Interview with Emma Weeks, Owner of The Treasure Trove Interiors
What inspired you to set up The Treasure Trove Interiors ?
It was really a long-anticipated change in lifestyle that inspired me and my husband Christian to set up The Treasure Trove Interiors. Having moved from London down to Brighton in 2010, I managed the commute back to the City for a couple of years and over that time, began planning the change in career from Office Manager, to running my own furniture business.
Inspired by a love of French and antique furniture, home interiors, years of rummaging car boot fairs and auctions around the country, it was time to make our weekend hobby a full- time reality! I found a local shop offering furniture painting courses and immediately signed-up! I fell in love with the process of upcycling and soon obtained a workshop to store some of the furniture I had started to acquire and the rest is history!
What does a typical week look like for you?
Fortunately, no week is ever the same at The Treasure Trove Interiors. Sourcing furniture is one of the main requirements, so we’re often attending antique fairs around the UK, or popping over to France to see suppliers and attending trade fairs over there.
Once we’ve sourced the furniture, we head back to the workshop to start the transformation, which often includes small repairs, to ensure every piece is sent out in great condition. We then apply a range of techniques, including painting, glazing, waxing and other decorative effects to enhance each piece. Once finished, we can start photography and start uploading our new stock to the website and social media.
Aside from selling our furniture online, we also offer a ‘Furniture Sourcing’ service, for customers looking for that special piece, in a particular style or size and who would like us to paint in their colour choice and finish. This also ties in with working with several interior designers who I also help to fulfil their customer’s requirements.
What excites you about sourcing and up-styling furniture?
For me, it’s all about the transformation. I love the fact that each piece has its own history and once provided a function in a previous life, quite often as far back as the 1800s! The quality and workmanship of these pieces is truly incredible, considering we are still able to use them today, it’s a true testament to those makers and a big bonus is we are re-using and recycling unwanted items, helping the planet just that little bit more!
How would you like The Treasure Trove Interiors to develop?
We started The Treasure Trove Interiors back in 2012 and over that time we’ve grown our brand and our reputation for high quality antiques and customer service. Remaining a small business has enabled us to continue offering a personal, reliable and bespoke service that you can’t often get with larger more commercial businesses, so I guess as long as we keep doing that, we’re happy!
What advice would you give to someone looking to change their lifestyle?
“Just do it!” I can honestly say, I’ve never been happier since realising my passion. It’s an incredible journey of personal learning and self-development which doesn’t seem to stop, and although it’s not always plain sailing, the rewards far outweigh any bad days. Even if things don’t work out, I always think it’s better to give something a go and have that experience … you never know, it could lead to another avenue you wouldn’t have thought of previously!
What makes a perfect weekend for you?
Taking advantage of the beautiful Sussex countryside is always a must and we love long walks by the sea, or a local country pub. We also enjoy camping around the UK and of course meeting up with friends and family on our travels! We currently, we have our hands full with transforming our garden and building a home office – I will definitely be checking out Beautiful Heirloom Home features for inspiration!
https://www.thetreasuretroveinteriors.co.uk