Markets: Porta Portese

Last weekend was my last visit to Porta Portese for a long while - sadly, I will be leaving Rome soon. Sniff. But luckily for me, my good friend Renee was in town and she was up for some serious marketing. So off we went early Sunday morning!

As we entered the market I spotted these really great terracotta jugs. Made me wonder what they could be used for? They sure would look great on top of cabinets in a country kitchen...or bunched together in the corner on an old hardwood floor? Or maybe out in the garden filled with plants?

Within minutes I found an amazing set of water glasses - there were probably 20 there and they looked great! I could envision them all cleaned up and sparkly on my farm table in Seattle, no problem. And I actually need a set of glasses like this ... but alas. How to get them home?? Had to pass. I Cry.

It was Renee who had the first hit with this cool old hubcap. She already has one from Milan so this Roma one would fit perfectly in her collection. On the first round of haggling the vendor would not meet our price, so we walked. But on a return pass later, he acquiesced and Renee got her prize!

But that hub cap purchase didn't hold a candle to Renee's bling purchase here ... ooh yah! Rich!

And what about this amazing leather box from an artisan shop in Florence? 5 euro?? SOLD!

My problem is that I like big things - like this amazing old pasta plate with the rooster. Huge and heavy and beautiful!! I actually thought about it for a while, momentarily slipped into a dreamy vision of how good it would look in my house while the Neapolitan vendor tried to tempt me with a price that would close the deal ... but decided there was just no way. (Lauren would be so happy.) Maybe someday when I live in Rome ...

But I did score on a pile of these beauties - take a look:

Remember when I first spotted them a few weeks ago? This time the guy had a whole box full of rusty metal medallions and lamp fittings of varying shapes and sizes. they looked so great together ... still not sure how they will be reused/refunctioned/reinvented at Chez Schultz ... but I will let you know as soon as I figure it out!

So, Porta P., we had a good run this summer! I will be looking forward to a return visit next winter. In the meantime this girl will be on the hunt for cool markets in other parts of the globe so stay tuned!

LS

Markets: Porta Portese

Perhaps it is the frequency of my visits to the Porta Portese this summer, or maybe it is the fact that I am looking at things differently ... but I am finding all sorts of great stuff at the Sunday market! I am not buying it all - that really would make Chez Schultz a haven of clutter and me, by association, a serious pack rat. But I am thinking about the things I find and how they could be re-fashioned, re-used, re-purposed. For instance take this old foot rest:

I love the brown pony cowhide cover but those huge gold rivets have GOT to go. I am thinking smaller rivets, in a darker metal to match those excellent legs. It wouldn't take much to give this old stool some new getty-up and go. (By the way, I was also diggin' the pile of vintage suitcases in the background...more on vintage suitcases in a later post.)

And what about this sweet little cabinet Lauren spotted hidden behind a pile of wooden boxes and old paintings:

The shabby-chic, peeling paint in the amazing blue green color is fantastic! All it needs is some new hardware - maybe a glass hand-pull ... It is very country-cottage, but I could picture it paired with many styles of decor. It would make a great bedside table, or maybe in a bathroom?

You see a lot of old books at the market, but the bindings on these were especially beautiful. This brought to mind something Jennifer told about a while back - about a shop in Portland called
ex libris anonymous that refashions old book covers into new journals. They take the old book jacket off and rebind it with new, blank paper inside ... but they also retain any beautiful cover pages, illustrations, maps etc. from the original book and intersperse them throughout the new pages. Wouldn't these be great recycled as journals, sketchbooks, guest books, scrap books, albums, etc?? Maybe I should take a bookbinding class ...

I LOVED this huge plate with the octopus. Loved. But Lauren talked me down. Again. After all, it really was big ... and extremely heavy. But Lauren is now back in Seattle so ... maybe next week?

This set of 6 small glasses were almost too good to pass up. They had a tiny etched star pattern that I liked and they were a great size ... but I don't need them here in Rome and cannot justify lugging them to Seattle. So, they are still out there. Any takers?

There are many many times that I wish I had my own home in Rome. This was one of them. The true find of the day were these fabulous metal garden chairs. There were 8 total - two sets of 4 in different styles. If I lived here I would get them all and mix them, perhaps paint them a bright color, but maybe not - the white is really great. I could even see them used indoors. Cushions? Ahhhrgh. They were fantastic and I hated letting them go!!

Hooray! Lauren finally bought the vintage Ray Ban Wayfarer sunglasses she had seen on my blog and been eying up for two weeks. They really look great on her - the masculine frame is a nice contrast to her feminine style. And these babies are going for 120 euro new so the market price could NOT be beat. (Justin is looking pretty good here rockin' his Roy Bans ...)

Last find of the day was this beautiful old plate from a Serbian vendor I have been frequenting for years. But I did not buy it ...


So, what did I buy - another rustic pitcher for my collection (the dark green one in the upper left). Yes, it is a "heavy breakable", but what the heck?!

LS

Markets: Porta Portese

Last Sunday I headed out to the Porta Portese with 25 students in tow. I have to say that I was surprised that so many of them would get up so early to join me! And it turned out to be a good day at the market - lots and lots of inspiration, and a few purchases too!

The first thing that caught my eye were these old paintings of fruit. There was something about their simplicity that I found charming and I could definitely see them hanging together, with old wooden frames, no mattes ... perhaps in a kitchen?

I also spotted these larger oil paintings that made my head spin with visions of a dusty, abandoned turn of the century country estate with worn, over-stuffed furniture, fraying silk lampshades, a fireplace with a large mantle, cobwebbed wooden beamed ceilings... (are their eyes following me?) But what beauties! I could defintiely envision them cleaned up and framed, hanging in a dining room or den, maybe in an office or library? I wonder who the sitters are? And I hope that they are sold as a pair - would hate to see them separated!

Next I headed to one of my favorite stalls where I always find something cool. Too bad that the vendor consistently asks far too much for his items, and never comes down on his prices! I wanted these huge, rustic terracotta bowls BAD. But thankfully Lauren was there to talk me down.

I am kicking myself for not buying all 3 of these beautiful metal medallions that I saw at another table! I may have to try to find them next week - I could actually use them in their original function in my house in Seattle ... I have 3 chandeliers without ceiling medallions. But they could also be reused in some other way ... Not exactly sure how ... maybe some sort of wall art? I am feeling a a little creativity coming on.

Finally, my first purchase - a terracotta tile for my growing collection. Remember my post on Italian floor tiles? I am getting closer to my goal! Too bad these vendors from Naples didn't have a few more of these tiles. I love the black and white pattern. (The men kept telling me this was an old Giustiniani tile ... If true, dates to the 1830's. But there is no mark ... I will research this and report back.)

I had seen this box of ex-votos a few weeks back, but most of them were new, or I already had them in my collection. However, this week the box was filled with completely different stuff. Lauren and I picked through the entire stash and I selected no less than 8 of these silver beauties.
With my left over pocket change, I purchased a bunch of bitsy glasses etched with a holly pattern. Once I got them home I realized that they are probably too small for digestivi ... what was I thinking? They are like thimbles!

But the hit of the day was the coveted hand clamp that Lauren found for me ... I had been on the hunt for these for a while now ( I can picture a whole bunch sitting on my desk or mounted to the wall holding cards, notes, etc...) So thank you Lauren!! Another collection begins.

LS

J Crew Love: Lisa's Picks

OK, don't judge, but I am really missing ... J. Crew. Thankfully I just realized that they post their catalogs online! Joy! While nothing beats endlessly pouring over the real thing, the electronic versions will have to do.

Here is a sampling of the items from the new July catalog that I am lusting after for summer:

I think I could simply step right into the scene above: I adore this entire outfit - from head to toe, perfection. I love oxfords (and bought no less than 3 pairs in different colors this winter.) I think a summer weight and color is in order. But $250 for these "camden suede brogues" is a little steep for this gal. Will try to find a Roman knock off.

I could also see myself in this outfit: the paisley bubble skirt is a bit of a surprise, but it works. I am digging the chunky leather belt and gray "haya two-tone pullover" styled in a shirt-mullet (a little tucked in, only in the front.) Cute and casual.

Who doesn't love the go-to ease and comfort of cargo pants? Imagine that in a DRESS ... Get in my closet! I give a big thumbs up to the belt and scarf ... (natch.)

Overall I am loving the juxtapositions in the summer collection, the unexpected contradictions - especially the blending of feminine and masculine pieces; dressy and casual, hard and soft .... these sequined or silk ruffle tanks paired with worn jeans are, in my opinion, a really chic, effortlessly-sexy look:

Scarf around the waist as a belt??!! Excellent idea.

J. Crew has been hitting it out of the park lately with their accessories - chunky necklaces or bracelets, usually shown layered (again, the hard/soft, masculine/feminine combo.) I am loving these:

Also, I anticipated the espadrille come-back when I was in Barcelona and stocked up on a few pair ... they really scream 'summer' and they are a comfortable alternative to the strappy gladiator sandal that has absolutely taken over. Happy to see the style legitimized in J. Crew ;)

And an old favorite, the chambray shirt! They show it with everything! I adore the added detail of the ribbon on the front - This could be accomplished with a simple ribbon run through a button hole ... I will definitely be snagging this trick. What about those shorts?? I think I love them, but I may hate them ... What do you think?

No question, these distressed jeans shorts are a must. And I love the layering of textures and long shirt/short jacket combo that they show here:

One of the things I like most about J. Crew is that, for the most part, their clothes are classics - I probably own some of the items, or something remarkably similar, already. So, the catalog provides lots of inspiration, and ideas on how to wear things I already own in new and updated ways. Theoretically I should get by with only buying one or two trendy pieces to mix in, right?! Ahem, we shall see!

LS

Found: Italian floor tiles

I love old Italian floor tiles. Every so often I find a few at the Porta Portese and lug them back to Seattle (here the key word is 'lug' as these tiles are really old, thick, and heavy.) I have amassed quite a stack over the years. I know what you are thinking - what on earth do I do with them? Well, I always thought that I would make a tabletop out of them, something like this:

But when I was down in Sorrento, my fabulous hotel, La Tonnarella, provided me all sorts of great new ideas. They have hundreds of these old tiles set in beautiful iron frames that they have hung all over the hotel:

Look how they have turned these old tiles into amazing planters:

Inspired, I did a little searching online and discovered a few more uses for these tiles. My new favorite reuse is as a colorful back splash:

Don't you think these would look great behind the sink or even the stove? I could also envision setting them into the terracotta tile in my studio/garden suite floor, imitating a big rug, similar to what they have done at this floral shop in Rome:

Or maybe I should create a stunning focal point in the yard, like this at the Agriturismo Seliano?

So many options! But I think I may need a few more tiles first!
LS