Vintage Dream

Mandii Weir has turned her love of shabby style into a thriving Internet business – and her home reflects her passion for all things vintage.

The exterior of the house in which Mandii lives with her husband and son is modern, but it’s taken her over four years to decorate almost all of it in her favourite style – and she’s transformed the inside into a ‘shabby-vintage’ paradise. “It’s still a work in progress,” she confesses, “but the white just makes everything look so much prettier. My dream is to have an old weatherboard house,” she adds.

The front sitting room is her favourite. “It’s the place where I can go and just relax,” she says. “It’s very soothing.” Mandii also enjoys being able to give old furniture a new lease of life. “With shabby, you can mix old with new, so I just love it,” she smiles. “I love those old pieces with the paint all chipped.” She likes it so much that she has turned the shabby-vintage style into an online business. “I buy old furnishings, give them a makeover and sell them on eBay,” she explains. “I paint everything white – much to my dad’s horror – but I just love the look.”

Mandii also makes vintage-style lamps, shades and decorative cupcakes that she sells under her eBay name shabby_vintage_dreams. “My ultimate goal would be to own a shop one day,” she declares. “But my son is only four years old and what I’m doing allows me to spend time with him.” Her business is also something of a family affair. “My father helps me with going to auctions,” she laughs. “I call him my personal buyer.”

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