The new generation Meet the sourcerers – stylists and antiques dealers offering a simple way to buy unique
These innovative antiques dealers and stylists are offering to take the hard work out of finding unique pieces
Having a well-trained eye is everything in the interiors world. It’s the magic power that helps you pick that one vintage gem from the piles of secondhand junk; the confidence to commission one-off items that will be treasured for generations; and the skill to track down the limited-edition designs that everyone’s searching for. But what if yours is a lazy eye? After all, it takes a lot of time to find that perfect piece. Or what if you require the in-depth knowledge of where to look and who to contact? Then you turn to a new generation of stylists, designers and dealers who are willing to lend you their expertise – their eye, if you will. You can browse their latest finds online, ask them to seek out that special something or hire them to decorate a whole room or house. Here, we’ve picked three firms at the forefront of this democratic design revolution…
Béton Brut
‘Strangely, I came to design through politics,’ says Sophie Pearce, who founded Béton Brut in 2013 with fellow furniture dealer Augustus Greaves. ‘I used to work in political news and PR and was studying the politics of space at university when I became interested in the principles of modernism.’ An online gallery was set up to sell the minimal, sculptural designs the pair were drawn to, with a treasure trove of a showroom opening in London’s Hackney Wick a few years later. ‘The hunt for pieces,’ says Pearce, ‘is a full-time vocation. It involves looking in all of the places, all at once, all of the time.’ More often than not, the finds that catch her eye are by architects and artists from the 20th century – those favouring Bauhaus-style simple lines and curves. Her biggest interests now are cork (she recently picked up some 1970s cork lamps by the late, great Ingo Maurer) and paper (original light sculptures by Isamu Noguchi). Plus, she adds, ‘I’m a sucker for marble.’ Whether looking for the gallery or private clients, she’s most happy when searching across Europe for pieces with promise. ‘I’m guided by what I love,’ she says. ‘I’m always buying for my own real or imagined home.’ betonbrut.co.uk
‘THE HUNT FOR PIECES IS
A FULL-TIME VOCATION. IT INVOLVES LOOKING IN ALL OF THE PLACES, ALL AT ONCE, ALL OF THE TIME’