|
 |
So
what's this fascination with vintage housekeeping then - isn't that
all about a time when there were no labour-saving devices and hence
loads of horrible hard work to do?
"It isn't a fascination, it's an obsession! During my career
as an interior designer, I grew increasingly frustrated by the fact
that people seemed to believe that changing their living room would
change their life: that installing an aga would turn them into a
domestic goddess overnight! To me having a lovely home isn't about
interior design, it is about the rather old fashioned idea of making
a home- a scrumptious, cosy place lined with memories, history and
soul. A place you want to be.
For sheer comfort reading I adore the local historical fiction by
the likes of Anna Jacobs and Maureen Lee, not because I am gripped
by the storylines (though I often am!), but because I love the domestic
detail woven through these gentle stories. It is true that they
speak of a time when keeping a home involved back breaking work,
but they also remind us that the routine and ritual that were an
essential part of our grandmothers' day provided a sense of "home"
many of us have lost today."
 |
| Alison
May |
Isn't
housekeeping really a bit of a chore - how can you introduce an
element of glamour to it?
"I am the first to admit that there is nothing sexy about bleaching
the toilet! You can dress yourself up in the cutest Cath Kidston
apron, scent your ironing water with lavender and do your best to
make a home that's as fresh as a daisy, but the mechanics of housekeeping
remain the same: some jobs are both ugly and monotonous. The trick
is to make them part of a daily routine that is over in a matter
of minutes: to think of the yukkier, boring side of housekeeping
as preparing your canvas for the yummy pretty jobs that make your
house a home. I promise you it is possible to bring a little bit
of vintage glamour to your day by embracing what has to be done.
It's the pleasure/pain principle made domestic!"
You started off with a blog, it seems ironic that you' re using
modern communication to talk about old-fashioned ways of keeping
home - what drew you into the world of blogging?
"Blogging has opened up a whole new world to me: it is
truly amazing that there are all these people out there in cyberspace
waxing lyrical about their lives, and so completely willing to share
the intimate details of their hopes, dreams and occasionally grim
realities of their days.
When I first discovered blogging, I had been looking for a way to
chronicle my love of all things vintage - but unfortunately the
technical side of building a web site blew my brain, so happening
upon blogging sites was a Godsend! Here was a way to create a narrative
with my readers that didn't bog me down with mysterious things like
HTML; that allowed me to share ideas immediately, create a community
and essentially allow me to develop my voice as a writer without
demanding the design coherence essential to a successful website.
BrocanteHome isn't about divorcing technology from homemaking. I'm
not giving up my dishwasher for anyone! And let's face it our Great
Grandmothers wouldn't have said no to the latest Dyson, would they?
No, it is more about using technology alongside traditional routines,
rituals and values to create a home that makes us feel safe and
cocooned by its walls. It is about embracing anything, and that
includes modern technology, that helps us take control of our homes,
and provides us with the emotional space to concentrate on who we
are and who we authentically want to be. It thrills me that internet
tecnology allows me to share my vintage dreams with the rest of
the world."
What's
The Vintage HouseKeepers Circle? Can anyone join?
"When my sister moved two hundred miles away she started to
bless my days with teeny tiny little care packages: a handful of
glass buttons, a bundle of vintage postcards, or a scrapbook filled
with articles about lovely things she thought I would enjoy. I had
for a long time been practising my own set of housekeeping routines
and one day sitting in my lovely, twinkly little house, with my
babba on my knee and coffee bubbling in the kitchen, I opened a
little parcel from Helen that wished me a "Happy Tuesday"
and realised that I could bless the days of women across the world
in the same way. The
Vintage HouseKeepers Circle is the culmination of that dream. There
are three levels to choose from - Members can choose to receive
monthly little parcels, ribbon tied letters, The HouseKeepers planner
and access to the only community on the web designed to help them
create a picture pretty life, or they can simply choose to take
part in the email based HouseKeepers Puttering programme and receive
a yummy little parcel on their birthday! It is available to anybody,
and while it is probably geared to women, we already have a man
from Italy signed up and ready to discover a scrumptious new way
of life..."
 |
| Vintage
memories: a man ironing his clothes during wartime, proving
that men have had this housekeeping lark sussed for years... |
Do
you think men like housekeeping more than they used to in 'the olden
days'?
"Not at all! In fact I'd hedge a bet that there are aspects
of housekeeping that nobody likes! Research proves time and time
again that while men are more willing to help around the home, it
is still women, working or not, who are doing the lion's share of
making a clean, safe, nurturing home for the family. The Vintage
HouseKeepers Circle simply acknowledges that men don't necessarily
recognise that taking out the bins doesn't necessarily constitute
home-making. That it is the million and one little things that women
do around the house that make the difference between a clean house
and a place we ache to come home to. The circle both acknowledges
that, makes the path a little prettier and rewards every tired housewife
with the occasional little treat nobody else would think to buy
her..."
What's your top tip for a prettier way of spring cleaning?
"You know what I think? I believe we need to change the way
we think of housekeeping: to understand that it doesn't compromise
the feminist values we all uphold, but that if our home and our
family matters to us, we need a new approach to creating a space
that reflects that. So open every window in your house, let the
fresh air in, turn the music up high and let's create a life we
love!"
|
