Page 69 - Country Homes & Interiors (August 2019)

DESignER pRoFilE
Meet Emma & Mike Vincent,
furniture
designers
How did Vincent Trading come
about? Mike has always been a
joiner and after relocating to Devon
to be near the sea, he decided
he wanted to go it alone. I have a
degree in business management
and had been wanting to start my
own creative business too, so it just
made sense to do it together. My
love of modern rustic determines
our standard range, but we also
design custom pieces.
What’s the ethos behind your
business? We live for the beauty
in imperfection, championing a move
away from mass-produced items,
which all look identical, in favour
of those with character and history.
Trees are a great planet-friendly
source of building materials as
long as they’re grown and felled
responsibly. We mainly use
reclaimed scaffolding boards
sourced from Cornwall as they’re
often only used for short periods
of time – a shame considering the
energy that has gone into making
them! The timber is still perfectly
strong, great for producing furniture
that will last generations.
Where do you find inspiration?
The wood itself holds endless stories.
Sometimes a particular reclaimed
piece will arrive and I can tell straight
away it deserves to be turned into
FEATURE TARA KIng something special. Instagram is full of RevIve JoIneRy uses a mix of sustainable materials to craft its signature
inspiration, too. I love its community
feel; it’s a great way of meeting other
designers and sharing creative ideas.
Storage boxes,
from £50 each
Where do you sell your products?
We mainly sell our pieces via our
website, but we are also part of a
small collective based in our local
area called Devon Pop Up Creatives.
Together, we arrange small events
for a unique shopping experience.
What do you love most about
living and working by the coast?
Although work keeps us really busy,
being so close to the sea means we
can easily take five minutes out of
our day to watch the tide come in
and see the sun set, or take our dog,
Lola, for a run along the beach.
3 more woodworkers to watch...
banquet tables. 01273 965110, revivejoinery.co.uk TeDWooD produces
beautiful furniture from sustainable British wood. 01243 572567, tedjefferis.co.uk
FoRge CReATIve uses offcuts to create its gorgeous products. forgecreative.co
Reclaimed wood
table, from £650;
wooden benches,
£300 each
Do you use social media for your
business? our work is very visual,
so we spend most of our time on
Instagram. It’s a great place to build
relationships with other designers
and share creative ideas. We’re
growing quickly and find that a lot
of our website traffic and sales
seem to come from Instagram.
What words of wisdom do
you have for anyone thinking
of starting a business?
The most important thing is to just
get going, even it’s only one hour
a week. Don’t compare yourself to
others, just do what’s right for you.
Sum up your style in three words.
Timeless, modern and rustic.
Vincent Trading, @vincenttrading,
vincenttrading.co.uk
CoUnTRy HoMeS & InTeRIoRS 69