How did Rococo come about? 

In truth I think it started when I was born! I have always been fascinated and passionate about interiors since a young age. I was constantly surrounded by creativity and my mother always took me on trips to antique markets, reclamation yards, auction houses and car boot sales - it’s amazing what you subconsciously take in and learn. I even remember raising my first paddle at an auction house with her!

But my business really began when I found that each time we entertained friends at home they would ask if I could find similar items (or even a certain look) to what I had created at home. This combined with the fact that I really enjoyed giving advice to people on a look and style made me realise that while many people knew what they liked or items they wanted, they sometimes lacked the eye or time to create it. Finding the right piece definitely doesn’t happen overnight!

Please share some fave/go-to markets…

The options are endless! it depends on how much time you have to give - some are small which are easy to go around in a morning, whilst others are so huge and daunting you couldn’t possibly see everything in a day. I also find gems hidden in the most unexpected places. Reclamation yards are a great place to start and it’s a sustainable way to reuse salvaged pieces, you never know what you might come across. The London based shop, Retrovious, is a wonderful architectural salvage and design business to buy from and what I love is that they occasionally reveal in their newsletters where the pieces they’ve salvaged have come from which makes your pieces feel rather magical when they are fitted in your home or project.

As far as markets go, I’ve never had a disappointing visit to the huge Shepton Mallet Flea market in Somerset and if I can I’ll try and go on to Frome reclamation afterwards.

If you’re in London, then Spitalfields market on a Thursday morning is always a fun one to go to which you can cover in a few hours and is manageable. Although the last time I went it was sad to see far fewer stands because of social distancing rules. The buzz of a market is what makes it.

Further afield, I had a great trip with Gloria Gonzalez in Madrid at a weekly Sunday market which was not only fun and constantly buzzing with activity, but I found some wonderful pieces!