I can genuinely say that my very favourite items are little things that I have discovered and made part of our life.  The best example of this is my tiny glass ink bottles that I discovered nestled in the bottom of a wicker basket at an antiques market.  My heart did a little skip when I saw them, knowing that they are just perfect as vases for my summer sweet peas, I also knew exactly where they were going to go, on the shelf in our bathroom, to spread their sweet scent and sweet pea happiness every time you wash your hands!

For me, the delight or finding a treasure is one of the best things in life.  It's not about spending a lot of money, it's about loving and treasuring something and giving it a new life, possibly even saving it from landfill in the process.
I am not an organised, meticulous person, but I do  have a little mental list of items that I am after, so when I am mooching around antiques fairs or even charity shops I know what I am roughly after and can keep my radar on for spotting them!

Finding the perfect little item or piece of furniture for a spot in the house can be a time consuming business, fun when you have the time, but you do need to put the hours in mooching around old haunts to find it.  When the children were babies and I was on maternity leave, time was something I had plenty of ( sleep however I did not....!) so I could stumble on things more easily.  When you are working or simply don't have the time, stumbling on the item becomes a little harder, but still a simple pleasure when you get the chance.

At Alcove we try to curate a collection of lovely reclaimed, restored and found items that give our customers real pleasure to mooch around and find the perfect something for their home.
We love nothing more that the look on a customer's face when they measure one of our antique pine boxes and realise it is exactly what they were after to fit the nook in their living room!   Or they see a little chest of drawers and imagine their collection inside!
Another of our favourites was an antique wooden box which when opened up had a velvet writing slope, drawers and a secret compartment.  A customer bought it for his wife to store her silver jewellery making pieces and the velvet slope is perfect for pinning the jewellery to whilst it is being made! How fantastic that such an old item can find a wonderful contemporary use!
That makes us very happy!

We have a lovely range of period Fireplaces at Alcove, but did you know that we can also fit them for you?

Gary has extensive experience in restoring period properties and bringing them back to their glory.  If you'd like your fireplace restored or a period fireplace installing in your sitting room or bedroom then give us a call or pop in for a chat!