Shop: Pass the Baton

It's been many years since I lived in Tokyo, and back then my idea of the ultimate shopping experience was Kiddy Land -- a 5-story department store full of toys. If I were lucky enough to find myself back in Japan, my first shopping stop would have to be Pass the Baton. Both an online and brick-and-mortar shop, Pass the Baton celebrates personal culture. Every consigned item is displayed with the name of the consignor and a little story about the item's history. Sellers also have the option of donating the proceeds from their item to charity. Beyond being a brilliant concept, everything is beautifully displayed to accentuate the value of objects that have enjoyed a previous life and haven't just emerged from a box or factory.

Images: Pass the Baton.

Shop: Izzi & Popo

Australia is on my short list of countries to visit (along with Argentina and Norway) and European vintage emporium Izzi & Popo is at the top of the grouping of shops I'd have to visit. This place features some of my favorite varieties of vintage -- leather club chairs, suitcases, hat molds and shoe forms, farmhouse furniture, old hardware and enamelware. When it comes to unique vintage finds, I've been known to search far and wide -- even if it means traveling to the other side of the globe.

Store Counter

Cupboard

Perpetual Calendar

Monastery Table

Coat Hangers

Journals

Enamelware

Images: Izzi & Popo.

Shop: John Derian Company

In Target not too long ago, I bought a stack of tan notebooks whose cover art imitated old Italian school workbooks. They were part of the John Derian line for Target and they inspired me to check out what else is available at the original shop in New York city. Though I haven't yet been, I will be stopping in the next time I'm nearby to check out the quirky mushroom consoles, decoupage lamps, paper ephemera, pottery from Astier de Villatte, Hugo Guinness' linoleum cut prints in vintage frames, vintage tees from Rogues Gallery and Moroccan poufs (any excuse to use the word "pouf").

Images: John Derian Company, Inc.

Shop: Fishs Eddy

When in NYC, a great stop for fun and unusual kitchen finds is the always chock-full Fishs Eddy. A chance encounter twenty five years ago with a barn full of vintage restaurant dishware led to the opening of this quirky shop and it's still going strong with its original lines of dishes and gifts. It now has an extensive online shop for those who can't visit in person. A few of the highlights: floorplan dish sets, toile serving dishes, diner-style platters, handpressed glass pitchers, alphabet mugs and canvas totes. Displayed in vintage cupboards and fixtures, barrels and fruit-picking baskets that nearly spill over with inventory, the only shortage here is in aisle space.

Images: Fishs Eddy.

Shop: Rebecca Cole GROWs

This past summer, I was saddened to discover that my favorite NYC spot--Japanese department store Takashimaya--had closed its doors on Fifth Avenue. My primary reason for making it a must-see was its basement restaurant, The Tea Box, which served healthy and affordable lunches. While there, I would check in on the shop's lush garden section for inspiration and unusual ways to bring the outdoors in. Thankfully, a new shop in the fur district looks like it has plenty of great garden and design ideas to share. 

The new destination spot comes courtesy of Rebecca Cole, author of one of my favorite garden books--Paradise Found: Gardening in Unlikely Places. What is special about her work is that she outfits exterior spaces with as much thought as we usually give to indoor rooms and makes sure that indoor spaces are given healthy doses of plant life in unpredictable ways. Rebecca has a full-service design company with an emphasis on implementing green practices without sacrificing style. Her website, Rebecca Cole Design, is full of beautiful images of her shop, rooms and gardens she has designed, and events she has planned. I love seeing outdoor furniture given the Sunday best treatment (notice the tarnished metal bench topped with a row of feminine pillows for an event on the roof of Rockefeller Center).

Images: Rebecca Cole Design.

Shop: Les Indiennes

At Les Indiennes, traditional Indian textiles are re-interpreted through Western eyes to beautiful effect. Vibrant motifs are minimized to one color palette and given space on white backgrounds so that their intricacies can really be appreciated. The website provides a Flip Book of inspiration showing a range of products--upholstery fabric, cushions, wallpaper, and bedding--in a variety of settings. One of my favorites, paisley, makes frequent appearances without being overkill. The images are so inviting that they even make me rethink polka dots--a pattern I never thought I would embrace.

All images are the property of Les Indiennes by Mary Mulcahy.