Respect for the Past: Charms of Antiques and Vintage Finds in a Cozy London Hideaway

On my list of joyful distractions: playing with my dog, walking with friends—and perusing the Tat.London Instagram account , which traffics in interiors of the mostly-British, traditional-with-a-twist sort. If you’re into patina, pattern, color, sink skirts, and disheveled bookshelves (as I have been of late), the feed is a balm.

A while back, I spotted a post on the particularly serene home of Georgie Stogdon, the founder of newish online antiques and vintage store Curios Shop . She lives in a tiny one-bedroom flat (just 470 square feet) in Kentish Town, London, that she bought a few years ago. Back then, the apartment was decidedly not to her taste. “The previous owners had painted the majority in red gloss with a high pile red shaggy carpet. It was quite something!” Georgie tells us. And the kitchen? “It hadn’t been touched since the ’70s and was crumbling.”

But she had fallen in love with the apartment’s tall and wide shuttered windows, the wood floors, the high ceilings, the marble fireplace, and the original cornicing—in short, all the period details unique to an old home. Georgie immediately instituted a more calming palette, and slowly and deliberately, she began to fill it with antiques and vintage finds to match the charm of the bygone architecture.

“I just love the fact that they have a story, that they have been cherished by others before me, and that so much craftsmanship has gone into the making of them,” Georgie says of her home’s many lovely secondhand items, sourced from eBay, auction houses, flea markets, and charity shops. “I think it’s incredible to think that they’ve crossed seas, exchanged so many hands, and been privy to countless conversations.”

The only brand-new pieces in her home? The sofa, her bed—and the kitchen, which she finally overhauled this year. “During lockdown, it became almost unbearable so it was the first thing to get done as soon as it was humanly and legally possible!” Turns out, even the remodeled kitchen isn’t entirely new, though.

Let’s take a tour, shall we?

Photography by Georgie Stogdon, courtesy of Curios Shop .

Above: Georgie decorated her home predominantly with previously owned finds. “Part of the thrill of sourcing is stumbling upon a total gem in the most unlikely place and knowing, too, that antiques are such a sustainable way of contributing to your home,” she says. Above: The living room triples as an office and dining room. The dining table is an eBay score; the chairs are from vintage store Sauce . The pair of horse paintings are among her favorite finds; she bought them in a charity shop in Pimlico for just £4. Above: Georgie painted the walls Farrow & Ball Strong White . Reflected in the mirror is a pendant light by Rose Uniacke, where she worked as a production assistant for three years.

Above: Georgie decorates her home with objects she loves, but she often has to part with them when they’re sold. The 1900s wool wall hanging (at left) bought from an auction house in Northern Sweden was sold and replaced by a cherry wood etagere, which is now on its way to a new owner as well.

Above: Just off the living room is the galley kitchen. “The terracotta tiles were made in Saltillo in Northern Mexico and sold through Milagros on Columbia Road in East London.” Above: The view from the kitchen doorway into the dining area. Above: The kitchen remodel was done on a tight budget. The cabinets are from Howdens and were painted (Farrow & Ball Black Blue ) by Georgie herself. The Zellige tiled backsplash are from Otto Tiles . Even in this new space, Georgie was able to indulge in her love for the old: “The countertops are Iroko hardwood reclaimed by Retrouvius from old science labs in a London school,” she says. Above: Her collection of gold and pink Moustiers faience earthenware, found at an auction, sit on open shelves. Above: The doorway to the right of the sofa, purchased from OKA and one of the few brand-new items in her home, leads to the hallway that connects to her bedroom and bathroom. Above: Georgie’s bed is also from OKA. It’s covered with “an antique linen and lace sheet that belonged to an ancient relative, unearthed from an attic at my parent’s house,” she says. Above: Jute boucle carpeting from Alternative Flooring makes the bedroom extra-cozy.

For more in London home design, see:

• Kitchen of the Week: ‘Wes Anderson Meets Provencal’ in West London
• All Things Should Have Stories: A Richly Hued London Flat (With an Ikea Kitchen Too)
• Steal This Look: Ensuite Bath Alcove in a London Renovation

N.B.: This story originally appeared on November 6, 2020 and has been updated.