FRENCH ANTIQUES
Kath and Stephen Hazell, owners of The French House, share insight on their buying trips in France
How often do you visit France?
We spend approximately four months of every year there. Every visit, whether it’s for three weeks or !ve days, is approached with an open mind, including time for buying and sourcing, as well as enjoying the day-to-day pleasures that the country offers.
How focused are your buying trips?
Over the years, we’ve come to really understand our customer base so we can be judicious in the choices we make on a sourcing expedition – we’re aware of specific items that we know will appeal, but nothing is discounted out of hand. We’re always hoping for something very unusual or perhaps an item we’ve not seen or bought before.
Have you found anything exceptional on your current trip?
We visited a manor house close to Orléans and were fortunate enough to !nd a beautiful 200-year-old armchair known as a Marquise (pictured right). These chairs have much wider dimensions than the norm – the seller believes it was in order to accommodate the wide skirts of the ladies. Marquise chairs are difficult to come by and are usually of lovely quality.
Which French antiques are the most popular with your customers?
Mirrors have always maintained their popularity and now is no exception – they can be incorporated easily into any interior scheme and immediately li$ and lighten a space. We always make sure we have a large selection in stock.
Can you tell us about your best "nd?
Everything we !nd is wonderful! But we recently found a stunning armoire in a house near the Loire river. The house had been closed up since the Second World War, so nothing had been disturbed for over 70 years. Stephen noticed a pair of beautiful doors painted a classic blue-grey in the attic and further searching in different rooms revealed the cornice and then the sides until, miraculously, we had all the pieces. Back in York, our cabinetmaker pieced it together and our painter restored the areas of damaged paint.
Did you keep it or sell it?
It now has a new home in a pretty village in North Yorkshire. That armoire sums up what we love about our business – !nding exquisite pieces that could well have been overlooked and lost forever. They get a prolonged period of existence and give joy to their new owners.