Interior company have set up home in Newham

Friday 13th May, 2022

Home is where the enamel teapot is. Or how about a model replica of the Britannia? Or maybe a lifebelt and a galvanised bucket?

These are just some of the weird and wonderful finds at Barn Fresh Interiors, a thriving vintage and reclamation business that has just set up home in Newham.

Owner Becky Edwards says it’s the perfect location for her ever-changing collection of furniture, garden ware, accessories and one-off finds sourced from all over the country and beyond.

She and husband Steve, who also works at Barn Fresh, have just returned from a successful stock-finding mission to France, where they loaded their Citroen Berlingo van with pieces they picked up from markets and stores across Brittany.

The latest load will be added to their eclectic collection in the unit they recently refurbished in Newham Road.

“I’d been looking for an industrial unit for ages because we really needed a decent warehouse,” said Becky, who set up Barn Fresh in 2012 after discovering a passion for all-things vintage. She had been storing her finds in a garden shed but was quickly running out of space as demand for her stock kept rising.

The Barn Fresh Interiors Facebook page, where Becky posts her latest items every Sunday at 7pm, has developed a loyal following of customers based locally and all over the country.

Some of her vintage pieces have even been bought by prop companies working for television programmes. Becky says she recently spotted one of her retro wooden trunks on The Grand Tour, where Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May travel the globe as the hosts of the Amazon series.

“I’ve got so many fantastic customers,” says Becky. “When you run a business like this, you start to see what it means to other people. It’s so incredible. Some of my customers live off-grid but they go and stand on a hill on Sunday at 7pm to get signal so they can see what we’ve got.”

Becky says she’s instantly attracted to things that are ‘slightly odd’.

“If it’s not something I’ve seen before, I think to myself, I should have that,” she said, listing some of her more bizarre finds, such as the top half of a model of a gorilla and a road sign to Norwich. “Somebody will have that one day,” she added.

Barn Fresh Interiors has already attracted plenty of intrigued passers-by, as well as the firm’s regular private and trade customers, including restaurant owners and event planners.

“Newham has been a revelation to me,” said Becky, who is delighted with her new business location. “I’ve worked on my own for 10 years and I’m pretty independent but being here, you feel like you really belong to something.

“Our first few weeks here have been amazing. I’ve met so many lovely people already and I feel like setting up here has totally revitalised the business

“Newham has been nothing but positive for me.”

Watch our video with owners Becky and Steve, here.

See Barn Fresh Interiors on Facebook.