Vintage books

Poster specialist AntikBar launches vintage books/magazines website

Pictured above: if you’re interested in inter-war graphic design, this book will fire up your studies.. Italian Art Deco by Steven Heller and Louise Fili

Pictured above: The Soviet Arctic (1939) designed by notable Constructivist designers, husband and wife team Alexander Rodchenko and Varvara Stepanova

London’s vintage poster specialists AntikBar is a business that translates well to the digital world as artworks are products we will buy online. Boss Kirill Kalinin say they’re doing well with online auction sales.. certainly people have a lot more time to stare at the walls at the moment and think, mmm, an empty space is a dull space, better get some pictures up asap. The company has also used this period of quarantine to launch its new book website which focuses on 1920s - 1930s book design and ephemera covering the major art movements including Bauhaus, Constructivism and Art Deco.

Pictured above: Red Field Krasnaya Niva #19 1928. This weekly Soviet magazine was first published in 1922. Left: new to the AntikBar collection, a 1937 travel poster from the French authorities

Visit the site for books printed in Soviet Russia in the 1920- 1930s, when constructivism was the mainstream art and design movement in the USSR. Book prices from £50

Keep it real

Rattan is a lovely material. And the good news is that it’s one of the most sustainable natural fibres - so avoid that nasty plastic stuff at all costs!

Above:

Chateauneuf rattan sleigh bed from the French Bedroom Company. Elegant Louis XV styling with a touch of colonial cool. Bed frame made from reycled mahogany wood. From £1,195

Right:

Willow Robe rattan fronted wardrobe, 190x100x61cm, £1395 from Loaf

Above: flower petal Round Rattan Mirror, 49cm dia, £26.95 at Melody Maison Left: Elin oak and rattan chest, £895 at Sweetpea & Willow Below: 2-seater rattan sofa, £725 at Limited Abode

Above: rock it in rattan...Flat rattan tub chair at Cox & Cox costs £325 and is perfect for a bedroom or a conservatory. Below left: Cozy Living Queen Natural Rattan foldable room divider /screen, 185x56x3cm, £240 at Cuckooland

Rattan is a climbing palm which develops as a vine in jungles. The vines of the rattan grow up trees in the rainforest and can reach 100s of metres high. The vines when harvested are typically cut into 13-foot lengths and left to dry in the sun. Bear in mind though that real rattan furniture shouldn’t get wet so have a cover for it or bring it inside when it rains.

Left:Key Largo grey rattan linen basket, handmade by artisans in Semarang, Indonesia, £89 at Maine Furniture Co Below: Lot honey coloured rattan hanging chair, £299 at Beaumonde

Bottom right:

Rattan hallway bench, handmade in Indonesia, 57x120x40cm, £199 at Maine Furniture Company