Aunty Mabel’s Seat wins Best Newcomer at Northern Design Awards
As I walked through the door of Aunty Mabel’s Seat I received a very warm welcome from Tilly and Mabel the dogs closely followed by the owner Rebecca.
There was something unbelievably homely and welcoming about this Knutsford business that made me really look forward to finding out more about what happens here.
Rebecca’s passion for interiors was first ignited at her first job with Fired Earth, who specialise in interiors products; floor and wall tiles, paint, bathrooms, kitchen furniture and wood flooring.
From there she moved to a Victorian house restoration project. This proved really successful and Rebecca took the opportunity to diversify by buying an interior design business in Didsbury. Having sold that business she worked freelance for three years before beginning her long quest to find just the right location to open her next.
Happily, King Street in Knutsford turned out to be that place and in April 2010 Rebecca, her husband and her two gorgeous dogs opened the doors to Aunty Mabel’s Seat.
The intriguing and unique name comes from a family expression, with Aunty Mabel’s seat being the most coveted in the house.
Rebecca can create entire schemes for rooms or simply advise on choices of wallpaper and fabric. She specialises in re upholstering and restoring vintage furniture, which will happily fit into any modern interior. Each customer gets something completely unique and bespoke to them.
Rebecca finds her pieces for the business from all over the country at fairs and auctions but also works closely with a contact in France. She explained that because you never really know what is going to come up with vintage pieces it makes buying to order challenging but she can try and source specific items for customers.
She works with a broad range of brands to cater for everybody’s different needs and tastes. Casamance, Kenzo and Osborne & Little are all contemporary whilst GP & J Baker, Colefax and Fowler and Zoffany are more traditional.
Rebecca works with Designers Guild because it is so funky with very bright colours making it really unique. For those who prefer a more homely touch she prefers Mulberry and Ralph Lauren, whilst for a quirky twist there is Nina Campbell.
After learning all about the craft of upholstery Rebecca turned her hand to lampshades. She showed me a beautiful piece, that she had made herself, using a striking fabric incorporating a deep pink flower pattern, trimmed with glass beading in matching shades of pink that draws the eye to the generous curvy shape of the shade.
Rebecca avoids being identified with one particular style. She prefers to work with her clients to bring out their innate style and taste to make each of her concepts unique. Her aim is to give each client the confidence to go with his or her instincts.
On the 8th October, at the glittering Northern Design Awards ceremony, Aunty Mabel’s Seat walked away with Best Newcomer.
The awards are judged by a series of high profile names from the design industry including Diarmuid Gavin, Jan Constantine and Rebecca Drake, the Editor of Concept for Living. The event was compered by TV’s Nick Knowles and was subject to national media attention in publications such as OK Magazine.
Rebecca said of winning the award, “This win was totally unexpected. We worked very hard on our entry to these awards, with lots of examples of the work that we have done so far. We attended the event expecting no more than to meet our peers and network with like-minded people. To walk away with the best new comer award was a real honour”. The award can only be a sign of things to come. With a client-centred approach and her talent for mixing old with new Rebecca promises to produce something unique that really reflects your style and taste.”
See link below for her own description of her business: http://www.northerndesignawards.com/entry/rebecca-davies-aunty-mabels-seat
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