She's a stylish old bitch

A Grey St stalwart, the bitch is back has been standing on the corners of Barkly, Inkerman and Grey streets since 1992. Great pieces have come and gone through the establishment, and from memory, they were early adopters of the post mid-century modern look; championing decadent 1960s and '70s style.  Love. 

A Grey St stalwart, the bitch is back has been standing on the corners of Barkly, Inkerman and Grey streets since 1992. 

 Curvaceous Italian-made lamps from the 1970s, Danish and Australian sideboards, sofas, quirky objects, even fashion all get an airing in the welcoming store.
The Mr is lounging on the velveteen modular sofa we loved, and according to the bitch is back website, it's still available. 
Shall we make a 1970s-era purchase?

 

Red on Grey

HOW many vintage furniture shops can one city (and its surrounding suburbs) sustain?

Well, if you are after a piece of mid-century furniture, then your choices are extensive.

Red rider vintage living, on St Kilda's Grey St, specialises in the best of the 1950s, '60s and '70s.

Clean-lined Danish sofas appear to be a specialty, as does Australian furniture labels Fler and Parker. 

The owner/proprietor was lovely and helpful.

Outside the shop. 

Grey St with a Danish and Australian foreground.

Lovely ceramics and glassware decorate mid-century wall units.

This gorgeous wallpaper was in the shop.
Four almost complete rolls of original '70s flamboyance.
We thought about the purchase over lunch, but the pink, blue, yellow and brown paisley floral pattern went 'round and 'round in my mind.
It came home with us.

Fad to Grey

ONCE upon a time, St Kilda's Grey St was a thoroughfare of disrepute.

Replete with prostitutes, their pimps, the men who sought their services, and a range of drug-chasing types, it wasn't the kind of neighbourhood one would choose to frequent for anything beyond a thrill.

But that was then.

Now, the street boasts exclusive apartments (with equally exclusive price tags), a hipster handmade bike shop, cafes, and the ubiquitous interiors shops.

Early adopters came and went (aside from the bitch is back, she still stands proud on the corners of Barkly, Inkerman and Grey), but the most recent tenants actually look pretty well rusted on.

Among them is Scout House, which does a nice line in eclectic loveliness.

Small and inexpensive pieces - soap, candles, stationery and the like - sidle up to attractive cushions, handsome chairs, lamps, beautiful posters and more.  

By night, Grey St's old inhabitants still aren't too far away, but by day, it's a hipsters paradise.

Nice layout. Scout House is an inviting space.

 

What was once a former house, Scout House makes the best of its "home" looks to decorate with an "in situ" style. 

Vintage pieces and new at Scout House.

Educational posters, a globe and colourful cushions lead into the back room at Scout House.

Vintage finds, east of the border

The Cool Room, full of mid-century modern and industrial goodness, is just off Balaclava Rd, in East St Kilda. It's a little hard to find, unless you know where you are going.

You have mail

How lovely is it to receive a letter or package in the mail?!
On Monday I received a package from my gorgeous sister-in-law, one half of the cool Birdy Popcorn girls.
Two beautifully fragrant soaps were wrapped in vintage fabric, along with an old newspaper image of a '70s girl in a cool long dress and a retro playing card.
Whenever I go to Melbourne I walk a couple of kms from St Kilda up to Balaclava to buy these vegan soaps from the local health store.