Having had her North London flat grace the cover of House & Garden, Emma Grant has cemented herself as a designer to watch. Who better to ask to do us a lovely round-up of all the places that float her boat.
Dyeworks came to me recently by recommendation. Whilst searching for a particular linen to colour match an antique textile in need of repair, I was fortunate to be pointed in the direction of Polly Lyster’s hand-dyed fabrics. I understand she creates these using antique cloth as a base which I think gives her textiles an excellent time-worn quality. Prices start at £67 per square metre.
Water and Wood are master restorers of antique hardware and make beautiful defunct taps fit for purpose. A fairly ordinary sink will benefit from some out of the ordinary taps. You’ll find a great deal of them here.
I have a growing collection of Delft tiles stacked up at home. Not entirely sure where they’ll all end up but I find they tend to come in handy for odd jobs (eg. small splash-backs). The wonderful thing about Delft tiles is that they typically go well together even if they’re accumulated from a variety of sources. This marvellous 18th century manganese design comes from the shop of Léon-Paul van Geenen in Delft. The lovebirds and more glazed stock can be found here.
I first came across Katharine Pole’s fabrics when I bought some beautiful Vichy check from her at a market. She’s an expert of antique french textiles and has an extraordinary inventory to match. Katherine’s 18th century flowering urns quilt is a wonderful remedy for any unsightly expanse of duvet.
The well-known architectural salvage trader Lassco is no great secret but I wanted to feature this little Victorian stained glass panel. I’m very fond of him despite his rather glum expression and would love to hang him up in a window.
NYC antique dealer Eric Oglander has a fascinating selection of exceptionally unusual objects on his instagram @tihngs. No doubt anything I introduce will have previously been snapped up but this early 1900s ink drawing of a labyrinth is a particular highlight for me. (ships worldwide)
When illuminated by candlelight this pair of 19th century shell carvings reveal the romantic silhouettes of a fisherman and fisherwoman collecting oysters. These lovely pieces are amongst many other curiosities sourced by dealer and maker Felicity Davis of newly founded Ocelot.
Also worth a mention is a set of curtains she’s created, made up of antique linen bed sheets reconstructed using an ancient Korean technique of patchwork called Pojagi. Take a look here @ocelot.shop
Located on Kensington Church Street is the much loved prop-hire/antique shop, The Lacquer Chest. Since the 50s it has sold things that ‘many shops neglected to see the charm or importance in’ and remains stocked with distinctive pieces, including this cotton and silk needlework picture that’s listed online throughThe Decorative Collective. If in town, don’t hesitate to stop by.
Wax Atelier make waterproof waxed linens and fashion them into reusable roll-top bags. The bags can be used to store foodie things and come in beautiful colours that are hand dyed with pigments made from flower heads and roots. Their origami wax paper boat kits and hand tapered beeswax candles are particularly delightful if Father Christmas needs any ideas.
Last year I was given a pair of Niwaki secateurs for Christmas. These are the smartest snippers around. Alongside many other elegant Japanese gardening tools, Niwaki sells a host of useful accessories such as tailor’s shears, handmade kitchen knives and niche stationary which make for excellent Christmas presents. Top of my wish list is a very serious pencil sharpener for those, like me, who appreciate an expertly sharpened pencil.