Fresh Ideas for Vintage Linens

Flea Market Collection

Has your spring cleaning left you with a load of old fabric you don’t know what do with? Expert collector of international textiles Pandora de Balthazar has shared with us her top tips for decorating with linens:

FMD: What are some of your favorite unexpected ways to decorate with vintage linens?

Pandora: I love to create a white background and apply textiles of color to recreate my favorite moods or seasons. Another is to take antique shams and make slipcovers—instant gratification! Napkins make wonderful TV-tray covers. I use hand towels to make slipcovers, bed skirts, window treatments, and as floor cloths next to my bed and as hand towels. Now, that’s recycling!

FMD: Care to offer inspirations for using textiles in a home?

Pandora: There aren’t any “wrongs” when it comes to making your home beautiful. But it is terribly wrong in my opinion to neglect the comfort and rejuvenation of body needs. Vintage textiles provide the texture, color, beauty and art you need to create a restful sanctuary in your home; they can also absorb noise, create comfortable surfaces and provide tactile beauty that a rested body can enjoy. Make sure the beauty within matches the beauty on the outside.

What are you doing with your vintage linens this spring? Share with us in the comments below!


By Jickie Torres

Post Shared By Flea Market 

Bathroom Textiles and Linens

You may have spotted our Q&A on bedroomsandbathsmag.com with Pandora de Balthazar, a master collector and textile expert who’s been sharing with us her expert tips for creating a luxurious bedroom. Curious about her advice for a lavish bathroom? Read on!

B&B: In the bathroom, where people don’t often think of textiles and linens, what are some of your favorite ways to use fabric?

Pandora: Hand towels are in residence daily. They are softer [than paper towels], have many uses and are much more genteel.

B&B: Also much more practical and healthful for the environment.

Pandora: Yes. And in my home, café curtains are de riguer; I can recycle those for use in the bedrooms and as door treatments when necessary. I also make shower curtains or drapes from antique sheets or bedcovers that are too small for today’s large beds. It’s a beautiful and simple look.

By Jickie Torres

Tips to Take a Look from Work to Home

As a shopkeeper for an antiques store, Sally McNellis employs a few tricks of the trade in her own home. Here are a few of her tried-and-true secrets:

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• Start with the simplicity of white furniture and build from there.

• Use lots of fabric with basic white as the background, then bring in
floral prints to add pop to a room.

• Artwork adds personality to a space. Sally pulls anything from originals to antiques to fill her store.

• Be reasonable about how the item fits in with your lifestyle. Your
furniture and accessories should work for you, not against you.

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By Regan-Elyse Elder
Photography by Jaimee Itagaki
Styled by Jacqueline de Montravel

Shared by Cottages and Bunglaows

Tips I have Learned from Flea Marketing

•    Those wheeled carts are not just for grannies who buy their groceries wearing slippers. They allow you to shop freely, and there’s enough room for bags of apples and fresh produce on top.
•    Ask the seller questions. If a piece is of worth, a good knowledgeable seller can share the piece’s provenance and tips for care. Phones are also handy if you want to search the Internet on a particular collectible.

•    Bring cash. Even though many vendors accept credit cards, money is the best currency if you want to make a deal. The asking price does not have to be the same as the selling price.
•    Take measuring tape if you are shopping for a larger item, such as a piece of furniture. Additionally, many sellers in city flea markets work with movers who can transport such pieces, as transportation is not as accessible.
•    Investigate. Read the bottom of china, silver and crystal to see where the item was made and if it is attached to a noted designer.
•    Bad weather days could mean more chances for a better bargain, as there is less competition from more shoppers.
•    Go early for the best selection. Closer to closing time, vendors are more likely to strike a deal.
•    If a piece speaks to you react to your emotion. The luxury of putting something on hold with a day to think about it does not apply.
•    For more information on the Upper Westside Green Flea visit greenfleamarkets.com.


By Jacqueline deMontravel