Off the Shelf Review – Vintage Vavoom, by the editors of Romantic Homes
Vintage
Vavoom (2007, Clarkson Potter, $35.00, 218pp.) by the editors
of Romantic Homes magazine might just as well be called Vavoom!
This just-right-sized book packs a wallop for lovers of all things vintage,
and we are nothing if not that here at Vintage Indie.
As
soon as I knew Jacqueline deMontravel, the editor of Romantic Homes,
was spearheading this, I was on high alert for it to come out. For those
of you who put down your Romantic Homes several years ago after one
too many cabbage rose and Victorian lace vignette, fear not.
The
magazine has been rehabbed into an of-the-moment, authoritative handbook
where new and vintage collide in a romantic whirlwind of breath-taking
rooms, little shops, gardens and get-aways. Add to that the contributions
of editors-at-large like Sandra Evertson and Tara Frey, and RH is one
of my top real zine picks each month. And, the book is no different,
just bigger and by that, better.
Gorgeous
photography again takes center stage. I did not see a lot of reprints
from the mag in use. That’s always good. There are also great instructions,
shopping lists, tips from designers, even tips on HOW to shop (as if!).
From
the opening advice of creating a notebook, each chapter includes “workshops”
as they are called, to help one get decorating and collecting ideas
down on paper, complete with encouragement to sketch.
All
styles and time periods are given equal appreciation here, from the
kitschy 1950s to the Wedgewood and Flow Blue of the late 1800s. Chinese
is represented as is nautical, western, classic/traditional, colonial
and more in the many themes depicted for both decorating and collecting.
Advice is also given for cleaning and preserving treasured vintage items,
such as linens.
Perhaps
my favorite chapter is on color-everything from a bold palette to bold
splashes with dots and stripes to an even more delicious group of photos
of all-white displays. Ideas for every taste make for a one very appealing
book. It’s a must-have for any decorating library.
– Guest Author, Gina Smith
{All contributed content Gina Smith © Lilly*s of London*ish}