UrbanGrainInteriors

Hi There !

I am an Honours Design Graduate with over twelve years experience gained working within the head offices of top-end homewares retailers such as The Conran Shop, Conran Collection, Designer’s Guild and House of Fraser.

In 2006 I embarked on a career in property development, then in 2011 I decided to put down some roots and lend the skills and expertise I had acquired to start my own Interior Design Consultancy... every day I relished the new challenges, opportunities and avenues it brought...

I first started selling up-cycled furniture when I bought a collection of Art Deco bedroom furniture - one of my Interior Design clients wanted a dresser and I found her a perfect one, but had to buy the whole collection which included a wardrobe and two bedside cabinets... my client loved the refurbishment job I did on her dresser so I decided to refurb the rest of the collection and it sold on ebay really quickly...

... I loved sourcing and restoring elegant vintage and funky retro pieces... and Etsy provided me with the perfect outlet to do this on a regular basis... luckily enough I had a big double garage in my garden and converted this into a fully operational workshop and storage facility... I found myself spending more and more time restoring furniture and I loved it !

Then, another avenue presented itself... again, as a result of one of my Interior Design clients... she wanted some industrial shelving, door handles, a staircase handrail and lighting fixture, so I did a bit of research and prototyping and came up with a collection of reclaimed scaffolding plank and steel pipe options... she loved them and the results we achieved and urged me to start selling options in my Etsy shop because so many of her friends admired, and wanted, similar products every time they visited her house...

I shrugged it off for quite a while, but then I started to get more excited about the prospect and I posted some photos in my Etsy shop...

I was shocked when I started receiving messages that my work was beautiful! People began asking if I could make them desks,dining tables, shelving and many other items in the same style... so basically from a couple of items, my portfolio increased week by week, as almost, every time I get a commission I photograph it before I despatch it and list it as another product... so my range has grown organically...

... I still restore a few vintage homewares (and you can see these in my other Etsy shop here - www.etsy.com/uk/shop/BlakeandCo), as well as designing and manufacturing urban furniture... I love the mix, and there is a cohesiveness in that both styles of the furniture in my shop use reclaimed materials and are stylish and relevant to modern lifestyles, whether they be suburban or urban !