sneak peek: abigail percy

i'm on a little sneak peek roll this week so my apologies for putting two back to back- i couldn't resist. today's peek belongs to glasgow-based artist abigail percy- i've admired her work in the glass cases at rare device for a year now and it was wonderful to see her home is as thoughtful and interesting as her work. as always, you can click here to see full-sized (and extra) photos of abigail's home. what follows below is a description of each photo in abigail's words. thanks again to abigail for sharing. enjoy! [i won't be posting tomorrow because of the holiday so i hope you all have a nice 4th! see you on thursday!]

[The flat we are in is over 100 years old...so I love all the original features like the huge fire places and decorative cornicing. When I have the choice [and the surface] I prefer to prop art rather than wall hang it as I can move it around more easily, change it often and create little compositions. On my mantel, at the moment, I have a wonderful antique Bond I found in a flea market in Paris and a Gina Cline print which I just love....along with an antique wooden hat mould which I hope will be the first of a collection! Above that is my G-plan sideboard- I can't wait until I have the right space for this beauty...my best furniture 'find' so far. I bought it on e-bay for £15 (ed. note: wow). It is pretty long, at just under 6ft...so for the moment it sits in my window area....kept in the best of company with a Lisa Solomon embroidered target piece, Karin Eriksson ceramic bowl, tiles picked up at Edinburgh College of Art Degree show, more magazines....vintage pieces, Muji Tokyo blocks and a Perry Lancaster bird sculpture.]

[Being confined to one room living [or thereabouts!], storage is really important...so this Ikea unit serves me really well, housing much of my large book collection [in colour order, for fun!] and magazine stash [Vogue, Elle Decoration, Selvedge to name a few!]....I like being able to create little groupings of objects and pepper the space with vintage finds and unusual pieces, like the tins, shoe lasts and snippets of black and white photography.]

[I use this desk for many things, including design work as I need a clean space outside of the workshop to draw and think....so having a large surface is great. Along with all my drawing materials I have a pink leather Roberts Radio, a Camilla Engman original [and calendar!] along with a Mia Hansen bird wall doll, vintage copper floral pressings from Paris, a small collection of antique metal 'A's....and other bits and pieces of imagery that I love. The chair is from Ikea, and I thought the bold pattern was a fun alternative to a regular computer chair.....until I can afford a RAR Eames rocker that is!!]

[The wall behind my bed is painted an unusual plummy magenta colour...almost like the dark spots on those deep pink orchids. The large painting behind my bed is by my brother, using car spray paint so it catches the light wonderfully in places....on the vintage G-plan side table, I have a huge 14" antique wooden printers block, a small Karin Eriksson bowl, my Teresa Cunha slippers along with some books and magazines, always present at the bedside....the bedding is Habitat. I have so much stuff and so my space is a real compromise a lot of the time [lots of great pieces of art I have, I don't have the space to display right now]....so when I can finally afford a bigger place, I would break up a lot of the more feminine pieces with mid-century furniture and more open white space....I like that contrast in an interior, but I also like grouping lots of 'things' too...so I guess I will have to find a happy medium to get a really livable home!]