chateau de moissac...a French dream

The most beautiful chateau in France? Quite possibly... I fell in love with these images, all from Chateau de Moissac.

Candles make an impact upon entrance.

French doors opening to a gorgeous room with a French chandelier.

The kitchen really sealed the deal for me, I could move in immediately! Note the unusual step ladder, we have almost the exact model in our store right now (and many others very similar just arrived). I particularly like the floor to ceiling cabinets stacked full of white china...

Another view through into the kitchen. The stone flooring is divine.

A rustic dining room with an antique trestle table and benches. Note the French cheese board on the table. We have a fresh supply of these boards in the store, but they are selling fast!

The urn in the corner appears to be marble or stone of some kind. The hall lantern is lovely too.

A French chaise longue in the bedroom. We found a similar chaise on our last buying trip, but it didn't fit into the shipment. We now have to wait even longer for it!

A very comfortable living room. And cosy with the open fire. I like the use of the table at the back of the sofa.

A dreamy bathroom! The double pedestal basin is unusual. And the wall sconces either side of the mirror make sense.

More antiques including a French painted oak cupboard in the corner.

The chandelier is amazing but I am more drawn to the collection of mercury glass candlesticks on the buffet.

A more formal dining room, it looks ready for a white Christmas. For more visit Chateau de Moissaic. In the meantime, we can just dream...

weekend foraging at Hobart's Salamanca market, bottega rotolo and pigeon hole cafe

Saturday morning I visited the famous Salamanca market in Hobart in order to gather goodies for a special birthday dinner party I was to host that evening. Firstly I picked up a few bunches of one of my favourite flowers, tulips. I love the simplicity of tulips, the fact that you can just pop them in a simple jug or vase and they instantly look great... The menu was planned during the week. A good friend is responsible for the dessert and birthday cake, the Gateau Opera. Thank goodness! As I wouldn't have a clue how to make such a complicated layered cake. But this particular friend just so happens to have completed the "Tortes and Gateaux" masterclass at the Agrarian Kitchen cooking school. In this class she learned pastry tricks from Sweet Envy's Alistair Wise. Lucky gal!

At Salamanca market I also bought some fresh vegetables including rocket, garlic, pinkeye potatoes and green beans.

Look at the vibrant colour of these carrots!

Next stop was the recently opened Bottega Rotolo, located in Bathurst Street. It has its very own cheese room in which we bought some French cheese for the entree, twice cooked gruyere cheese souffle. They do not stock gruyere and we were supplied with comte cheese, the French equivalent instead. Sounds fine to me.

A bike at the entrance to Bottega Rotolo conjures images of Italian food markets and sunny days. Well, it does for me, anyway. Anyone else?

Look at the neat shelves! And at the range of yummy supplies. I spied bags of dried mixed forest mushrooms, perfect for winter soups as well as authentic Italian pasta, olive oils and sauces. And much more. We left with more than just cheese!

As it was nearing lunch time and we were after a guaranteed delicious meal, we headed to the Pigeon Hole next. We also bought some of Jay's now famous Pigeon Hole bread for dinner, to serve with the souffle. The fruit and seed sourdough is a special bread, it is only available on Tuesdays and Saturdays...I love it with a little bit of honey but is great with a nice cheese too.

Back home I started sorting the kitchen out to prepare for cooking. I found these vintage scoops at Salamanca market and was tempted to keep them for myself but I think they will make great pieces for prop hire available at The Drill Hall Emporium. I am drawn to their simple function and form.

The large soup tureen is French and I have only just unpacked it since its arrival in our latest shipment. It will keep my small French soupiere company on the bench. It is no secret that I am quite partial to white French porcelain.

Which is why I also bought this large French cake stand on my last buying trip. It has only just been unwrapped too! It goes perfectly with my French glass cloche that I already owned. On my next free day I will make some muffins or friands to place under the cloche.

I potted some hyacinth for the dinner table, an alternative to flowers and low enough not to block vision between diners across the table.

And a potted hyacinth for the birthday girl! In an antique French terracotta pot, of course...

in store...French antiques stacked up!

We are nearing the completion of setting up the shop after the arrival of our antiques shipment. And boy, has it been a big job! Probably the most challenging part of the set up is literally fitting most of the new pieces in. As you can see above we are having to stack up! We are still closed and will reopen on Sunday the 17th July at 10am. I am very excited with the thought of opening the doors for all to see. But if you live far away, don't worry I will be sure to post pictures of my favourite pieces and nooks in the store. Have a great weekend! I certainly hope too...

sneak peek of shipment goodies!

I managed to find loads of lovely French linens on the trip and I have been having fun sorting through them. There is a lot of antique monogrammed sheets which would be great reinvented as tablecloths. Heirlooms of the future. I bought a collection of child's shoe lasts that once belonged to a London cobbler. We have carefully waxed them. Each one is unique and has heaps of character.

Our mortar and pestle stocks have been replenished thanks to these lovely big examples. There is actually an even bigger one yet to be unwrapped.

French hand blown glass bottles. I can never have enough of these.

Views across the store. As you can see, we have a lot of sorting to do!

We will have quite a few sets of French skittles in store including these lovely chunky examples. These would be great fun for family days in the backyard over summer. Or they would just look great displayed on a shelf as they have a great shape and patina.

This basket is French and dates to around 1900. I love the flat weave design and the wooden branch like handle.

French shop scales with brass dishes. We also have a chic white enamel example again with the original brass dishes.

One of my favourite pieces is this French florist's jug with a brass label. We have never had anything quite like this. We are still currently closed at the moment sorting, cleaning and arranging. We will be reopen for trade on Sunday 17th July. I will update on progress late in the week with a few more pictures of how the store is taking shape.

arrived! antique shipment from overseas

Our shipment has finally arrived to our store and we are busy unpacking. As such, we are closed at the moment. We will re-open at 10am on Sunday the 17th July with all of our new goodies on display. I will post some sneak peak photos over the course of the next few weeks...

new in store...winter wool cushions, feather hats and chemist's bottles

Are these cushions not the most delightful cushions for winter? They are made with vintage English and Scottish wool fabrics, and vintage buttons, of course! And these checked cushions are cosy too, again made with vintage wool blanket fabric.

These vintage feather hats are also new in store. I love the vibrant colour of the velvet against the soft cream feathers in the bottom hat. And the other hat is decorated with feathers under the brim.

We also have a collection of vintage chemist's bottles with lovely simple labels. We are still awaiting the arrival of our latest shipment of antiques. I will have loads of goodies to show over the coming weeks.

Launceston boutique shopping and a great Tasmanian provincial cafe!

One of my favourite stores in Launceston is The Vintage Rose which happens to be right near the Albert Hall, the venue for the Launceston Antiques Fair (see previous post for our stand at this fair). Owner Amanda has such a flair in choosing and displaying her lovely vintage and French inspired home wares and linens. Unfortunately I was too busy at the fair to visit her store on this trip to Launceston, but I took some after hour images of the great window displays... I was quite taken with the big earthenware pitchers on the ladder. For more on the Vintage Rose click here. Next stop was Gallery 54 in St John Street, Launceston a boutique showcasing the delightful jewellery designed by Katherine Brunacci. At the gallery's opening last April (see previous post) I bought some gorgeous semi-baroque pearl earrings. This time I fell totally in love with and subsequently purchased the above silver and gemstone pendant necklace titled "Lantern Pendant" from Katherine's Autumn 2011 collection. It is a truly magical piece and features moonstones around the lantern shaped pendant. It is beautifully hand crafted and is weighty, too.

(Images Copyright Katherine A Brunacci, not to be used without permission)

Other examples of Katherine's work. The sterling silver crucifix necklace features a handmade chain of adjustable length and the cross is inspired by a Victorian period crucifix. The winged pharaoh necklace has malachite and fire opals incorporated into the chain. Too many gorgeous pieces to choose from! A lot of Katherine's pieces are limited editions for example the Lantern Pendant of which there is only one more available. For more on the talented Ms Katherine Brunacci click here. After we had packed up at the antique fair and on our way home we stopped at the Ut Si cafe in Perth, northern Tasmania for lunch. I enjoyed a warming Jerusalem artichoke and potato soup with their famous wood fired bread. I was a little jealous of a fellow diner's mushroom and pearl barley risotto though!

A friend has started a new blog titled "touche de vintage" which will feature vintage pieces incorporated into fashion. To visit, click here.