Fantasy Shopping in English Thrift Stores: Part 2

These just arrived from one of my contacts. Aside from buying from her, I buy through her as she dashes all over England taking 100's of pictures from dozens of places and then emails them to me. Of course it's a race against the clock to buy cause other dealers are getting the pictures too.

So if you were buying items for a store like mine , what would you buy in these pictures. I tend to reject 99% .

There are more items here too!

Like the faux bamboo side table.

The Green Tea tin would make a great lamp base. I bought 2 of these on my last trip.

In the far back, the trophy thing may be a early 1900's wine chiller? I dig the copper piece on the sideboard, but wish it hadn't been polished...love that old patina, so I'll pass on it.

Very cool sun dial piece!

Like the copper colanders in the glass case and the letter box on the marble topped table, and the horn and brass coat rack in front of the interesting glass pieces.

Don't be bashful...make your list or would you pass on everything today?

Also, you can see what my store look like in the post below!

J. Covington Design - Store Vignettes

Here are some pictures from around my store....this should give you a sense of my 'flavor' for what kind of antiques I like. Or you could visit my Ruby Lane store to see more. I will keep updating all the English antiques that my vendors send and you can tell me which ones you think I should buy....this start with this post.

Antiquing in England

Going on antique buying trips sounds like a romantic and astronomically cool job, but in reality it can be a bit unsettling.... especially with the economic wildfire raging. But lucky for me, my online antique store has been a true blessing these last 3 weeks and to keep my store looking good I need a fresh infusion of European goodies. Usually three weeks before I leave my contacts begin emailing me pictures of all their good stuff and I start pre-buying or my clients do.

I'll start posting the pictures of some of the English wares on my blog and let you vote as too what I should get...just remember, I am going to focus more on small items this trip, but I'll never turn down a sweet piece. And of course at the moment most of the pictures that are coming in are of the larger pieces....never fear, a ton of smalls will start rolling in.


La Meridiene, Napoleon III daybed with original fabric and passementerie.

Hall stand very decorative, original glass and hooks. height 79ins. width 34ins.


Faux Columns. Circa 1900.

A pair of C18th Italian cartouche shaped Mirrors with scroll cresting.

A pair of Empire style oak and ebonised stools upholstered in black leather. Circa 1920.

A 19th century beechwood bobbin turned four division Canterbury with lower shelf on brass castors.

A 19th century French carved oak wall mirror with pierced foliate border and scrolled cresting.

I'll post a bunch of pictures from around the store so you can see my preferences in another blog. And if you see a piece and just have to have it or have a question, please email or call me.

Lee Furniture & Going Green

You can buy a car in an afternoon and decide on a house after a weekend of looking. So why is it so difficult to decide on the perfect sofa or chair? It’s simple: You can't open up a piece of furniture and look inside. And if you looked inside of Lee you'd find naturalLEE soy-based cushions, certified frames, recycled filling for pillows, water based stains, and offer many organic and natural fabrics. In their manufacturing process, they reuse or recycle approximately 95% of all the materials that enter the production stream. Just by using the naturalLEE cushions, in 2007 alone, LEE Industries has saved over 10,000 gallons of crude oil and has eliminated 54,000 pounds of CO2 emissions.

Aside from the Green factor, the other two reasons I carry LEE in my store is their great price points and their Coverall program....which is another name for Slip Covers. Of course they are not quite a tailored as a custom made cover, but hey, some can be machine washed and dried! Click HERE for the washable slip cover post.

Their Boudoir style chairs are fabulous.

The yellow sofa is a Coverall and so is the bottom dining chair. Another great aspect of the muslin bodied coveralls is if you want a crisp white look - volia or if you want an inexpensive second look, just order a spare! It's a great way to change your living room in a flash. The final reason to order from LEE is that every piece of their furniture is made right here in the USA.

Fabulous Toile Pillows

Toile fabrics have been produce in masse for over 250 years and show no sign slipping away. These fabulous prints often featured idyllic scenes of the French countryside, hunting scenes, people at work and at leisure, historical moments, botanical and classical reference to Greek and Roman mythology are the classics. If you are looking for a timeless pillow with some classic zest for your living room or a favorite chair, these may be just the answer.

JCCC17200. Charcoal Toile with Creme Brush Fringe. 22" square. $385.

JCCC17210. Charcoal Toile Oblong with Ivory Mingled Sides with Creme Brush Fringe. 18"x25" $455

JCCC17400. Blue/White Toile with Solid Blue Flange. 24" square. $335

JCCC17430. Blue/White Toile Oblong with Off White Brush Fringe. 18" x 25" $325

JCCC17440. Blue/White Toile Oblong with Solid Blue Border with Off White Brush Fringe. 12"x21" $245

JCCC17500. Olive Toile with Chocolate Houndstooth Border with Chocolate Brown Brush Fringe. 24" square. $395

JCCC17510. Olive Toile with Scallion Green Velvet Border with Chocloate Brown Brush Fringe. 18"x25" $355

JCCC17520. Olive Toile Oblong with Scallion Green Velvet Sides with Chocolate Brown Brush Fringe . 14"x18" $ 325

JCCC13160. Aqua Mink Oblong w/ Taupe Velvet Sides/Beaded Gimp. 12"x 21" $355

JCCC13110. Aqua Mink w/ Taupe Velvet Border/Taupe Multi Fringe. 24" Square. $355

JCCC19220. Gold/Black Toile Box w/ Grey Wool Gusset/Gold Cord. 18" x 25" $390

JCCC19600. Chocolate/Blue Toile w/ Toffee Velvet Cord. 24" Square. $320

JCCC19610 Chocolate/Blue Toile Oblong w/ Toffee Velvet Border. 18" x 25" $285

Each pillow is made at the time of the order. The average shipping time is 2 weeks...it can be longer if the fabric is out of stock. The price includes shipping to your home.