Just when I'd finally packed away my summer clothes until next year, hauled out the winter coats and boots ... London is basking in an untimely heatwave this week (see here if you don't believe me)! A mini-Indian-summer in the autumn, in lieu of the actual-summer-that-never-was ...
... (though can it be called an Indian summer? Apparently there are technicalities involved here - who'd have thought? but see here) ... Whatever, nobody's complaining, as bare legs and flip-flops rule the day, however briefly, and these were the scenes in and around Sloane Square yesterday, where even the foliage seemed confused ...
Patisserie Valerie, Duke of York Square - the view from either side of the window.
This was my pit-stop before heading to the Chelsea Embankment, to cross the river to Battersea Park, for the autumn Decorative Antiques Fair ...
And here's one of the fun things about blogging ...
... early this year I posted here about the winter fair, which caught the eye of a former, long-time exhibitor at the Battersea fair, antique dealer Karin Jansky, who now lives in a gorgeous house in the Dordogne ...
... La Pouyette, from where she blogs, always interestingly and entertainingly ...
Nostalgic at seeing friends and fellow dealers' exhibits, she commented on the post and we've been in contact in various ways ever since. Karin was kind enough to send me an invitation to this autumn fair, via her friend James Jackson.
The Battersea fair, as I've said before, is about liveable, relatively more affordable antiques and decorative objects, especially French and Swedish, two styles I love.
I noticed that recycled, re-purposed glass was everywhere, from old confiture jars to pharmacy bottles ...
This is the place to buy chairs of all kinds - I wish I could justify this at the moment!
A stand I always like to visit is Josephine Ryan ...
... and Lorfords of Tetbury - see here for more ...
I thought this pair of urns was absolutely stunning ...
James Jackson's stand was all perfect elegance and style ... James, whose shop is in Fulham's antique area of London, is also a neighbour of Karin's in France, and her post about him here is well worth seeing ...
One of the nicest things about this fair is the relaxed, laid-back, friendly atmosphere between dealers and visitors. And if you're peckish or just needing a break there's a cosy and stylish café in the foyer ...
... while your dog is sure to be well catered for. Is there a correlation between antique lovers and dog lovers? The number of pampered pooches in and around the fair had the driver of the shuttle-bus from Sloane Square grumbling "it's more like a bleeding dog show than an antique show if you ask me"
Vielen dank, Karin, and I hope these pics gave you some pleasure!
