The Anti-Boring Flat Lay
Don't skip the vintage tins at the flea market.
Last summer, Bienaimé posted their first seasonally-themed video on Instagram and I became rightly obsessed.
Everything is perfectly niched, angles and white space in balance. Cue cards in the style of vintage Dennison labels tell us what we’re looking at, as if we’re waiting for a marionette play to begin. It’s not for the purpose of showing off things. It’s a snapshot in time, a mood where you can close your eyes conjure up whatever summer reverie is dear to you. An objet d’art jigsaw puzzle. A perfectly anti-boring flat lay.
Bienaimé’s seasonal videos reignited my love for collectible containers. Ever since I spotted the Tokalon “Petalia” powder box from the 1930s in “Summer Reverie,” I’ve been enraptured by it.
Tokalon was an American-founded cosmetics brand that cultivated the identity of a prestigious Parisian beauty house, capitalizing on the city’s associations with perfumery and cosmetics. Face powders were one of their hero products, more specifically the Poudre Petalia, which features a Pierrot-inspired illustration and Art Deco motifs. The design is widely attributed to René Lalique by antique dealers, although I couldn’t find any information confirming that the powder box was actually designed by him. Lalique did, however, design a Petalia perfume bottle for Tokalon featuring the same Pierrot.
I’ve written about this before on The Straw Bag—how I absolutely adore tiny trinkets and anything I SPY adjacent. These anti-boring flat lays are a pretty good source of inspiration when it comes to looking for vintage and antique metal tins and containers for storing items that don’t always have a designated place to call home.
Those stands you pass at flea markets and antique fairs are not to be overlooked. What looks like a worn, old biscuit tin can be cleaned and styled into a coffee table container, storing away coasters or the matches for your favorite candle. Skip the random plastic organizers from a big-box store—a flat, rectangular Koh-I-Noor pencil case is perfect for holding your paper clips and random office supplies at your desk. Take your Band-Aids out of the paper box and store them in a vintage bandage case. I think our grandmothers were on to something when reusing tins as storage pieces around the house. Let the everyday feature something a little whimsical and curiosity-piquing.
If you’ve missed the dates of your favorite flea market, or maybe you’re somewhere right now where there isn’t one, online resale marketplaces are full of them. Some sellers are overpriced, others are like hitting the jackpot. You just have to scrolllllll and use those image recognition tools to the fullest (although I’ve had the most luck getting a bargain by buying in person).
Online, I’ve been able to find the Venus Drawing Pencils box in the “Autumn Serenade” video below.
Next time you have a few guests over, let them wonder when they spot the tin on your bookshelf: “Will it actually be cookies in here or sewing supplies?”
Some recommendations for you:
The live version of Men I Trust’s song “Tailwhip.” — I saw them live in Milan back in early June and it was easily one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to.
I loved this episode of 10% Happier with RuPaul so much that I actually brought it up in a therapy session.
Printed Goods, a design studio by artists (and twins!) George Graves & Raphael Graves.
Encyclopedia Saint Heronica — an interview and collaboration between Solange Knowles and PIN-UP (beautiful web design as well).
Thanks for reading and I’ll see you in the next one <3