Breathing life into Chateau Mango...
Taking to the streets around Saigon is like going on one fantastic adventure. In and our of markets, museums and shops...sometimes knowing where you are going and most times not. What surprises me is the depth, colours, designs and life that I see and feel in Vietnamese art and furniture. We are definitely a product of our environment. When living in Australia we collected Australian Aboriginal art, when in New Zealand we collected indigenous Maori art and locally made, crafted furniture...onto England and we were in and out of vintage shops..looking for the quirky and unusual. Our house in Vietnam is starting to take on a museum like appearance, soon it will be similar to the photos below. I can not say there is anything of outstanding value in our home...but the memories in and each and every piece are worth their weight in gold. While in Vietnam we are absorbing everything around us and breathing life into Chateau Mango. Our four children will one day have it between them. I am keeping my fingers crossed that they will treasure it all as much as we do.
If you were with me recently, we would have been in and out of these shops, discovering...
The chair above has been spruced up, polished and is now sitting
in our entrance..as for the others...tomorrow is another day.
How about you?
See anything that catches your eye?
Do you like kicking about shops like this?
Find anything fun recently?
Would love to know!
PS..
Many many thanks to all for
your interest in my trip to Burma/Myanmar.
I have been very fastidious with my photos,
taking care to name every pagoda, temple and artifact.
I must be mad!
I have travel tips and photos to share..
they will be coming along soon.
I received a note today that one of my postcards had arrived.
I am so excited...if you had asked for one please be
sure to let me know when it arrives. I just love it when they do!
You can drop me a note here or on one of the links below.
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Jeanne,
ReplyDeleteSuch beautiful treasures in every nook and cranny. I would be going crazy, I souls also probably need my own container sip to get it to my next place.
I have been visiting my family for the last two months in Wisconsin and now have to be driven home because I purchased so much stuff! I kid you not, I have 5 chairs, two tables a book case, no less that 100 books, and five boxes of treasures...transferware, florentine trays, a light fixture and more!
You and I could do some damage shopping together. How is the shopping going for the farm? I could be your personal shopper if you need help, I love finding antique treasures.
Take care, xx Elizabeth
I think you are right Elizabeth...we would have a lot of fun! Farm shopping is still under consideration..step by step. :) xx
DeleteHi Jeanne - What lovely mementos of all your adventures...you children will treasure every one of them. I have enjoyed following along on your trip to Myanmar. I do hope my wandering takes me to the East soon! Thanks for sharing your amazing travels with us! xoxoxo
ReplyDeleteThank you Sandy...I hope they do! xx
DeleteAge might be a factor, but if you are looking for a fifth wheel for inheritance purposes, I can fit that bill nicely!! I'm up for adoption. Would I like rattling around in these shops?? It would be hard to scoot me along, that is for sure. My poor family would be near death from exhaustion after the very first one most likely.
ReplyDeleteYou know I would gladly adopt you Sarah...kindred spirits that we are. I think you need to come to Saigon for a personal shopping trip...away from the family. Mine always does a collective groan. Best to go solo on these sorts of trips. :) xx
DeleteSadly, here on the farm, we live an awful long way from vintage shops - but I do enjoy them when we are on holiday - and I have enjoyed trawling through yours. There are several 'treasures' I would not have been able to resist.
ReplyDeleteI am going to need your advice one day soon WG...the farm is next and in that case, simple is best. :) xx
DeleteI love poking around vintage shops. I think a mixture of old, new and what I like to call folk-art, is what makes a home interesting.
ReplyDeleteAgree Loree...and I would be fascinated to see what your shops have to offer. :) xx
DeleteDear Jeanne, I enjoy visiting shops like these. I like the cabinets, tables and the chairs. Love the wood and the carvings on these furnitures. Can't wait to see the rest of your photos from your trip to Myyanmar/Burma.
ReplyDeleteComing soon Pamela... xx
DeleteJeanne, Whether antique shops, Goodwill, consignment, etc., I like them the messier the better. Nothing like poking around in drawers and partially opened boxes for great discoveries. A friend and I had a wonderful outing, on a spring-like day last week, to an estate sale in a small town about an hour's drive away on the Antebellum Trail of Georgia. It was a compilation of goods from three families and boy was it fun. Dust flying everywhere. Now I'm trying to identify the origin of two vases that I purchased (in this case, they are definitely "vazes" since they cost more than $5). Because of another item I purchased, other items in the home, as well as marks on the bottom, I believe their origin is Morocco and I hope to eventually determine where they came from. They are quite different from other pottery I collect, but I just love them. Turquoise and red are colors that always turn me on. Enjoy seeing all that Saigon has to offer and I know you're having a lot of fun.
ReplyDeleteSeek and you shall fine Judy and it sounds like you have some great finds there. Don't you just love Google..it takes us places we never could have imagined. I hope your search takes you on a fun journey. :) xx
DeleteJeanne, I rest my case. I always make a find , big and small, during my travel and in course of the years I could now really open my own shop. But every thing find his place and makes me happy whenever I look at it and reminds me where and how I got it. Isn't it a fulfilling way of collectin/shopping? Looking forward of a lot of pictures from Myanmar.
ReplyDeleteThank you Mumbai...I knew you would understand.. xx :)
DeleteIt's hard not to be a hoarder when living in Asia...so many beautiful things! Now that we have finally come home to roost, each time I pass by a beloved piece I remember it's history (with us that is) and it brings a wealth of joy. Don't know about your kids Jeanne, but mine already have stickers on the pieces they want (aside from the ones that have magically morphed into their houses already!).
ReplyDeleteInteresting that you say that Jacqueline..they seem pretty quick to place their name on something when it comes into the house. I think it is time to start a little diary to avoid future debates. :)
DeleteOh I wish I could tag along...I am working on a lovely home right now that would love some of your finds!
ReplyDeleteI think you would have it covered in a day Cindy... I know just where to take you.. :)
DeleteI am a recent follower + I adore looking at the shops in Saigon. How I adore blogging + getting to see what others see in another part of the world. Greetings from Los Angeles. xxpeggybraswelldesign.com
ReplyDeleteSo happy to have you along Peggy...welcome! :)
DeleteIn the top left photo I love what looks like a lacquered piece...perhaps even a basket construction, painted in reds, yellows and ochre...with what appears to be stacks of containers held by the handle...mmm, very lovely. Of course the large Cabinet behind it is fantastic. The old typewriter would be a find for me, for sure. That one looks wonderful. And the shot with the statuary, one with color applied...that looks great to me as well...I would be in heaven exploring these hidden away places, for sure. Kristin
ReplyDeleteYou have an eye Kristin..I know which pieces you are talking about. Surprisingly, that typewriter has a pricetag of USA $1200..before bargaining and even at 50%...seems pretty steep to me. I took the photos at the top with a mind to go back. Photos help me keep track of where I have been...I will check on the prices of what you mentioned. The laquer box is popular here and that one is a particular beauty... xx
DeleteFunny...shopping (other than for groceries) is the last thing I want to do when I'm travelling. Maybe that's a vestige of travelling abroad for eight years when I had no money to spend. For whatever reason, I love travelling lightly, in every sense of the word! Leslie in Portland, Oregon
ReplyDeleteOne of these days Leslie...I am going to try just that! :)
DeleteOooh, that is twice today that you have left me utterly speechless! Bingo!!!! Because is there anything here that catches my eye? Is there anything here that did NOT catch my eye?! But bravo for your choice as it is a piece that you will be so happy to take with you wherever you go...Sigh. But really...it is all too beautiful. And while I am thrilled to see my friend Leslie here (a pure heart like yours) I am absolutely mystified by her response...Mysitified!!!
ReplyDeleteHi Jeanne,
ReplyDeleteI love to shop for homes and it could be fun to visit furniture shop by shop to get more info on furniture. Well I just love these chateau furniture's designs, colors and their cabinets. I am just waiting for your new visit and posts.
Keep it up Jeanne!!!