Ames Reclaims began from a long-standing love of old things…

…and the feeling that homes are better when they reflect the people living in them.

What started as sourcing pieces for my own home gradually turned into a wider search for objects that were well made, had stood the test of time and still worked in my home. Try as I might to be modern, I found myself, over and over again, going back in history, finding the story and the search as exciting as the buying itself.

After some very big life and trajectory changes in my previous professional life (a story for another day!), I thought I would see if I could take all the knowledge I had built (and the items I had hoarded) and see if I could sell them. To allow myself a backup career. One year later, my backup career has very much become my main career. It's made me the happiest I have ever been!

When sourcing, I find I'm drawn to pieces that feel equally useful and beautiful. I love a decorative piece, but there is something about finding something that's 100 years old but can still be used today, even if the use is slightly different to its original purpose.

I find the main pieces I'm unable to leave behind are studio pottery with all its glazes and glory, worn wood of any colour – just smoothed and bent from time, shiny metals (the magpie in me), oil paintings (the grander and more botanical the better), handmade textiles and decorative objects that bring depth and character to a space without feeling over-styled.

Pieces are released in small fortnightly drops, each centred around a particular mood, material or way of living, with a focus on creating interiors that feel layered, personal and lived in over time.