HUNTED ANTIQUES MARKET

Lakeland Design's stall at Hunted. One of my favourites there. They had many, many cushions and lots of soft furnishings too. Visit their website here 

Love elegantly shaped bathtubs such as this one

These have become quite popular in both secondhand and new stores. I bought one for my best friend a long time ago but then her cat knocked it over and it smashed 😭

Really beautiful folky piece that I considered purchasing. It's a leather covered bottle. Again, the very discerning shopper in me said no! 

I enjoyed my time so much at Waverley Antiques that I felt like I should visit one more that's ( kind of ) in my area ( I'm definitely going to cover brand new homewares and furniture in the near future so be sure to keep an eye out for features on that soon ). When I was at Waverley Antiques, I started chatting to a fellow shopper ( she collected Scandinavian ceramics ) who was in the same stall as me and she told me that there was another antiques market called ' Hunted ' ( website here ) that wasn't too far which was even larger than the Waverley one. I couldn't get there on that day so I went today

Hunted is actually smaller than Waverley antiques and it's further out in Kilsyth. The layout of the warehouse is a lot more stylised than Waverley. The stall owners put a lot more effort into creating themes and particular concepts for their stalls which is what I noticed straight away. There were a lot less clothes which was a bummer. As much as homewares are fast becoming my number one love, clothes still sit squarely up there. I actually bought some items at Hunted which I took some photos of below.

Very nice fur upholstered stool and a bargain at only around $145 ( I think... don't quote me! ) for a set of two. Someone needs to go and get these. If only they matched my house.  

I loved this. Someone with a nice wide hallway with chequered floors should look into this for sure. 

I got to thinking more about second hand items when I was there. As much as I love second hand stuff, I never want my whole house to look like an op shop. This is why I'm super discerning when it comes to picking out items at the second hand store. They can't be too vintage looking, which means super seventies styled items are ruled out. Same with retro styled clothes that are obviously from the 60's or 80's. The aim for me when I go second hand shopping is to leave with items that don't look like they're from there.

What you want to do when you go to second hand places is to look for things that are always expensive in new stores. This means cushions, textiles as well as furniture. Always aim to find items that could possibly be found in a new store. That way, you're getting something that's good quality, contemporary and people won't be able to tell that it was second hand. Of course, if you're into the whole retro vibe then by all means go for it. Knowing ones style and taste and doing it full throttle is a look and a statement. 

I'm a sucker for cushions and the eye catching colours at this particular one was fun to browse

My new lakeland design cushion 

I came home with a couple of small purchases.
I got a new cushion because I am a sucker for cushions. Good cushions aren't cheap. You can expect to pay up to $80 sometimes for something really beautiful so I always look for affordable cushions. I chose the spiral lace design above. I like cushions that have embroidered designs. The more textured the cushion is, the better.

I got the orange jar for my mini toothbrushes at home. Along with a regular toothbrush, I use a toothbrush with a mini head to get an extra close clean ( dental health is one of my number one priorities as I am deathly afraid of cavities ) The pheasant box I loved for the colour and I thought it would look really good on top of my wooden carved chest. I'm an avid coffee drinker so mugs are always a must have and I liked the colour. The beads were something new. I don't usually wear any jewellery but I'm kind of starting to get into it. They look fluoro in the photo but they're actually more of a jade green.

Also just a side note, the duvet cover is also new. I picked them up at HnM home which to be honest, is pretty good. They have all the basic stuff you want for your home in good colour ways and being HnM it's affordable and workable in most people's budgets. I've been to two antique places so my next visit will definitely be a new homewares or furnitures store. Thanks for visiting and see you in the next post!

New Duvet cover from HnM home, Orange glass jar, Pheasant design jewellery box, Beige coffee mug and a string of bright green beads 

WAVERLEY ANTIQUES BAZAAR

I have to say, the best part of China is Chinoiserie and I'm pretty certain that it wasn't even really cultivated by the Chinese but rather the French who took to it and made it their ' own '

Some beautifully packaged and displayed house paints for sale 

Yesterday, I went to the Waverley Antiques Bazaar ( website ) which is conveniently located just one suburb away from me. I have to say, I was absolutely amazed that there was this gem so close to my suburb where to be quite honest, there's really nothing that interesting at all! The first thing I thought of when I came in was " This place is a really well kept secret". In my twelve to thirteen years of living and knowing all the good places to shop in Melbourne pretty darn well, I have never even heard of this place until today. I found out whilst just doing a bit of research of good markets and bazaars for antiques and I caught wind of this. It just proves you never know what's around the corner.

Let's just stop and appreciate how excellent this Wooden bar is. 

I'm really impressed with this place and I have to admit, I feel like I'm giving away a good secret because the prices here are really cheap and the selection of items is excellent. The best places to go for vintage and antiquey items will always be further out from trendy areas where store owners are clued up about their clientele. There were lots and lots of vases, jewellery, knick knacks and also clothing too. I was most impressed with the range of homewares there like cups, plates, jars etc. The actual place is huge. I spent about three hours browsing and even then, I feel like it wasn't enough time to properly sift through the amount of things that are packed in there. 

This particular stall was my favourite. I could tell straight away the owners of the stall had a good eye for sixties furniture. These are some champagne saucers which were on sale ( and were displayed beautifully in the wooden bar just above) that I really loved. I was contemplating buying them but the miser in me poked his head out and asked, " How often do you really drink champagne?" The quality of the items were high as well. They felt brand new and not vintage at all. 

Annoyingly, I am awesome at being able to pick the most expensive item in any shop without even knowing the price in the first place. I fell in love with an orange porcelain sculpture of a woman made in Hungary but it was unfortunately way out of budget at $495. I stupidly didn't take a photo to show you guys but I just wanted to include that tidbit of information and how often it happens.

These days, I do have more of a penchant for brand new items but I will never ever rule out a browse in a bazaar or second hand shop. I love antiques and items from another time. They just have a completely unique vibe about them that new items completely lack. Having items here and there that are vintage is definitely my thing and I'll always love looking through places like I went to today.  There's nothing that genuinely gets me excited like a day at a brand new market to explore. 

The gold lion against the plate .... 💯 

Very, very close to purchasing these but I've become an extremely discriminating shopper these days. What stopped me was that I don't really drink cold liquids that often so they most likely wouldn't of gotten used. But seriously, aren't these so good!? 

Also contemplated buying this coffee jar. The one at our house is looking a bit grey these days. Can't go past pops of colour.

Super gorgeous pieces right here. I love the chair and the table ( looks like a backgammon one ) I'm pretty sure the chair is a special type but i'm not sure what it's actually for. I still think it would make a really stately piece in any living room though 

I couldn't believe this was only $95. Seeing this reminded me straight away of Paris and I wondered whether this was used in a cafe back in the sixties or fifties in its hey day. The ashtray was slide-able. I can definitely see someone lighting up using this table whilst enjoying a drink late a night. Again, I was impressed with the selection of things here when I saw this piece.

The thing about these bazaars is that you can get so overwhelmed with the amount of items that are for sale. When it comes to these sort of stores, I do think it's best to be as discriminating as possible as our sense of judgement can often get swayed when there are just so many things demanding our attention. When I was younger, I wasn't that good at doing this and ended up wasting a lot of money. But now, seeing as I know my own style a lot better, shopping has become a lot more efficient on my time as well as money.

This got my attention and I was contemplating getting it 

There was one stall which focused on Italian and imported fabrics as well as tapestries. I really liked this particular piece of fabric. It had a reassuring weight to it and I was thinking about using it as a rug for my room. I was drawn to the colours and pattern most of all. It would have complemented my muted red throw really well.

All in all, it was a trip that was well worth the visit. If you drive and have a day off, then you should definitely come and check this out. The prices are excellent and so is the choice of items. Thanks for reading! See you in the next post!