French Vintage Homewares
How to buy from Pretty Old Home
As a small online business, we aren't currently set up for immediate online sales through card payments so you need to e-mail us if you see anything you like, and pay by bank transfer or Paypal. Thanks for your understanding.
Please feel free to contact us if you'd like more photos of anything on the site. Items can be collected in-person from south-west London or we're happy to quote on postage costs and mail across this city, country, or across the world!
Vintage kitchen items
Antique French coffee grinder
Wonderful antique coffee grinder labelled as “Le Parfait Broyeur" (“the perfect grinder” in English) made by E.G. in Migennes in the Yonne department of France near Paris.
Metal mechanism is fully intact and functioning, although it is a bit rusty and could do with a clean. Includes a small wooden drawer to catch the coffee grounds.
Approximately 21 cm tall including the grinding handle, and the wooden box is roughly 15cm square.
A beautiful vintage coffee grinder that would make a lovely display piece.
Linens and tableware
Vintage French linen tea towel with red stripe
Beautiful white vintage linen tea towel from France with a red stripe along the long edge Large size, approx. 75cm by 58cm. Lovely fabric quality. Tape loop for easy hanging.
Bought in central France. In great vintage condition with no holes or rips. Add a charming touch of French vintage to your home!
Linens and tableware
Four vintage French napkins with embroidered flowers
Four beautiful old French napkins. Beige cotton napkins with flowers embroidered in one corner and green cross-stitch around the edges.
Each napkin is approx. 40cm square. Bought in central France. All are in lovely vintage condition with no holes or stains. A charming touch of French vintage style for your dining table!
Linens and tableware
Rare vintage French linen long bistro apron with pockets
Beautiful old French long bistro apron in crisp white linen with two pockets. Lovely scalloped bottom edge on the apron and on the top of the pockets. In immaculate vintage condition with no stains, marks, or holes.
Approx. 85cm wide and 75cm long. Perfect for Francophiles or anyone who wants to add a touch of traditional French cooking to their kitchen!
Linens and tableware
Beautiful square white and red vintage French tablecloth with monogram YM
Charming white vintage French tablecloth with monogram YM in the centre and red floral design around the edge. Approx. 1.2 metres square - can be used on a square or a round table
Lovely light fabric (either cotton or linen) with damask floral texture. In beautiful vintage condition with no stains, holes or marks A lovely touch of France for your dining table or for summer picnics
Linens and tableware
Set of five old napkins with scenes from La Chasse (hunting scenes)
Set of five matching French cotton napkins, illustrated with scenes from the "chasse" (hunt scenes) with people on horses and hunting dogs. In excellent condition, each serviette is approx. 42cm square
Bought in central France, these would make a charming addition to your dining table!
Linens and tableware
Pair of vintage white French linen napkins
Set of two large vintage French linen napkins with a lovely damask design. Each cloth napkin is approx. 47cm square. Plain white linen in excellent, as-new condition. Freshly laundered and ironed.
Bought in central France, these would make a charming addition to your dining table. Perfect for lovers of traditional French tableware and linen and the perfect gift for Francophiles!
Linens and tableware
Set of five old napkins with scenes from La Chasse (hunting scenes)
Charming white vintage French tablecloth with two monograms with the initials PB and green and brown stripes
Approx. 1.4 metres square - can be used on a square or a round table. Bought in central France.
Lovely heavy quality fabric, either linen or cotton/linen blend. In beautiful vintage condition with no holes and only a couple of light marks consistent with age.
A beautiful touch of France for your dining table or for summer picnics
Linens and tableware
Four extra large vintage French linen napkins
Set of four oversized vintage French linen napkins with a lovely damask floral design. Each cloth napkin is approx. 65cm square. Plain white linen in excellent, as-new condition. Freshly laundered and ironed.
Bought in central France, these would make a charming addition to your dining table. Perfect for lovers of traditional French tableware and linen and the perfect gift for Francophiles!
Vintage crockery
Rare French porcelain plates made by Ceranord St. Amand - Versailles pattern
Set of six vintage French porcelain plates – bowl plates approx. 23cm across. Simple yet stylish white plates with a gold leaf design and stripe on the rim. Manufactured by Ceranord St. Amand in the north of France, these probably date from the 1930’s or 1940’s as the factory closed in 1952.
In beautiful condition with no cracks or chips. One of the plates has some crazing but the others are in immaculate condition. These plates are a gorgeous, rare collection of early 20th century French porcelain.
Crockery
Four vintage Sarreguemines dessert plates with satirical illustrations
Add a touch of vintage French wit to your table with this set of four delightful dessert plates from Sarreguemines, one of France’s most celebrated faience manufacturers.
These white and brown ceramic plates feature finely detailed, satirical illustrations of “Les Vocations” (Jobs) with captions in French, capturing the spirit and humor of 19th/early 20th-century French life.
Approx. 19cm (7.5 inches). In very good antique condition: light wear consistent with age; no cracks chips, or repairs.
A rare collectible set with personality that’s ideal for display or use. Whether you're a collector of Sarreguemines, a Francophile, or someone who appreciates antique ceramics with character, this set is sure to charm.
French linens
Old French apron with multi-coloured edge - Pierre Teck Tissages
Gorgeous vintage French half apron with front pocket. Black 100% cotton with multi-coloured braid along two edges and red diagonal pocket and waist-ties. Made by Pierre Teck Tissages in France. Bought in central France and freshly laundered and ironed.
Measures 65cm (26 inches) along the base and 48cm (19 inches) from top to bottom. In pristine, as new condition. An absolutely charming memento of France!
Antique French Books
Rare antique copy of Le Cuisinier Impérial from 1812 – classic French cookbook
Beautiful antique French book - Le Cuisinier Imperial. Sixiëme Edition (6th edition) - published by Chez Barba in Paris in 1812.
Le Cuisinier Impérial (The Imperial Cook) is a famous 19th-century French cookbook by André Viard, first published around 1806, with this edition published in 1812. This classic book became a quintessential reference for French chefs, covering cooking and pastry from basics to high cuisine, and even introducing the classic soufflé to French tables.
This hard-to-find vintage book has a traditional leather-bound spine and marbled cardboard cover. All 446 pages are intact and bright but show some foxing. Approx 21cm tall, 13cm deep and 3cm thick, this is a beautiful classic book in great condition.
Linens and tableware
Vintage linen with monogram "PP" - small tablecloth or large tea towel
Beautiful vintage French linen square; use either as a small tablecloth or large tea towel.
White linen with pink checkerboard stripes and embroidered edging. In great condition with no stains or holes.
Monogram "PP" in charming embroidery in one corner. Approximately 65cm square (2 feet square). Freshly laundered and ironed.
Antique French Books
French book set from the early-1800's, two volumes of Le Mot et La Chose
These charming rare vintage books are both volumes of Le Mot et La Chose (in English - The connection between words and things) written in French by Amalric de Bréhan, published in Paris by Le Normant in 1807. Inside the front cover, plates show the books were part of the library at Chateau du Tremblay in 1856, owned Charles Olivier de St George de Verac, a well-known French soldier and politician.
Each book is approx. 20cm tall, 13cm wide and 4cm thick with original leather spines and cardboard covers. Spines and covers are worn but internally the pages are bright and clean with all pages intact.
Antique French Books
Rare leatherbound copy of Receuil Nécessaire by Voltaire, published in 1765
Beautiful French antique book - Receuil Nécessaire by Voltaire – printed in Leipzig, but written in French, in 1765. All 319 pages are intact, clean and bright with no foxing. This hard-to-find vintage book has a traditional leather-bound spine and cover. Approx 20cm tall, 12cm deep and 3cm thick, this is a beautiful classic book in excellent condition.
Antique French Books
Four matching green antique books in French from the early 1900s
This beautiful old book set, written in French, is a collection of beautifully illustrated, matching green antique novels from the early 1900’s. These charming books are readable French vintage books with stunning sketch illustrations throughout each novel.
The books are: Chonchette, La Tourmente, Les Roches Blanches, Dernieres Lettres des Femmes. None of the books are dated but internet searches would place them all around 1910. The book bundle consists of four books which will cover space/make a stack of 5cm/2inches and they are all around 24cm/9 ½ inches tall.
Antique French Books
Two classic antique books in French by Anatole France
These two leather-bound books in French are a charming matching set by Anatole France. These are readable vintage books, Le Mannequin d’Osier (1924) and L’Anneau d’Amethyste, and both were published by Calmann-Lévy in Paris. Each book is around 19cm tall and 13cm deep.
This beautiful old book set will make a classic addition to your bookshelves or coffee table and they’d also be great for wedding décor, home staging, set decoration and photoshoots, and for Francophiles looking for a touch of vintage France. These hundred-year-old books are in great condition for their age with all pages intact.
Antique French Books
Two antique hardback books in French from the 1800’s
These two brown leatherbound are readable vintage books, both written in French. The books are Marie Thérèse – third edition, published by the Librarie International in Paris, and Offices Compets Notés Partie d’Hiver which includes music and songs throughout, published by Librarie d’Adrien Le Clerc et Cie in 1869.
One book is around 17cm tall while the other is around 20cm tall while they are both around 12cm deep. There is some wear and tear to the covers but all the pages are intact and they’re in great condition, given they’re almost 200 years old.
