Monday 27 June 2011

Habitat Has-Been

logoSo, Habitat is no more – 47 years after Terence Conran launched his store. I found myself thinking about the bits and pieces we have acquired over the years.

My first Habitat item came from Coventry in 1975, a birthday gift.

DSCF1861It was actually meant to be a toast rack – but I have only ever used it as a letter rack. Still in use here.

When we first got married and had a tiny flat we got some red and white flooring, a red wire grid to hang our kitchen utensils, and four red folding chairs, and cherry fabric for the curtains, from the store in Watford.

red chair

The chairs are still going strong, and live at Cornerstones now. Then we acquired loads of pine bedroom furniture [mostly dirt cheap, secondhand, through the local free paper] The range was called Andy and we got two cupboards, a wardrobe, one dressing table, and two chests of drawers for £50! Now [mostly] at Cornerstones! We got our dining table and sideboard from the Habitat Warehouse at Wallingford [for a very low price, as it had been discontinued]

andy drwers

dining suite

Then there was the ‘bistro’ garden set – two folding chairs and a table [a sale buy in 2000, just £20 the set] Trés chic, I thought!

habitat blue chair

habitat garden table

There was cheap ‘Primula’ crockery too – mostly broken now, and white paper lampshades, and candles and candlesticks [long before IKEA sold us all those tealights]

And we had just one wedding present from Habitat – from my chief bridesmaid, and favourite cousin, Gill – who bought us a wok. It’s huge and came with a scoop and a stirring spatula thing.wok

And our friends all thought it was a weird gift – but it is still being used, and we still have the tools!

There’s probably more stuff here -

but it does seem that the Habitat stuff from the 70’s and early 80’s has lasted well.

However, in 1987, we discovered IKEA – and their prices suited our pocket better. Sorry Sir Terence- we liked your style, but couldn’t afford it! But our home will still have Habitat pieces for a good few years yet, I think.

Do you have a favourite piece of Habitat at home?

1 comment:

  1. The fact that you still have all those things is a tribute to the quality of Habitat.
    I also have the same toast rack and remember how "trendy" and "sophisticated" I felt choosing some wineglasses in Habitat in London on a rare visit to a former MIL.
    I still have the wine glasses, too.
    I'm really sorry to see the demise of Habitat. I feel sad that we are brainwashed nowadays into only buying the cheapest we can get rather than the best we can afford, which is not the same thing. It's not good for the planet either, to keep throwing away cheap stuff to make way for a change of style.
    Good grief, I'm sounding like my mother AGAIN !!

    ReplyDelete

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