Meet the Vintage Dealer: Revived and Restored
Meet Melanie from vintage restoration company Revived and Restored. We asked her about why she took this route into restoring furniture and the ups and downs of life as a vintage dealer!
I became a vintage furniture dealer because…. I was an interior designer for ten years and had customised my own furniture for many years prior to this. I couldn’t always source for a client what I was looking for although I knew exactly what I wanted “in my head”. I also felt that although mass produced furniture has its place in the market, I wanted to salvage good quality furniture that people had fallen out of love with and give it a whole new lease of life.
More recently my father Mike Castree, who is a recently retired accountant, was looking for a new venture. We decided that a common bond which linked us together was our flair for design in homes and furnishings and our appreciation of “something a little bit different”.
– The designs which inspire me the most are… those which are inspired my surroundings, things I have seen in everyday life and it just goes in to my memory bank I then interoperate it into a piece of furniture.
– My favourite piece… was our larder/pantry which we sold on Vinterior. This was a labour of love, it was constructed from a good quality wardrobe (although it was broken when we bought it at auction) our carpenter customised if from my designs, it was our largest and most expensive piece to date.
– When sourcing furniture, I look for… its shape.
– The best thing about vintage furniture is… the quality, it is so much heavier and sturdier than modern mass produced furniture and has its own individuality.
– The most challenging aspect of life as a furniture dealer is… storage! We are just about to extend our workshop which is a purpose built stable in a two acre field, to store much more furniture to customise and to ensure that our processes are run more efficiently.
– One thing that really inspires me is… a calming environment, the countryside where I live and work.
– A perfect day off would look like… a spa day, whilst being pampered, I would be taking in the surroundings too, as I just can’t help it!
– A cause close to my heart is… is Samaritans, as I worked there as a volunteer. I like helping people, it’s in my nature.
– I would have a beer/coffee with… George Clarke, as I love his enthusiasm for getting the most out of a small space. I would try a use his knowledge to incorporate into our furniture somehow – after our coffee or beer.
– A quality I value in other people is… empathy.
– Nostalgia to me is… my great childhood playing outside on my roller boots outside with my friends.
To browse through the wonderful vintage finds in Revived & Restored’s collection, click here.