March Edition
The Spring Issue: interiors, art, inspiration & vintage news
Welcome to Love Vintage Etc. for all things design, interiors, vintage and art.
In this bumper Spring issue… An exclusive interview with womenswear designer Ren Massey, Meet the Artist with illustrator Polly Mabel Nicolaou, inspiring interior products, a new vintage stock drop and a visit to the Courtauld Gallery to see their latest exhibition, Seurat and the Sea.
With Spring just around the corner I’m embracing the warmer, sunnier days with a few changes at home. Nothing major – a lick of paint in the bedroom, a vintage Kantha quilt on the bed to replace the winter duvet and some new tea towels in the kitchen. The moodboard, top includes some favourite finds and vintage quilts, like the one I have from Kantha Studio. Made from reclaimed fabrics these beautiful vintage throws and quilts are all hand crafted, intricately stitched, and specially selected in India by mother and daughter duo, Poppy and Lizze. The damson coloured quilt (shown top left) forms part of their new collection at Kantha Studio online.
Staying with the patchwork theme, the appliqué cushion also caught my eye. It’s from the latest collaborative homeware collection by Sezane x Sea New York. I’m long overdue a trip to Paris and have a list as long as my arm of places and museums I want to see. Each time I visit, I like to stock up on Merci’s bedding and linens. Their waffle towels and tea towels have a lovely vintage feel and a good selection of colours. Here in the UK, Heals do a great alternative in putty pink, currently reduced in price.
A new exhibition, Seurat and the Sea, has just opened at the Courtauld Gallery and features twenty-six paintings, oil sketches and drawings and charts the evolution of the artist’s distinctive style ‘through the recurring motif of the sea.’
Seurat, the French Post-Impressionist painter and primary inventor of Pointillism (a technique involving small dots of pure colour), was renowned for his vibrant paintings of seascapes and bathers. Every summer, from 1885 to 1890, he painted harbour and seaside scenes along the English Channel, capturing the changing light and colours of the Normandy coastline.
I particularly enjoyed the sketchbook drawings and the summery coastal paintings – vibrant pinks, pastel blues, soft sandy beaches and cobalt sea – in The Lighthouse at Honfleur, above, and Le Crotoy with low sand dunes and radiant colour.
Seurat and the Sea, Courtauld Gallery, Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R 0RN. Until 17 May, 2026. Tickets.
Vintage Finds & Sustainable Fabrics at Studio Ren
Ren Massey creates womenswear from responsibly sourced fabrics that look and feel good to wear. She started her business in 2017 and opened her first London boutique, in Hackney, two years ago. I caught up with her to talk about her love for fabrics and vintage homewares.
MM: Hello Ren, thank you for contributing to Love Vintage Etc. Can you please tell us how you got started in womenswear and little bit about your design process and collections for Studio Ren.
RM: I started in womenswear after working in operations and looking for a creative outlet. I began with hand-printed linen homewares, sourcing from a mill where my grandmother used work. The fabrics inspired me to create simple womenswear pieces because of the beautiful feel, drape and texture. These first pieces were picked up quickly and I continued to build on that by seeking out other interesting, natural fibre fabrics to work with.
I soon discovered handloom-woven, Indian cottons and fell in love with the texture, handle, and the skill required to make them. My design process always starts with the fabric. I usually receive swatches, samples, or photos of handwoven fabrics from my suppliers and something will catch my eye. That becomes the starting point and I gradually build the collection, by considering what I personally would wear and the story I want the pieces to tell or feeling to evoke.
MM: You opened an outlet for your designs two years ago, was it a long held dream or an opportunity that came up out of the blue? And how are you finding juggling a creative business with that of a shopkeeper?
RM: The opportunity to open a shop came out of the blue and felt too good to miss. At this stage in my life, with a young family, running a full-time shop wasn’t something I wanted to commit to. I took the space to function primarily as a workspace and showroom, with the occasional open shop day, but largely to act as a window into my world rather than a full-time retail space. It’s in a quiet residential neighbourhood, so doesn’t suit traditional retail hours anyhow, which works well for me at this time.
I’m still figuring out a rhythm that works better for me, but for now I tend to stay open by appointment only during the colder months, and as spring approaches, I try to be present at least one day over the weekend.
Shopkeeping is an interesting challenge when the contents of the shop are your creative vision. It feels a little vulnerable to see people’s immediate reactions, and it’s something I’m getting used to, but it has been really positive. It’s just taking me a little time to find the right balance.
MM: Your home and boutique have a very special feel – consciously designed, pared back and with reclaimed items or traditional finishes. Can you please tell us what have been your favourite vintage purchases and why it’s important to you to create a timeless feel.
RM: Thank you for the compliment. I think the way I live definitely spills into my boutique. For example, the flooring in the shop was pulled up from our house during renovations, then reused and stained for the showroom, which adds warmth and character. Things often flit between home and showroom, and I really enjoy the styling aspect. I’m an avid collector of vintage pieces.
Some of my all-time favourites include a tiny hand-carved fold-out Liberty stool, a pair of silvertone Barbier lamp bases I picked up in France last year, and a hand-painted candlestick holder attributed to the Omega Workshops that came as a pair, which a good friend and I split. I treasure it.
I think that pieces which are crafted with care and intention age really beautifully. This applies across different areas, whether it’s vintage antiques for the home or garments. I’ve always been drawn to things that develop a patina and grow even more beautiful over time, and that sense of enduring quality is something I try to bring to everything I create. Studio Ren
Vintage Paintings, New Stock
‘The Garden Door’ is by British artist Bryan Whitfield (1935-2018). Whitfield was known as “the painter in the van” after several years travelling and working in France and Spain before returning to London, where he painted landscapes and studio still-lifes. The oil on canvas paper (shown below) dates to the 1970s and is painted in his trademark earthy tones of terracotta and vibrant greens, with teal and hints of ochre. Measures 55cm x 38cm. Available online.
‘A Confit Pot with Daisies’ has just arrived at the studio and is now available online at Mason & Painter. This charming oil painting has a style similar to the Bloomsbury Group at Charleston. It measures 54cm x 43cm and would look great in any room.
March Vintage Pop-up Shop
I’ve teamed up with At The Dairy this month for a one-off vintage pop-up shop, in the beautiful surroundings of an original Victorian dairy, run by my friend Daisy. We’d love you to call in for a chat and see the fresh vintage collection, decorative antiques and Daisy’s spring selection of womenswear. 27, 28 & 29 March. 42 Amwell Street, London EC1R. 11am - 6pm. Sunday 12 - 5pm.
Meet The Artist, Polly Mabel
March feels like the ideal time to showcase the vibrant paintings of flowers, by artist Polly Mabel Nicolaou, as gardens start to bloom with spring colour. I recently caught up with her for a chat about her work and her inspiration.
MM: Hello, Polly, thank you for contributing to Love Vintage Etc. Could you please share how you got started in illustration and describe your creative process?
PM: My work reflects my love for nature, pattern and ceramics. I use pencil and watercolours to create flower and pottery paintings, adding a layer of black ink pattern detail with a very fine liner. I studied fashion design at university and fell in love with fashion illustration. After graduating I focused on my career and stopped painting for years. In hindsight the absence of art had a huge impact on my mental health and I only started drawing and painting again when I was pregnant with my daughter, 9 years ago. Then during lock down, time slowed down and I would paint day and night, which was beautifully meditative. That’s when my business really took off.
MM: What drives your ideas and who, or what inspires your art.
PM: I grew up on a smallholding and my mother is a potter so my upbringing has had a huge influence on what I am naturally drawn to and find inspiring. Flea markets, reclamation yards, car boot sales and antique shops played a big part in my childhood. I still love trawling vintage shops for old pottery treasures that I can use as inspiration for my paintings. My Grandmother was wonderfully green fingered and could make anything she planted flourish, her garden was beautiful and I still feel her presence in nature now. I love going on walks around Cheddar (where I live) and Somerset, the flowers and plants growing in front gardens or self seeded on walls always give me inspiration for what I will paint that day.
MM: What has been your favourite commission or project?
PM: My favourite project so far was teaching my daughter’s year 2 class. I brought flowers for each table so the children could observe and draw them, and they created some wonderfully inspiring art. Their teacher went even further by turning the scout building into a gallery and displaying all the children’s artwork, and they were so proud of what they had made. I believe the arts should be supported, and the government should recognise how important it is to provide proper funding for everyone to enjoy.
MM: And finally, can you share any forthcoming exhibitions or projects?
PM: This year, I will incorporate my art into a small range of homewares, which I’m really excited about. I also hope to dedicate more time to teaching art workshops for children.
Thanks so much for reading the March edition, it’s always great to see you here and your support means a lot to me. If you’ve enjoyed this post please ‘like’ it by clicking on the little ♡ symbol or share it, as it lets me know you enjoy the content and brings this newsletter to a wider audience. Until next time, lots of love,
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Lovely Sunday morning read Michelle! And that floral painting 😍