emmalovesretro specialises in home wares that are handmade with love from vintage fabric.
emmalovesretro has come to life organically since late 2007 when I first made some yoga mat bags from recycled denim jeans and sold them to my local yoga centre. Since then I have moved more towards homewares particularly specialising in cushions, with refurbished furniture (as and when I find suitable projects), gifts such as illustrated letters and bespoke blinds adding to the mix. I work with a small team including a talented seamstress who runs up all our goodies by hand.
I hand-pick all the fabrics for our cushions which are handmade in the UK with love and to a very high standard. Made in small, limited edition batches you can be sure that you are buying something original that you can cherish for years to come.
All things vintage have a history and tell a tale of their previous life and this is part of what makes them special. I'm a sucker for anything old and pre-loved and passionate about preserving the history, quality and craftsmanship of all times gone by. Vintage and retro prints are a particular passion, from flowers to geometrics, from the 40's to the 70's. I love anything with a interesting surface pattern, from wallpaper and furnishing fabrics to dresses.
I also feel strongly about preserving our world and it's resources, so whilst some waste is unavoidable I try to be conscious both at work and in daily life of the foot-print I leave behind. I use recycled stationary as much as possible, all our postcards are printed on 100% recycled paper with eco-friendly inks, and as well as recycling obsessively and I try to make responsible choices to help reduce waste as much as possible. Oh, and Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace are on the receiving end of my regular support.
If that wasn't enough for you and you'd like to read more about the things that influenced my love of retro you can click here to read more, or click here to read my interview at mydeco.com.
Emma.x
