INSIDE & OUT : DISCOVERIES : Play It Again
Anything old really is new again, according to Cathy Farrell of Santa Ana.
That’s the idea behind the lamps she creates using old watering cans, teapots or nearly any archaic object for the bases and topping them with cool, custom shades.
Farrell and her daughter, Jeannie Clayton, co-owners of Vintage Rose in Westminster, have a knack for taking ornaments from the past--such as arbors, farmhouse cupboards, birdbaths, bistro sets and window boxes--and restoring and rejuvenating them.
In addition, Farrell and Clayton, a former retailer, customize new pieces to give them an old look, which can add one-of-a-kind charm to any room with an antique or country feel to it.
Farrell, an expert at needlework and a pillow designer for 13 years, keeps an eye out for one-of-a-kind treasures to use for her lamps, which sell for $200 to $300.
And if you have a family heirloom or cherished possession you’d like to make into a lamp, she will electrify it for $50. Shades are extra.
The Vintage Rose cottage (yes, with white picket fence) is at 6424 Maple Ave. Call (714) 373-4547 for more information.
Charm on a Budget
French, English, contemporary or rustic?
If you’re not sure which country look you prefer, or how to get started decorating a room in the style you like, then “Make Mine Country,” a videotape offering easy and affordable ideas, could help you decide.
The videotape, narrated by Ann Doby and Palie Wehman, was a way for the two craft and decorating experts to illustrate the tips and secrets they’ve been telling friends and neighbors over the years.
In the videotape, Doby and Wehman walk viewers through one room decorated three times--each on a small budget--in rustic, contemporary and European styles, using the same main pieces.
The “country charm” in each room comes from collectibles, such as toys, dishes, family photos and quilts found in an attic or basement or from flea markets, garage sales and auctions. The videotape, which runs about an hour, also offers tips on how to acquire finds at sales, with footage from an auction.
“Make Mine Country” costs $19.95 plus $3 for shipping and handling and can be ordered by phone from (800) 738-3344 or by mail at V.J. Pea Inc., Box 7135, McLean, VA 22106.
Not Ordinary Hardware
Unique pieces of hardware--from antique reproduction doorknobs to hand tools of Japan--set this hardware store apart.
Restoration Hardware, which opened this week in the Atrium Court of Fashion Island Newport Beach, stocks, among other things, arched house plaques, copper mailboxes, French bread saws, 1920s table fans, torchier lamps and terry cloth shower curtains.
This is the first venture into Southern California for founder and president Stephen Gordon, who has three stores in Northern California. He came up with the idea for the specialty stores when he started restoring a Victorian mansion 14 years ago in Eureka. Because he couldn’t find everything he needed, he started searching for authentic pieces.
From there, his stores evolved into today’s eclectic mix of furnishings and gadgets.
