We Love Local: Decara Home
Tell us a little bit about Decara Home.
Decara Home is an exciting new venture on the Queenstown Road in Battersea. The shop has been set up by myself, Angie Pinkney, who has run my own soft furnishings and interior design business for more than twenty years.
Decara Home sells a range of quality furniture and home accessories sourced from a number of countries including France and Belgium, as well as interesting items sourced in the UK, allowing customers to create an attractive and elegant environment within their own home.
The product range is varied, changing from month to month, and includes furniture, lighting and mirrors, tableware, textiles, candles, prints and frames.
When did the shop first begin?
The shop opened in early May 2014 after a couple of years looking for the right premises.
What do you think makes Decara Home unique?
It’s a small shop but within it is a wide and interesting range of furniture and home accessories. All the items are chosen by me personally, so the shop reflects my taste and style which has been well received by customers. Clients say they love the shop and many have commented that there is nothing else like it. The shop - with its combination of hues of greys and off whites - is also a haven of calm and relaxation.
What do you enjoy most about working there?
I enjoy working and meeting people and love the interaction I get from customers and value the feedback. I also love the opportunity to source so many interesting things for my customers and I love being surrounded by the beautiful things in the shop. Finding something new always gives me a buzz.
What made you want to break from doing interior design to running your own shop?
Having worked with interiors and soft furnishings for the past twenty years and having gained some retail experience working in a shop in 2012, I was very keen and excited to set up my own business. I was looking for a new challenge. I have a passion for interiors and was keen to explore a different way to help people to create an attractive and elegant environment within their own home.
Being so new, what would you say are the major differences for you between the two?
It’s not a complete break but it’s certainly a major change for me to be in the shop full time six days a week. Challenging, but rewarding!
Is there a certain style of decor that patrons can expect to find at Decara Home
Yes, The style would suit someone seeking to create an attractive, relaxed and elegant space in which to live and entertain friends. We have some lovely wooden pieces in light colours, such as off-white, greys and light browns. I’m aiming for a consistent and integrated style so many of the items work very well together. Think Paris, Provence and so on.
Besides selling furniture and home decor, you also offer other services; tell us a little about these.
Decara Home is also able to offer a soft furnishings service, provide interiors advice and help source items for customers. This includes the make up of curtains and roman blinds, for example. Customers will also benefit from my determination to offer a truly personalised service.
At Douglas & Gordon, we love local. Why do you love Battersea and why did you choose to set up your store there?
I’ve lived in South West London for the past twenty years. Battersea is an up and coming area with all the new developments taking place around the Power Station and Nine Elms. The new shop adds to a growing number of retail businesses on the Queenstown Road that focus on products and solutions for the home, from bathrooms, through to flooring and specialist tiling companies. It’s easily accessible from north of the river as well as other local areas such as Clapham and Wandsworth and has the advantage of easy parking (free on Saturday).
Do you have any favourite spots around Battersea?
The Power Station is of course a remarkable building that I can see from the shop. Battersea Park has always been a favourite place to take a pleasant walk along the river. The small zoo was often visited when the children were young. The bridges are a lovely sight at night.
To find out more about Decara Home you can visit them online at www.decara-home.co.uk/ or visit Angie in her store at 125 Queenstown Road, Battersea.