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The antique horseshoe chair in the dining room dates from the late 19th century from Shandong province, northeast China |
We were delighted to get the chance to look round the home of Shimu customers Mike and Sara Presley, who live in the pretty Pennine village of Almondbury near Huddersfield. The couple are regular visitors to the Shimu showroom at Albion Mills, Greengates, so it was a treat for our Director James to be welcomed into their home to view some of the pieces in situ. The couple moved into this beautiful house just a few years ago and have spent two years largely gutting the interior, refurbishing and redecorating. They consider the revamp of the house to now be just about complete. Mike runs a company which supplies fabric to most of the UK’s major sofa manufacturers. He started the business many years ago from a small workshop, importing textiles from China. As a result, he has spent many years in the country, making regular visits to suppliers and factories. |
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Mike and Sarah had thought carefully about furniture for their revamped home. They both knew the impact a carefully chosen original piece can have on a room, but didn’t want run-of the mill antiques. Whilst they wanted pieces with history, they sought ones with a more eclectic feel, different from the mainstream. Mike had seen some interesting antiques on his visits to China, and looked into the possibility of having some of them shipped over. Before getting to grips with the red tape, bureaucracy and expense involved in shipping antiques from China, Mike thought he’d have a look at what was available in the UK. A simple web search found Shimu, and Mike was surprised and pleased to find the showroom so close to his own home. |
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Mike and Sarah have skilfully furnished the house with a mix of antiques and reproduction pieces. The gorgeous black lacquer tapered cabinet pictured above is a copy of a traditional style which was common throughout China. Its tapered shape is wonderfully fluid and its doors are set into the frames on wooden dowels, meaning metal hinges are not necessary and adding to its clean and stylish appearance.
The antique sideboard pictured above (see similar) is both beautiful and practical, acting as useful storage in the dining room. Mike and Sarah also have this reproduction Ming sideboard in black lacquer in their living room, below a flat screen TV, which houses CDs, DVDs and books.
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Reproduction Ming sideboard in black lacquer acts as useful living room storage |
Shimu is the largest stockist of Chinese and oriental antiques in the North of England, and our collection rivals that held anywhere in Europe. As you can see from Mike and Sarah’s beautiful house, we also have a great range of handcrafted modern and reproduction pieces, some faithful copies of traditional Chinese furniture and some with a more contemporary slant. Visit our website or our showroom at Albion Mills, Greengates, close to the Leeds and Bradford ring road to see for yourself. |
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