Flea Market Style

by Emily Chalmers, Ali Hanan, Debi Treloar (Photographer)

"Flea Market Style" gives you all the information and advice you need to furnish and decorate your home with "found" objects instead of new items bought in stores. Emily Chalmers and Ali Hanan explain how to find fresh and unexpected uses of second-hand pieces and antiques, and reveal how to mix old and new with flair and panache. The first part of the book, Flea Market Finds, looks at household goods, from fabrics and furniture to china, kitchenware, glass and lighting, and describes how to find special objects and indentify them on the basis of their quality, character, resillience, colour, and texture. The authors advocate a subtle mixing of styles, patterns, and colours, and emphasize the beauty of objects that have seen a bit of life. They explain how to locate bargain copies of modern classics--or the real things--and how to mix flea-market or thrift-store finds with high-end basics. The second part of the book, Putting It All Together, shows how to incorporate the style in every room--from the spaces where you cook, eat, sleep, or relax to bathing spaces and work spaces. The book ends with an extensive directory of suppliers. -Add a large dose of originality to your home--at low cost. -Lively text illustrated with Debi Treloar's inspirational photographs.

Genres: Nonfiction, Interior Design, Design, Photography, Adult

144 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2005

Reviews

[reading is my hustle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book for ideas on what to do with items found at flea markets, estate sales, and antique stores. I love vintage stuff and this book has great pictures of rooms decorated with only used items- the ultimate way to recycle.

[Inder · Rating 5 out of 5]

My OTHER favorite book for interior decorating inspiration (the first is "Found Style"). So pretty! I can't get enough of this sort of thing. It's a less precious, less girly, shabby chic.

[Shnnon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ideas were ok, seemed like the same 2-3 houses in all the pics... many of the groupings / rooms looked cluttered.

[Ligaya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely book with a shabby chic sensibility. I did not read it entirely, but looked at the photos and referred to the text when I wanted more detail. Can anybody really explain how to artfully live this way if it doesn't come naturally? Some interiors I found much more chaotic than others, but there was a nice mix of walls full of dishware versus fairly spare bathrooms.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rediscovering treasures!

[Trish · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of different ways of using flea market style.

[Molly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just flipped through

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice slim book to browse and admire the finds. Picked it up second hand.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've loved going to the flea markets ever since I was a little kid, because my dad always took me to the various Sunday markets in the metro area, so my house is filled with random stuff. We all love bargains, but what is more appealing is the unique visual style that comes out of the stuff you find at these places. One person's trash really is another person's treasure, as this book illuminates in beautiful, photographic detail. There are some great interior ideas I want to try out in the future.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cut above the usual thrift-centric home books in that there are a wider variety of visuals. Or at least it seems like it on the first reading. I did like this book, but it was repetitive in some of its descriptions. At the end of the day, creating a home in this manner, one knows almost before hand the results one will get. So while this book does mildly put forth some economic and environmental reasons for embracing flea market style, it didn't need to push an agenda, as this book has its intended audience, and I think they'll come across it eventually.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this pretty book. I also love flea markets more than is probably healthy, so this is right up my alley. My boyfriend would probably like for me to stop bringing home ceramic animals and chipped-paint tables and such, but I just don't think that's possible. Fortunately, this book makes me feel like it's totally acceptable (and often preferable!) to decorate a home with other people's castoffs. The bedroom and living room chapters are especially inspiring.

[Jan Polep · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cut to the chase: this book helped me realize that the flea market finds I like best are furniture/picture/ladders/frames/mirrors...to paint, pickle, stencil or just love the mess they are. Also realized that it would be more fun to find them, fix them or maybe not, and sell them in a little boutique store. Call me if you have any venture capital that comes with artistic ability...both things that I'm a little short on.

[Adrianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love flea markets. Not because I like antiques as most people ask me. But because the flea market has more than just antiques. A flea market has a host of possibilities to explore and I crave the creativity required in a piece I want to make my own. This book is a fun read with great pictures. The author divides the book into sections on everything from fabrics to glassware and shares some great knowledge and ideas on how to make it all work.

[Leila · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the styling of this book, but the descriptions left a lot to be desired. Maybe it's the MFA in me, but waxing poetic about the shapes of chairs and of "loosely hung scarves" got old. They are chairs and scarves. Just explain how to arrange things, make collections, have art match. That would have been helpful. This felt like a tour of the author's friends' apartments.

[Erika · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the ideas I got from this book. At first I got it at the library, then I ended up buying it. It's unlikely that I would ever be able to replicate the rooms in it, but I sure wish I could, and I definitely take inspiration from it.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had great photographs of some really creative spaces. And while I found the writing to lack new ideas for me, I can see how it would be helpful for those with a developing sense of flea marketing style.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ooh, inspiring on a decor stance for me. Nice photos and write-ups that made me think about what I should look up the next time I'm in the flea market. I had this one from the library, but I'd like to own it!

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just want to live in this book. Seriously. No seriously.

[Joleen Pete · Rating 4 out of 5]

I normally buy interior books for the photographs alone and never even read the text (a lot of times they're not in English) but this one was inspiring and full of great ideas.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is just a fantastic book that I keep at my bedside because the ideas are wonderful. I like to dream that someday that this place in the book will be mind.

[Keri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is ME!

[Dayna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thought I would love this based on the cover, turns out the flea market style featured within isn't really my style. Besides, that's not really the stuff you find in flea markets in the Midwest.

[Haylee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the flea market style finds and photographs in this book. Usually I only look at the pictures and captions in these types of books, but I surprisingly found myself enjoying the text, too.

[Mike Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

http://0651frombrighton.blogspot.co.u...

[Corinnagoodwin · Rating 1 out of 5]

way to eclectic for my tastes, if fact I would say straight up ugly.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some pretty good ideas for decorating with thrifted and flea market finds.

[Sarah Ryburn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Borrowed this from Wendy and poured over it for days. Fabulous!