For many homeowners, decorating your house in all-vintage can be a difficult sell. However, for artist and blogger Paula Mills, it is a necessity. “My personality has always been vintage eclectic,” she states. “I try hard to avoid new products. Why go out and purchase brand new things, when you can enjoy something in your house that’s already been pre-loved, filled with character, and are part of a age where matters were created to last?”
Mills’ house is situated in Warrandyte, a small wooded suburb north of Melbourne, Australia. Mills and her family moved to the house lately, and were drawn to its lush environment, backyard space, and neighboring nature reserve. Mills used a combination of finds from flea and craft markets, charity shops, and products located on travels to make a welcoming house that’s anything but ordinary.
Sweet William
Mills located her retro-pink vintage dining table and seats at an auction in South Africa. The pendants over the dining table were being thrown out at an art college in Melbourne — Mills stopped by just in time to save four of them for her dining and living room spaces.
This spacious living room is Mills’s favourite room in the house. It’s a completely open program, with the kitchen, dining area and living spaces all connected. “It’s filled with light, and the core of our house,” says Mills.
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On the other side of the dining and kitchen area, there’s another living area with a balcony and view overlooking a canopy of trees. Another salvaged pendant light direct the eye out of the dining table over to the living area. Mills’ look is an extremely personal mixture of vintage and industrial style. Nothing in her home is cookie cutter — each piece is exceptional.
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Mills found that the black couch whilst on a visit to London. The sofa is topped with a few cushions from Etsy, and a few cushions made of fabric from South Africa. The ground lamp was located at a junk store in Melbourne, and the industrial countertop was bought from Kabinett Vintage.
As for your amazing distressed fireplace? Surprisingly, it didn’t come with the house. “I found the fireplace at a junk store on the way back from a camping trip,” says Mills. “Happily we had a trailer . I simply strapped the older Victorian wooden fireplace , and took it home!”
Sweet William
These retro stools add a pop of color to the bright white of the home’s floors and walls. A vintage advertising blackboard from the kitchen was a lucky flea market find that assists when writing last-minute grocery lists.
Sweet William
Mills found this 1950s kitchen cabinet at a local charity shop, and filled it with her vintage dish collection to complete the look.
Sweet William
The intricately carved bed frames at the children’s area were located at an antique store in Johannesburg, South Africa. “I feel like it is essential for our house to reflect who we are as a household,” says Mills. “We’re creative, enjoyable, messy and relaxed. We also wished to get the most from our environment by enhancing space and light.”
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The original floors in the house were an orange and very knotty pine, as were most of the cupboards and the staircase in the photo above. Even though it was not sensible to stay clean, Mills decided to paint it all white. “It’s brightened up the entire house,” she states. “It’s worth the extra sweeping I have to do!”
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Though a number of the artwork in her house is the end result of years of collecting, a lot of it can be a portion of Mills’ work. Mills runs both her website, Sweet William, along with an Etsy art and accessory store with her sister.
Sweet William
Mills’ bedroom is as eclectic as the rest of her house, but it also has a relaxing and calming sensibility. The organized chaos of the other chambers is left behind here. The vanity was a lucky find ($50!) By a local charity shop. The candy wire”amour” was found while Mills was on vacation in Ireland.
Sweet William
In lieu of the traditional nightstand and table lamp set up, Mills’ husband installed simple bulb pendants on both sides of the mattress. A colorful banner plus a painting salvaged in the local rubbish store add cheer and Mills’ signature quirky design to the space.
Sweet William
A mix of Mills’ own artwork and vintage finds sit over the mantle in her office. “I love the notion of giving fresh life to something that has been destined to get the landfills,” she states. “I have really enjoyed the blank canvas of the house, and incorporating all of our pieces of colour, texture, and patterns.”
Sweet William
Mills’s studio at her house functions as a place for her to work on her art, collages, and stitching for her store. A craft table holds supplies for present and future projects.
While Mills loves her new home, like every homeowner, she can’t help but daydream about what could make it ideal. “I’d love to make the rooms a bit bigger,” she states. “And maybe one day I could open the ceiling.”
More ideas:
Houzz Tour: Kay Loves Vintage
7 Favorite Vintage Furniture Sites
Houzz Tour: Cool and Collected in Downtown L.A.