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Eight More Shops You Should Know About

Continuing the occasional series of Good Shops You Need to Know About, is a round-up of eight of my latest discoveries. Rather than add them one at a time to the relevant directories: Vintage , Contemporary, Boutique and Salvage. I have decided to present them here in one post. This means there is a little bit of everything. Something for everyone. Quality Street not High Street sort of thing.

TSE-TSE.COM

a metal drying rack is more contemporary than a wooden one

I love this shop. There is a branch in Rue St Roche in Paris (metro Tuileries) but they are happy to ship to the UK. The site is in either English or French and is a real treasure trove of contemporary lighting, modern seating and other delights. The website isn’t fantastically user-friendly but it’s worth persevering. I love this metal drying rack for example. The wooden ones can be a little too shabby chic for me but this is a great idea for a more modern kitchen. Its €295 and there’s a smaller one for €230 if you’re interested.

 

UNICHE INTERIOR FURNISHINGS

a little bit vintage, a little bit industrial.

Some of it’s vintage, some of it’s new and some of it has been tracked down by owners Laura and Mark, who have done a number of large scale renovation projects but realised that the bit they liked best was arranging all the furniture and lighting at the end. There’s a real eclectic mix from Scandi teapots to metal lighting and illuminated signs as well as the perfect battered leather armchair.

 

INNES

Innes is a third generation family-run business

Moving away from eclectic and vintage, is Innes, a store specialising in everything from lighting and furniture to gifts and accessories. If it’s here, it’s a properly licenced piece so you don’t need to worry about cheap knock-offs and copies, but, if that’s not your thing, there are plenty of contemporary items too. If you like to see things for real, and not just in cyberspace, there is a large showroom in Hessle, East Yorkshire or they can arrange for you to visit a London showroom if that suits you better.

FAO-SHOP

designers Another Country sell through FAO

Sticking with the contemporary theme, is this newly opened online store which brings together emerging talent from around the world. The site provides a link to each designer’s online boutique where you can see what they stock and find out a little bit more about them too. It’s a bit like entering into a giant department store but instead of having to rely on what the buyer thought you’d like, you can see everything that was made.

 

URBANESTORE.COM

odd couple’s bench by Plant and Moss

James Plant and James Moss set up their studio in 2009 and their client list now includes Anthropologie, Heals, Liberty and Pedlars. Now they have decided to expand with an online store which sells not only their own designs but also those of other designers whom they feel fit well with their ethos. Products are either sourced or made in the UK (that bench above is British Ash) or by locally skilled craftsmen. Check out the Arco light, based on a fishing rod and a winch to really understand where they’re coming from.

NEWBRITISHDESIGN.COM

the ergonomic rocking together chair

A new site dedicated, as the name suggests to new British designers. Their first collection features work by Ben Huggins. New collaborations are in the pipeline. In addition to this rather fabulous rocking chair there is a great little coffee table, which Ben says was inspired by a party trick involving three knives and four bottles of wine. Check out Little Star to see what I mean.

DISCOVERATTIC.COM

vintage furniture for the home office

Back in the days when it was called “old and new” rather than “vintage and modern” (basically in 1999) Alistair and Deborah Burnside set up a shop, Attic, full of their finds from around the world – but mainly Paris and New York. The website launched in July 2012 meaning the rest of us could have a look at their collections which now include women’s accessories, kid’s toys and gifts for men as well as furniture and homewares. Happy browsing.

INTO THE WOODSHED

reclaimed cinema seat stool and machine base desk

Rather than just re-selling vintage objects, the owners of The Woodshed are practical sort of people and they use the vintage materials to make new, bespoke, and original pieces. Obviously, they will rewire old lights before selling, but you should also look out for their vintage style industrial stools made from the salvaged backs and seats from an old cinema combined with legs made by a local (Somerset) metalwork designer, or their tables (created to exactly the size you want) from reclaimed wood and, again, local steel legs.

 

Kate Watson-Smyth

The author Kate Watson-Smyth

I’m a journalist who writes about interiors mainly for The Financial Times but I have also written regularly for The Independent and The Daily Mail. My house has been in Living Etc, HeartHome and featured in The Wall Street Journal & Corriere della Sera. I also run an interior styling consultancy Mad About Your House. Welcome to my Mad House.

6 Comments

  1. Awesome post Kate, thanks for sharing these. I have been to the Innes store and love them. Do you recommend any second hand furniture online stores in the UK?

  2. I’m trying to source four things:
    a 1950s fridge door
    an old, wooden marble run
    a modern fridge door
    an early 20th Century larder door

    Would you be able to suggest anything at all? Thanks.

  3. There’s a great shop in Brighton called Utility, they have an online shop utilitygreatbritain.co.uk.. They sell fantastic laundry items.. I hope this helps!

  4. Do you have any items or information where to buy vintage laundry items apart from eBay. I am gathering articles for an art installation on the work of the laundry maid around 1900. I need a dolly tub, dolly peg, wash tub (metal or wood), clothes horse(s), flat irons, old linens, anything appropriate to create the era and environment. Help please

    1. Hi Coral, I don’t personally know but if you give me a twitter handle (if you have one) then I’m happy to tweet the question for you. Failing that if you give me permission to publish your email I can tweet that instead and ask the question. Let me know what’s best for you.

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