1 How did you get your start?
I am a restorer and cabinet maker by trade, and I struck up with a friendship with the founder of Westland (Geoff Westland) in the nineties. I had always collected antiques and Geoff gave me the opportunity to work with some pieces of exceptional quality. I haven’t looked back.
2 Have you noticed any collecting trends in the last 12 months?
Lockdown seems to have encouraged a lot of people to make purchases for their homes that they had been putting off for some time. With a lot more time at home, people have made buys they may have been deliberating over for many years. A new mirror, or chandelier, does a lot to brighten one’s mood!
3 Who do you admire from the art and antiques world?
I really admire the restoration staff here at Westland London and many other talented restorers in the field. Their unerring eye for detail and a passion for what they do, combined with hours of painstaking work, is often overlooked and underappreciated by buyers. A good restorer can revive what has been deemed by many to be irreparable; without them the world would have lost some of its most significant items.
4 What is one great discovery you’ve made?
A particular favourite is a beautiful marquetry table by AWN Pugin, which we purchased at a local auction house in something of a neglected state. We carefully restored it, and it is now happily displayed at a collector’s home in Canada.
The marquetry table by AWN Pugin which Westland London restored and sold to a collector in Canada.
5 What is one thing you couldn’t do without?
The 1930s lift in our showroom – it saves us many hours of backbreaking work, and I also love that it is a great survival from the showroom’s time as a warehouse.
