VICTORIAN DREAMS

Shabs Kay, owner of Victorian Dreams, speaks to Molly Malsom about finding the perfect solution for restoring antique beds, her favourite pieces in the showroom and the joy of the job

Victorian Dreams is housed in a former primary school that first opened in 1750, so the building itself has lots of history. It’s perfect for our business, as you can never sell beds propped up against a wall – they need to be set up and dressed, so space is essential. The Grade-II listing means we have to be careful, but I love that we are preserving the history of not only the beds, but the building, too.

Bed restoration is one of our most popular services. Most metal Victorian beds are 4ft wide, which is a standard double, but nowadays most people want a much larger bed, which can require an extra 2ft being added. We had to figure out a way to widen the beds without it being obvious they had been altered. We’ve managed to do this successfully in a process that requires extending the metal, cutting the bed, adding an extra section of metal, and then grinding it all down. We then sandblast and paint the entire frame and add the brass sections back on.

You can’t alter the size of upholstered or wooden beds, but they tend to exist in larger sizes anyway. Most of the cane and upholstered beds we get are French, and they’re generally larger. Italian wooden beds are the same.

Nowadays, we stock anything that is antique or vintage.

At the moment there’s lots of interest in Edwardian wooden beds. They date from around 1910 and were made from walnut or mahogany. You couldn’t have given them away 20 years ago, but now they’re really popular. We also have a beautiful upholstered French bed in at the moment, which we’ve redone with a blue and white William Morris fabric. We’ve dressed it up in the showroom with a bespoke mattress, and are selling both together.

I buy a lot from antiques fairs in France and I’ve met so many interesting people there, many of whom are now good friends. I love that you never know what you’re going to find when you go out buying. It’s the thrill of the unknown and the unexpected that makes it so fun. victorian- dreams.co.uk

Homes & Antiques 19

ABOVE FROM LEFT Owner Shabs Kay in the main showroom; a beautiful example of an antique cane bed; the exterior of Victorian Dreams. The building was formerly a village school.

ABOVE & LEFT An antique wooden bed has been dressed to perfection and displayed in the showroom; this four- poster metal bed is proof that these antiques are just as practical (and pretty) in today’s homes.