What’s special about reclaimed items?

The reason something has survived through time is normally because it’s either well made, was valuable or it held a special place in someone’s heart. One or more of these is reason enough for it to be part of your story. Through the continued use of reclaimed pieces, we can hope to take some of the pressure off the decline of our environment and nature, while bringing a warm glow to our lives.

What should be considered first?

Decide what part the salvage will play. Is there a theme and is the salvage being used as an accent or feature? Will certain pieces need to appeal from multiple angles and will the changing seasons offer a different perspective? If you are looking for pieces to create one or more focal points, decide on the height and scale required. To install large or heavy items consider access and, if the ground is soft, if you will need boards and rollers to move items into position.

How will reclaimed pieces add style to a garden?

Perennial favourites include metal and stone troughs overflowing with blooms, vintage park benches to enjoy the view and staddle stones for a hint of rural heritage. Be bold and add a sculptured or transformational item or two – either among the flora or as a riotous explosion that dares to be ignored. Part of the fun of reclaim and salvage is in the contradiction between an item’s former function and current purpose. In addition, decide whether pieces are to blend, complement or contrast with their surroundings. A vintage aluminium milk churn, tipped at an angle, could create a novel water feature as water flows from it over river-worn pebbles. While in keeping with a rural-themed courtyard garden, it could conversely be an avant-garde statement in a contemporary minimalist setting. It’s all about context.

What outdoor space will they work in?

You can either follow the rules or break them! Imagine a tiny walled garden in the city. There’s nothing to stop you installing a huge antique gothic chapel door on one wall, overgrown with trailing plants and ivy, to create a ‘secret doorway’. A large country garden doesn’t always need large statement pieces – perhaps a selection of stained-glass panels between the timber uprights of a pergola or rose walk for a fabulous effect in both sunshine and moonlight.

What should buyers check for?

Know what you’re buying. Reputable salvage yards will happily identify whether something is antique, period, vintage or simply used. Check that the items you buy are legally sourced. Talk directly to those with sound knowledge and experience of salvage and reclaim and, lastly, do haggle! You may or may not achieve a saving – but rest assured no seasoned salvage dealer will ever be offended. Dealers who are members of SALVO are strictly governed by a code of practice that protects and helps the customer.

How can garden salvage be maintained?

Avoid placing wood or metal items directly on wet soil; raise them slightly on bricks, tiles or gravel where the air can pass underneath and stop them rotting. Consider oils and waxes rather than varnish or coatings; the latter can break down allowing moisture to become trapped which can accelerate decay. If something has a delicate finish or surface, place it away from direct sunlight and cover it or take it inside during the winter months. Remember that everything reclaimed was once new – the lovely patina you see now may change further over time.

The post How to source and style garden salvage appeared first on Reclaim Magazine.

The River Somme does more than wind through Amiens in northern France. It fragments and spreads out to create one of the urban wonders of the world in the shape of the Hortillonnages, a unique watery filigree whose myriad little channels create hundreds of tiny islands, ‘floating gardens’ cultivated and lived on since medieval times.

Today, the capital of the Picardy region relaxes off radar, its waterways complemented by a townscape of pleasing architecture lining the streets running off the main pedestrianised drag that runs through the heart of the town, from the train station to the steel-and-glass Palace of Culture (think concerts rather than exhibitions). Looming over the station, the striking Perret Tower is an icon of mid-century modernist architecture that for some time was considered Europe’s tallest skyscraper. Appealing 19th-century red-brick apartment blocks line many streets, complemented by centuries-older woody facades in enclaves like St Leu. Lovely details adorn buildings throughout the town, alongside surprises like the cluster of eye-catching art deco buildings on Rue Ernest Cauvin.

The star architecture turn, though, is Europe’s largest Gothic cathedral – the UNESCO-listed Cathedrale Notre-Dame d’Amiens – which has provided a ravishing landmark across the city since the 13th century. Its stunning facade is decorated with thousands of statues and carvings, from standard-issue saintly dudes to people going about ancient occupations like weaving, as well as stony depictions of ‘sins and virtues’. Inside, be properly awestruck by a nave twice the size of the piddling Notre-Dame in Paris.

The Museum of Picardy was the first purpose-built museum in France. Set inside a palatial edifice built over a decade in the mid-19th century, its collections range from 5,000-year-old Egyptian artefacts to modern art, including work by Francis Bacon and Picasso. There’s inventive curation too, with 21st-century pieces displayed alongside ancient works to strike up intriguing aesthetic discourses across the millennia.

For vintage hunters wanting their history in purchasable form, twice a year Amiens also hosts two of the largest antique flea markets in France. Known as the Rederie, there is a spring outing in April and then a wonderful autumn follow-up in October – expect up to 2,000 sellers, with stalls filling dozens of the town-centre streets.

To attract design-savvy visitors year-round, Amiens has also instigated two new monthly outdoor markets. Running from June to September, the Designer Market showcases work by over 50 local modern designers on Place Dufau near the cathedral, while on the third Saturday of each month from June to October, Les Puces Amienoises brings together around 20 leading antiques traders from around the region to sell everything from deco desirables to old textiles on Place Friant.

Must-see

• Maison Jules Verne The famed 19th-century author and adventurer Jules Verne fled Paris to settle in Amiens, where he wrote renowned novels such as Around the World in 80 Days and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. His elegant house at 2 rue Charles-Dubois is now filled with memories of his life and travels, and the 34 novels he wrote here.
• The Hortillonnages Carved from marshland in medieval times, this wondrous urban archipelago of around 1,000 miniature islands makes for a wonderful exploration by boat – though you can access certain sections on foot. Nose along 40 miles of slender channels known as rieux, either on a traditional barque à cornet (a flat-bottomed vessel with one raised pointed end) steered by a local guide or hire your own electric boat.

Where to shop for vintage

• Diabolo Vintage 2 rue Dusevel – Clothing from the 1960s and 70s
• L’imprimerie 10 rue Dusevel – Contemporary painting, vintage posters and old art books
• La Fleur de Lys 4 rue de Beauvais – Art deco lighting and Lalique perfume containers
• Le Diable Bouilli 48 rue du Hocquet – Silverware, glassware and dishes
• Le Grenier 9 rue des Cordeliers – Maps, lighting, ceramics and furniture from the 20th century

Where to stay and eat

• Les Orfèvres Set near the 12th-century belfry, this gourmet beacon majors on local produce both from the Hortillonnages and the wider Picardy region, from asparagus to sheep’s cheese. If you’re here in autumn, expect gorgeous game dishes and upscale ways with pies. Well-priced set menus too.
• Hotel Marotte Fashioned from an elegant 18th-century house, this chic bolthole retains a sense of intimacy with upscale artfully styled rooms, including ‘sauna suites’ with Roman-style baths carved into rock, complementing a superbly equipped spa. The excellent La Galerie des Recettes restaurant is open to guests and visitors alike.
• Hotel Ibis Styles Opened in 2019, this modern-design hotel combines a sense of contemporary-style touches ­– graffiti decor in the foyer – with a laid-back vibe and a great central location tucked down a hideaway lane across from the train station. Top floor rooms also offer some great city views towards the cathedral.

Tips for the first-time visitor

• On the third Sunday every month, the market gardeners of the Hortillonnages don traditional costume to bring their produce by water on old-fashioned barques à cornet for a quayside market on Place Parmentier.
• Amiens may be the home town of the French president, but for many visitors macarons are a bigger talking point than Macron. That’s because Emmanuel’s spouse Brigitte is part of a baking dynasty going back six generations, whose artfully branded boxes of macarons d’Amiens attract buyers to shops around the city trading under the Jean Trogneux banner. The most famous is at 23 rue André near the cathedral.
• For an evening out with a difference, pay a visit to the Hippodrome race track a short trot outside the town centre, where idiosyncratic Gallic horse-drawn chariot races nod back to the days of Roman Empire.
• If you want to catch some distinctive local entertainment, check what’s on at the Marionette Theatre tucked into an alley off rue Vanmarcke, to see Picardy puppetry in action.

The post Amiens: Flea markets, macarons and floating gardens appeared first on Reclaim Magazine.