I grew up amongst furniture, and I’ve never left it. In the heart of London, customers aren’t simply shopping for wood and fabric. Young men with new flats, and they all want character. A battered old wingback, never fails to speak up. A wingback ended up in a Belgravia study, and the scars became part of the charm. That’s the point with retro. They fall for fashion too quickly, but they always come back. Modern things break, whereas retro lives on.
Furniture mirrors the postcode. Kensington demands velvet, with mahogany accent pieces. Dalston experimental, with funky fabrics. That’s the charm. I’ve learnt over years, customers never forget the chair that mattered. You don’t get that from a catalogue. I still knock on the wood for weight, and the right piece never lies. Old furniture lives. Next time you flick through a catalogue, statement sofas think again. Bring comfortable home furniture something with story, and watch it age gracefully.
