Can you tell us a bit about you and your world of work?
Community is an integral part of my business, Stone and Sage, also encompassing my passion for preloved and sustainability. I now offer an e-course, workshops, photography and styling for photoshoots, source/sell of vintage and preloved items for Interior Design clients, and I am currently in the process of becoming an author in the subject of home, décor, and interiors – with preloved at the heart of it. I feel incredibly passionate about positively promoting and encouraging our wider audiences, clients, and customers to source second-hand, to live a “greener” lifestyle and to fill our homes with sustainable homewares.
How did Preloved magazine come about?
The first Preloved Publication was first printed in March 2022, a long-term goal that has always been of mine was to publish and edit a publication that explored sustainability through lifestyle, home, and interiors. Preloved is perfect for those who are passionate about preloved, sustainability, interiors, lifestyle, creativity or is a keen collector of antiques and vintage. Our current fourth edition “spring” themed Preloved publication will offer our readers an insight into preloved interiors.
We have keen decor enthusiasts who invite us into their wonderful homes, you’ll be captivated through preloved visual dynamics, beautiful, eclectic designs, and seasonal inspiration. Our preloved magazine is perfect for collectors, preloved advocates, vintage sellers, interior stylist, those seeking interior inspiration, gaining a sense of what sustainability might look like, creatives, preloved small businesses and those looking to connect with likeminded people.
Preloved focuses on seasonal trends, embracing the ambience of how preloved and how sustainability can be introduced within your homes and life by tapping into repurposed preloved through lifestyle and culture. A heavily driven publication that celebrates equality, diversity and supporting the creative economy. Preloved will soon become your favourite magazine, an opportunity to pause, gain inspiration and positively contribute to a healthier wellbeing and lifestyle. A lustful, pretty, vignette of all things vintage and decorative celebration in one place. Each edition will have special “Preloved Features” including exceptional stylists leading the way within the wider world of all things vintage and interiors. I am incredibly proud of the Preloved project, all that it stands for and the wonderful creatives that I have had the greatest of pleasures working alongside. Founding Preloved has become a lifeline for so many wonderful small businesses and the Preloved community is at the heart of it, always.
You use a lot of preloved Falcon enamelware in and around your home and within shoots. What’s your favourite product and what do you use it for?
I absolutely adore Falcon enamelware and have done for many years. As a family we started to purchase and invest in Falcon for various camping trips away and cabin stays, we love the tumblers, bowls and teapots. Falcon offers us durability and versatility as a family, our tumblers can be used for hot cocoa around the campfire and our bowls filled with porridge in the mornings. I was thrilled to read that Falcon now offers a “preloved range”. I'm a big believer in the imperfectly perfect. On our shoots at various homes, locations, and cottages we use Falcon, a household essential. We love the new spring collection and gorgeous pastel tones. My favourite product has to be the blue/ grey teapot, tea is fuel and therapy. You’ll find a lot of “tea” shots along with seasonal slow aesthetics within my editorial work.
Do you have any tips for shopping preloved?
Changing the way, we think, and our consumable behaviour is really where we need to start. We assume something is broken; we buy another one. Stopping this cycle is so important for our younger generation. Our home is full of second-hand, preloved or vintage and we have invested a lot of energy and time in creating a sustainably comforting space for our children and various pets. One of my favourite places to shop is at the recycling centre, in Suffolk we have a charity shop next to the recycling centre and I have purchased many household items, an original wicker egg chair, stunning vintage and antique wares to William Morris curtains. It takes a community to energise and support something like this; at the recycling centre someone obviously has a very good eye for what people might like in their homes. In the spring and summer time car-boot hauls are always worth doing, especially towards the end as sellers will offer you a “jobs lot”... we renovated an old caravan with only car-boot finds and fabrics.
Do you have a most treasured possession?
When I was aged ten me and grandmother went to town to do some shopping and we both had a huge love for trawling the charity shops, hoping to find that “one thing” we would pick up kitsch ornaments and plates for the wall. We popped to a pharmacy that had it all from makeup to stockings, she would always buy a bottle of 4711 Eau de Cologne and on this day, she needed a new vanity mirror and powder case. I picked up this beautiful brass and turquoise case with an engraved decoration to the front, she loved it and without her noticing I paid for the case with my pocket money. For many, many years I would watch her put her makeup on and powder her face, to the very day she died she still used the vanity case. In her passing I was to be given the vanity mirror and case and it still has her face powder in it. This now sits in my drawer where occasionally, when life feels a bit heavy, I get it out and smell it, it still smells of her and the sentimental connection I have with it is priceless.
Are there any other companies you'd like to recommend to our customers?
Where do I begin, I have so many wonderful sustainable small businesses and creatives that I work with and have connected with over the many years, but If I could use this opportunity to recommend something rather special that would be Little Lifts, founded by Oa.
“Little Lifts is a charity that provides the most thoughtfully handpicked gifts to support people with breast cancer. We featured Oa and Little Lifts in our very first Preloved publication, it was a complete honour sharing Oa’s story and her mission to help those needing a Little Lift.
Sophie Harvey – Publisher and Editor – Creative Director – Styling – Curating – Photography info@stoneandsage.co.uk/ www.stoneandsage.co.uk/ @stoneandsageshop/ @prelovedmagazine
Location shoots
@theworkerscottage
@spinksnest
@crowncottagecurated
@thehuhnorfolk