more Cotswolds shopping including the famous Highgrove store!

In an antique shop in the Cotswolds town of Tetbury I fell in love with the large American decoy duck in the above image. I also liked the vintage ticking mattresses folded in the background, and the French armchair at the front. Upstairs in the same store, the blue painted bench was a standout. And check out the size of the wire egg basket...I think it is suitable for ostrich eggs!

A French baker's stand with vintage bread baskets. The local florist, Twig, is perhaps my favourite florist I have ever found. It is unique and ever-changing. The chequered wooden flooring makes a wonderful backdrop for greenery.

A romantic French carved and caned bed in another antiques store.

A Gustavian bench seat. We found a similar bench seat at a fair on the trip...image to come.

A collection of white ceramics on a rustic table...

An an interesting sculpture made from vintage garden tools...

As you may know by now, I do have a current obsession with large terracotta pots, the more the better as they look great grouped together. I have found a number of these so far on my travels.

On the corner of the main street in Tetbury there is a store called Highgrove which I had not seen before. All profits go towards the Princes Charities Foundation, which makes me feel better about the fudge that I bought...for charity after all! I was taken with their store displays which incorporate vintage garden tools...

A French orchard ladder in Highgrove is used as a display shelf.

I bought these super long elm benches as I loved the figuring of the timber in the seats and also the length. And they are very sturdy, too.

touring the Cotswolds with a stop at Daylesford Organic farm shop

A church in one of my favourite Cotswold villages, Burford. Burford is best to visit during the week as the weekends see many visitors to this town. Early crooked sandstone buildings line the main street and house small boutique shops and pubs.

Our point of call for lunch was my favourite farm shop Daylesford Organic near Stow-on-the-Wold. I have written about this heavenly place in a previous post. It should be on every food-lovers' must-do-while-in-the-Cotswolds list...

The courtyard of Daylesford Organic is in itself a feast for hungry eyes with a potager and plant stand both overflowing with plants. Note the watering can in the above image...it is a Hawes watering can which are the best English make. I am always on the hunt for vintage examples of Hawes cans while I am here.

Our bag of goodies before we unpacked and ate in the sun in the courtyard. There is a restaurant as part of the farm as well, but we never seem to make it past the fresh produce, patisserie and cheese area!

Towards the end of the day I bought this French day bed as a future upholstery project...one day!

new in store...French day bed with Belgium linen upholstery and a revamped shell display

This antique French day bed came from England on our last buying trip in June last year. It has waited patiently in our storeroom until it was time for it to be reupholstered. We have chosen Belgium linen as it is a nice contrast with the old carved giltwood frame. This bed started life in France then went to England. In the 1950s it went to the USA (it still has the old storage labels on it from America) and more recently returned to England where we happened upon it in the Cotswolds. It then made the journey in many pieces to Australia. What a history!

Detail of the carved giltwood leg and the bolt that holds the rail to the end. It is cleverly constructed to come apart into 6 pieces for transportation. Think of the apartment stairwells in Paris that it must have climbed!

Gorgeous double piping detail. It actually has two bolster cushions as well (these were not completed at the time I took these images but they are happily on the day bed now).

The paint has a lovely worn look, only perfected with age. The bed dates from mid 19th century. A lucky find for us and well worth the effort...this piece is certainly my favourite in store right now!

Dreamy French Daybeds

I can just imagine curling up on this day bed with a favourite book. Not sure if I would get much reading done though... We recently delivered this folding French day bed to a beautiful country home in Tasmania. It went up into a large loft area and looked fabulous! This day bed is actually English. I love the deep buttoning and the neutral linen. It looks very comfortable. (Image from http://www.brownrigg-interiors.co.uk/).

You can actually stay in this room in Paris - le Turenne, a beautiful apartment available for rent in the Place des Vosges district of Marais (Image from http://www.bellefrancaiseinteriors.blogspot.com/).

This chaise longue has a wonderful regency shape.

This day bed is in the French Directoire style (Image from http://www.alhambraantiques.com/). We bought a very similar day bed very early on in our buying trip. Our container is due at our door this week. We will then be closed for a period of time, busily unpacking, sorting and arranging. We will post details at the time when we close and re-open.