KEY POINTS:
Sitting comfortably? Now look around and find something in here that's brand new. Most of us, if we were reading this at home, could probably do that pretty quickly. But for vintage textile enthusiast, Kay Wooff, it's a little more difficult.
Seated in the middle of her living
room, she has to scan her family's belongings several times before she can come up with an answer. "The clock," she answers eventually.
"That's new," Wooff says pointing out the modern incarnation of the sort of moon-faced timekeeper you would once have seen in a railway station.
"And the dining table - we had that specially commissioned," she continues, pointing out the long table in light wood, which extends not from the ends, as tables traditionally do, but from the middle like a door.
Then again, perhaps it's not surprising that most of Wooff's home - shared with her husband and two teenage children - is populated with vintage finds and unique collectibles. Wooff is the owner of Salvage, a small but perfectly formed treasure trove of vintage fabrics at the quiet end of Mt Eden Rd.
It's here that she stocks everything from old cotton aprons, adorably embroidered with maids and flowers, to vintage tea towels, Victorian lace collars, collectible buttons and yes, shelves and shelves piled high with antique and retro fabrics.
A long-time collector of fabrics, she started the business two years ago after a career in fabric importing and fashion retail - Wooff helped set up the Country Road and Jigsaw chains in this country.
"In our other house the hallways were lined with boxes full of stuff. I had decided I was sick of my job and I wanted to do something for me. And textiles were something I loved - so I set up the shop."
Finding an outlet for all those boxes of cloth was probably the best thing that could have happened for her next move. The family has just shifted into a new architecturally designed home and this modern, almost-minimal pad, mostly brushed steel, glass and brick, doesn't look like the sort of place that could easily tolerate boxes of tea towels stacked along its pristine white walls.
"Yes, it does feel quite masculine." However Wooff, who doesn't often buy from interiors or design stores where they stock "new", didn't have any problems coming up with an interior decorating solution that allowed her to combine her love of textiles and collectibles with these brand new surroundings.
"I think people do have preconceptions about working with vintage fabrics. But it doesn't have to be old and fussy. Personally I'm continually surprised - and delighted by what the customers, who buy from my store, make with the things they get. It's all about old crafts and handwork - but interpreted in a modern way."
Not all of the rooms in the house have been finished to her satisfaction quite yet - she's slowly but surely working out where to put everything. But one room that does aptly demonstrate Wooff's clever mixture of the old and new, the handcrafted and collectible, is the open plan lounge, dining room and kitchen.
"I started off with this," she says, indicating a beautifully aged, black tapestry cushion with flowers, that takes pride of place right in the middle of a well worn black leather sofa. "I love flowers but nothing that's too prissy or girlie. And I saw this and loved it - and somehow it's quite suited to the furnishings in this room. I also like these strong sorts of graphics," she continues indicating the Pasifika printed cushions that sit behind the original inspirational 1930s pillow, forming an unusual combination of decor styles.
The rest of the room features more mid-century-style design - matching leather armchairs that hold pillows she's embroidered (she comes from a family that regularly taught one another handcrafts like crochet or embroidery), a long wooden sideboard she bought from a neighbour and glass shelves loaded with Wooff's other collections: books, both vintage and new, and New Zealand-made ceramics as well as various souvenirs from time the family has spent living overseas.
For Wooff, what her decorating and retail philosophy, not to mention her various collections, all really come down to is a desire for something more personal in her everyday surroundings.
A lot of the things her family live with daily have to do with either their own personal history - for instance, the printed-on-to-silk 1940s map of Malaysia (where her husband was born) that's framed in the couple's bedroom - or have been handmade; for her teenage son's room Wooff made manly cushion covers out of old ties, for her daughter's, she's sewn what's known as Suffolk puffs, or yo-yos, on to small pink pillows.
"I just like things that are a little more organic and original. Making things [by hand] gives you great satisfaction. And I so admire what people used to make so many years ago - it's very special," she says, before heading back into the kitchen to check on the rhubarb crumble cake she's made for the Viva team.
"Maybe next," Wooff jokes, pulling the cake out of the oven, "you could do a story on mothers who embroider and bake!"
Kaye Wooff's tips on decorating with textiles
* Look at textiles with an open mind. Don't just think of that scarf as something to put around your neck, think of it as a piece of fabric from which you could make cushions, drapes or other bits of decor.
* Same goes for handicrafts that involve textiles. You don't have to knit a scarf. You could knit a necklace or some shorts or even an iPod cover.
* Browse textile and handicraft books for ideas. Borders has a good selection as does Time Out in Mt Eden.
* Don't be afraid of mixing old with new - or of mixing different genres of fabric, say prints with florals and so forth.
* If you've collected beautiful things, don't just keep them in storage! Get them out and use them. People often come into Salvage and say "but what do I do with it all?" Use it as a tablecloth, or a bed cover or just drape it over the back of a chair so you can enjoy it.
* Take care with old textiles as some of them may not be able to stand direct sunlight for long periods of time.
