In Da Co age

Rob Wyn Yates and Richard Atkinson turned a co!age industry into a fully "edged antiques business, opening In Da Co!age in Framlingham, Su#olk in 2013

What are your backgrounds?

Richard has worked in antiques for over 25 years, starting as a porter at Sotheby’s. I’ve [Rob] been an interior designer for 23 years and started at David Collins Studio.

Why did you decide to open In Da Cottage?

We both love to shop. After a while it became clear that the size of our shopping habit was at odds with the size of our cottage. To regain some sort of order we decided to empty the house and furnish it with pieces we wanted to sell. The first exhibition was in 2011 with others held at roughly six-month intervals. They were great hits. However, after almost three years, we had an offer of some wonderful premises in the nearby town of Framlingham, so we opened a permanent space there in 2013. We are open on Saturdays and other times by appointment.

What do you sell?

We believe in love at first sight so we only sell pieces that we would want to own. Whatever you see in something, hopefully someone else will see it too. We always strive to be interesting and eclectic, so we have a mix – from Georgian items right through to contemporary ones. Interesting, well-priced lighting is hard to find, so we try to major in this. We always have affordable pieces, from £5 upwards, and the most expensive thing in the shop is currently a bookcase, priced at just under £5,000.

How do you source the items?

From anywhere and everywhere! No holiday is complete without several irresistible finds. We spend a lot of time searching, but tend to be very specific when buying. Richard is off to see his family in Cumbria and I fully expect him to return with more than he left with.

What is your favourite item for sale at the moment?

Tricky question – there are so many standout pieces. But it would be a 19th-century mahogany cabinet with drawers below, probably from a haberdasher’s that would look amazing in a kitchen. As we only sell things we like, almost every sale is tinged with regret. We’re still mourning the sale of a Victorian taxidermy parrot and a pair of travertine cubes. 07866 472389; indacottage.co.uk