Newark Fair: Antiques and Interiors

I attended Newark Antiques Fair with the hope of finding some inspiration for our clients, and this was most definitely achieved! The day was filled with exploring antique furniture, beautiful patterns, and unique artwork for the home, while discussing personal preferences in design with Eve Oliver from iacf.

At Howson Design Interiors, we’ve always had a passion for antiques and vintage. As a child of the 80s, I’m inspired by 60s , 70s and 80s design. My biggest source of inspiration is the home of my grandparents, in Skegness. Seeing how my grandparents designed their own home kickstarted my love of design. They were very, creative and their house was so imaginative. I remember going there as a child and seeing mirrored walls and wooden panelling – which was so visually impactful – and those memories have stuck with me. It instilled the importance of bringing history into interiors.

We love finding furniture and decor that have a story behind them – it’s always fascinating to know the history of pieces! Attending iacf antiques fairs is perfect for this, because you get to speak with all the dealers on the day. They’re informative and professional, and will often tell you the most interesting stories while selling antiques.

Knowing the character and history of decor is fundamental to our approach in home design. As interior designers, when we’re sourcing for our clients, it’s not about following trends, it's about assessing our clients’ personalities and mirroring what they love, and making sure we incorporate that in a timeless way using characterful pieces. I can’t emphasise how important it is to embrace your own touch and personality within your interior design – don’t just follow the next biggest trend on Instagram; follow your heart. In fact, I like to give our clients a questionnaire to get to know them better, so we can find items that have meaning. This makes the experience for the client extra-special. I’ll ask questions about where clients like to go on holiday, or what their interests were when they were younger. These types of questions help me to gauge my clients’ favourite memories, so that I can reflect these in my designs.                                                                       

Antique Furniture

The amount of antique furniture at Newark Antiques Fair was phenomenal. We came across some furniture which presented the highest quality of wood, emphasising how you don’t always get the same quality in furniture made these days. It’s important to preserve this quality, so at Howson Design, we love to make the most out of our clients’ pieces of furniture – if it can be saved, then we will save it!

Upcycling and refurb projects are always interesting to us. We love looking for a pair of chairs that project character, which can then be updated to a client’s chosen style by reupholstering them. It’s a shame that so many people throw furniture away when they think it’s past its best – at Howson Design, we take sustainability seriously, and always look for ways to bring old furniture back to life.

When it comes to antique furniture, a major misconception is the notion that you need to have an old house to suit antiques, but that simply isn’t the case. You can easily upholster your antique furniture to fit your style – you can choose a modern fabric to reflect your current style. For example, we came across a beautiful 18th century sofa which could easily be reupholstered with some contemporary fabric, bringing the 18th century into the 21st century.  

Don’t be scared to design with antiques – in fact, they can be more functional than newly manufactured items. A lot of people purchase high gloss finishes, only to find that they end up getting scratched, damaged and marked (especially if children are around). Antiques are designed to be used, and often has a bit of wear and tear, which means you can be brave with it!

If antique fairs aren’t accessible for you, then there are plenty of antique stores to check out. If you’re looking for some antique furniture online, then LoveAntiques.com has an incredible selection of antique furniture if you’re on the hunt for an antique mirror, antique sofas, antique bookcases, antique writing desks, and much more. 

Design Inspirations 

When it comes to antique furniture restoration and upcycling, you can be completely creative and original with your furniture; whether it’s upholstering a chair with your favourite pattern, or painting a wardrobe in a duck-egg blue that completely benefits your scheme. Inspiration for your style can come from many different places – at the moment, we love the biophilic design, bringing the outdoors inside. In the past we have used timber cladding in our designs – it’s easy to maintain, as it doesn’t need varnishing. Leaving it in its bare state allows you to see the natural texture of the wood, connecting your home with the calming outdoor environment.

Finding inspiration can be difficult sometimes, but when it comes to natural textures, there’s a huge array of new designers that incoporate this into their work. One of our favourites is Tom Faulkner – with no formal training, he creates the most beautiful furniture, taking his ideas from his natural surroundings. The pieces have organic, natural curves, and show how you can bring the outdoors into your home.

Another inspiration for Howson Design is the work of Antoni Gaudi, an architect/artist who introduced new techniques to the medium, such as trencadis, which used waste ceramic pieces. We love his work! We found his inspiration behind so many incredibly shaped pieces of furniture at Newark Antiques Fair, with unusual curves and unique features. 

Art and Ceramics

At Newark Antiques Fair, we discovered plenty of stalls specialising in artwork, including antique paintings, vintage sculptures and artists' collectables! As a former art and design teacher, I really value art and have a strong knowledge of the history of art, which is why antiques fairs like Newark are fascinating. Browsing through artwork at Newark really underscored how impactful an artwork can be, and how works of art bring a home to life.

The same can be said for ceramics. We love using ceramics in our work, but we often find that people have a misconception of ceramics – perhaps it’s a byproduct from watching too much Antiques Roadshow! Often, people think of the popular blue and white patterned vases, without thinking of all the gorgeous new ceramics from modern artists experimenting with ceramic techniques. We’ve found that there’s an increased demand for dinner sets – for us, the quirkier the better! At iacf, you can browse hundreds of ceramic dinner sets from dealers, ranging from early 18th century sets to vintage steals! 

Interior Trends

One thing we expect to see rising in popularity is the use of velvets. One hundred years ago, cotton velvet was seen as luxurious for the home. So why is this relevant now? Well, with people spending more time at home, people want comfort! We expect to see a lot of fabrics like velvet emerging into the home, as well as linens, which are getting softer as demand increases.

We’ve seen an incredible rise in the need for a home office, but this space can really lack personality. We love helping our clients make their offices more exciting, using patterned wallpaper to spark creativity in an otherwise joyless space.

We loved visiting Newark Antiques Fair and can't wait to visit again! We had so much fun browsing all of the incredibly unusual items, and figuring out how to use new pieces. You can find bargains that other people may not see the beauty in, and discover new stock every time you visit. That's why it's important to keep coming to these fairs, because you never know what to expect - each time it can be different.

You can find iacf’s list of antiques fairs in 2022 on iacf.co.uk – there are plenty of dates in lots of locations. Let’s go design hunting!