is an interior design showcase open on select dates, usually the first weekend of each month.  At the Design House, we bring together the greatest design talents from The Old Lucketts Store who completely remake an entire farmhouse for each event, from lighting to furniture, to paint, and accessories.  For a more detailed description of the Design House, please visit this post.

What the...What? (#5) Revealed!

Thank you to everyone who made a guess on our most recent What the...What post.  A lot of people guessed that it was a toothpick holder and we also had a guess that our item held paper long ago.  Well, the wait is over.  Our item was an old cigarette holder. 

Rotate the dial and a cigarette pops out and is held in the curved arms you see here.   For those who thought this was a toothpick holder, I'll vouch that the opening is much, much too big - you would have 50 toothpicks come out at once.

Here is another example of a vintage cigarette holder with a dial on the side.  This one has its ashtray attached in front.

Please click here to "Like" us on Facebook!

Prepping the Design House - Setting the Structure

We are continuing on our journey as we prepare our September Design House. We first showed you an empty Design House and selected three new paint colors.  Next, we shared our excitement over a new crate of hardwood furniture that just arrived.  In that same post, we showed you the not-so-pretty, but necessary, unpacking and inspection process.  Now, we'll show you the next step, starting to load in furniture.

We added the "bones" to each room this week.   We chose a few large pieces to anchor each room and determined the general flow of how we would like your eyes to move around the room.  All you'll find are empty cabinets; no artwork or accessories just yet.

On the porch we have a wonderful island that was just delivered.  It looks so serene just sitting there.  Inside the house, it's a little more difficult to walk around without walking in to a ladder or tripping over a tape measure.

Sketches are now coming to life as the lighting and furniture layers are added to each room.  You're able to tell the general purpose of each room right now.  The ladies will be hard at work this weekend and next week adding the next layer - art and accessories - to make each room really pop.

Our next post will feature the Design House rooms with everyone's favorite layer added - the accessories.  This is when each of the rooms really comes to life and reflects Suzanne and Amy's impeccable taste and interior design sensibilities.  Stay tuned!

****************************************************************

The September Design House will be open Friday, September 2nd through Sunday, September 4th, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.  The Design House is an interior design showcase open on select dates, usually the first weekend of each month.  At the Design House, we bring together the greatest design talents from The Old Lucketts Store who completely remake an entire farmhouse for each event, from lighting to furniture, to paint, and accessories.  For a more detailed description of the Design House, please visit this post.

The furniture arrives --- September Design House

As we get ready for the September Design House, Amy is taking pictures of the design process to share with you.  Earlier this week, we wrote about our painting stage.  The process of putting a Design House event together takes A TON of talented people and A LOT of hard work.  You're probably used to only seeing the finished rooms completely decorated with great finds, but this time, we wanted to also share the not-so-glamorous preparation side.

Suzanne & Amy are super-psyched for the September Design House.  A new container full of furniture has arrived!!!  The girls have been waiting six months for these goodies, which gave them ample time to dream about how to use the pieces and design the rooms.  The furniture selection this month is wonderful, featuring groupings of both natural finish hardwoods and painted hardwoods.  

We're also really excited about the unique finishes on the September pieces.  Here is one closeup example of a distressed buffet.

Here is more of the preparation phase from our Design Notebook, including the team unloading the long anticipated truckload of new furniture, the inspection process, and then a few pictures of everything lined up and waiting to go in to the Design House. 

I'll post more pictures before the big reveal (on Friday, September 2nd) as the furniture is loaded in the house and the spaces are designed. 

****************************************************************

The September Design House will be open Friday, September 2nd through Sunday, September 4th, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.  The Design House is an interior design showcase open on select dates, usually the first weekend of each month.  At the Design House, we bring together the greatest design talents from The Old Lucketts Store who completely remake an entire farmhouse for each event, from lighting to furniture, to paint, and accessories.  For a more detailed description of the Design House, please visit this post.

Postcards from Berlin (part 2)

One of our dealers, Ann, is on vacation in Germany this month visiting family.  The trip is a welcome way to recharge and a great chance to scour some wonderful German flea markets.  Here is an update on how Ann is doing.

*********************************************************************************************************************

Hallo again from Berlin!  This past weekend I was lucky to have help from a friend who took me by car to four flea markets on the outskirts of Berlin.  These are huge markets that sell everything from antiques to second hand garden tools and produce from neighboring farms...sort of like giant yard sales.  Most stores in Germany are not open on Sundays so they hold the flea markets in the parking lots of large stores.  It is an amazing and exhausting experience.  You can find great bargains but you have to cover a lot of territory.  Fortunately Germans like to stay well nourished and hydrated so along the way you can stop for Kaffee und Kuchen or a quick beer for motivation!  

My finds included a linen grain sack from late 1800's, a really special Rolltuch - blue with busy elves doing the laundry, a whole selection of shopping bags a woman had made from vintage linens, and 2 sets of old porcelain spice jars.  

I am shopping every weekend at the Flohmarkts and having great success networking with my vintage contacts.  On Sunday I went to the most famous market in Berlin, Mauerpark Flohmarkt.  "Mauer" means wall and this market is held weekly in the east part of the city at the edge of a large park commemorating the Berlin Wall.  It is huge and full of lots of "hippie" flavor.   

One thing I found interesting was that the vintage dealers I found there have mostly 1970's and 80's clothes, not much that is earlier.  There are many artists/craftspeople selling clothing that has been made from vintage pieces or things with an African or Asian flavor.  I love to people watch at Mauerpark.  There are young people from all over the world, backpackers, students, travelers of all sorts.  You can hear a dozen languages at once. English is often the common language for people from different places

.

A bowl filled with vintage tins.

Tomorrow I'm leaving for Nurenberg and on the way back will visit Leipzig for a huge antique market that is held on the last weekend of each month.  Our friends are driving us back so I will have serious hauling capacity,  I am very grateful for this since most of my shopping is done via Berlin's excellent public transit system.  It is a good workout and makes for some painful decisions sometimes about what one can or can't actually carry regardless of how beautiful or cheap it is.  I also have to remind myself frequently about transatlantic baggage fees.  Sigh.       ~Ann

*********************************************************************

(Note:  Ann's vintage linen and clothing business is called Wild Thyme.  She is located on the third floor of The Old Lucketts Store, dealer code RAM.  You may remember an earlier post where we featured a collection of hats she purchased at an estate sale.  Ann and her new German finds will be back in September.) 

***UPDATE:  Here is the link to Wild Thyme on Facebook.  Be sure to like this page for new info. on what Ann is bringing in to her space at The Old Lucketts Store.***

What the... What? (#5)

We have a special phrase around the store when we find things in our travels that are particularly unusual, odd, confusing, or sometimes hideous.  When we come across one of these items, we like to use one of our favorite Lucketts-isms, "What the... What?"  Here is one of those items from the store.

See if you can guess what this is and leave us a comment if you think you know!  We'll reveal the item's true identity and purpose later this week.  

Can you identify this item from The Old Lucketts Store and tell us how it was once used? 

What the... What?

Leave a comment if you know!