Shop Like the Pros on Europe 2 You
Author:Lindsey ShookYou might imagine the shopping pros at Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware and Napa Style traverse the Central European countryside looking for the lovely vintage items that dot their new wares. But in some cases, Europe comes to their Northern California desks thanks to Stacy Borocz’s company Europe 2 You.
The finds that Borocz unearths in country villages in Hungry were never meant to decorate an interior; they were designed as practical containers for food, liquor and oils. But their simple shapes, large forms and cool colors make them perfect accent pieces. And a new shipment has just arrived!
Above, you can see what Central European farm folk used for Mason jars (from $120). The mouth blown vessels were created in a variety of colors that would help indicate the contents. For example, apricots and sour cherries were placed in green glass and vegetables went in clear jars. Here’s how they might look in a catalogue:
Other interesting offerings are the vintage yogurt bottles (from $30) Borocz and team have gathered.
These petite containers were used to deliver fresh yogurt from dairy farms by milkmen in the early 1900s before there was refrigeration. Because they were meant to be rinsed and returned, they were usually embossed with the dairy farm’s logo or name.
The large collection of wicker demijons and jumbo balons (from $90) is rife with design potential.
Many of them are 80 years old, and were used for storing and shipping wine and Pálinka, a fruit-flavored brandy. Because the people in that region worked hard and had a poor diet, the brandy was essential as a digestive.
When the demijons and balons break, Borocz has them cut to create bulb trays.
