South Place Studio is (Pre-loved) Xmas-Ready!
If you’ve been following on Instagram, you may have seen that this year, I’ve set myself a challenge of styling our Chrsitmas photoshoot with as many pre-loved items as possible.
I read an interesting article a few weeks ago, it questioned whether second hand gifting was finally acceptable. With the current state of the environment at the forefront, I think many of us are finally coming round to the idea, and would be happy with a well- thought-out vintage gift with a good story behind it. But there is definitely still some stigma attached, and so many are still uncomfortable with the idea of giving a second hand gift.
We may not be quite ready for pre-loved gifting yet, but what about if we started in our own homes to get comfortable with the idea? With a focus on what we’d like to buy, and it’s purpose, there are so many beautiful things to be found.
In my work, I’m purchasing mostly new items for clients almost every day, it’s easy to feel the eco-guilt creeping in, so I was really looking forward to ‘the hunt’ for this challenge!
Creating a moodboard before starting to shop really did keep me on track.
To avoid being overwhelmed when seeking out treasures in charity shops and online, I started with a moodboard to refer to when shopping, and it really did help me stay on track. After last year’s toned-down affair, this year I was aiming for a whimsical, luxurious Christmas table, with peacock colours, golds, and Japanese influence as inspo. And I decided to shop pre-loved in the following order:
1. Charity shops, to support charities (as well as the environment)
2 Ebay or Etsy, charities on these platforms, or independent sellers
3 Independent retailers
4 Shop my home, things I already have
I documented all the items I found over on Instagram stories, and they are all saved to the ‘Pre-loved Xmas’ highlight if you’d like to have a look. I found some really beautiful things that I would have happliy bought new, and was pleasantly surprised that I was able to put together a cohesive look that I had created in the moodboard. I have many favourite finds, like the green glass vase and jug, and the brass and glass candlesticks, but I’m particularly smitten with the Japanese Noritake plates I sourced on Ebay from a charity.
This did take some time and some running around, but I had so much fun pulling this all together and spending over £150 at charities and independents is a real feel-good factor. Of course I love shopping for new too, but shopping more consciously by mixing in old and new, and high and low, will make a house feel like a home over time, and I hope I have inspired a few of you to consider adding a few pre-loved items to your homes.
The dining area is set with only pre-loved items, and what I already had at home. The green glass vase (£5), the brass bowl (£12), all the glasses (£1 each) The silver cutlery set (£15), the brass and glass candlesticks (£10), the blue and brass candlesticks (back shelf, £2 & £3), the white and gold plates (£1 each), the silk lampshades (£10, which I finished with peacock trim), the gold fruit tree decorations, are all from charity shops.
The vintage black Arcoroc plates (seen in video), the Green glass jug (£9), the The blue and gold Wedgewood plates (£16) and the green and gold Noritake plates (£23) are all from Ebay (charities or independent sellers). The fabric Christmas crackers are made from vintage velvet, you can find the tutorial here.
The large frames contain a section of a mural called Misty Forest that was gifted to me as part of a collaboration with Rebel Walls, and it started off the moodboard inspo for me.
The beautiful hydrangeas were donated by a neighbour and someone was throwing out the large pampas grass, and even the pre-lit realistic Balsam Hill tree was sourced second hand on Gumtree.
There is nothing quite like the blue in a peacock feather! The perfect trim for silk lampshades. (left) A simple bunch of greenery from the garden looks great in the newly polished brass bowl.
The geometric green vase and the vintage green glass jug are amongst me favourite finds. (middle) This year I had a go at a modern take on a wreath (right)