Emma Joseph
Homes & Interiors
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Published
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july 2021
There are some people in life who not only have a unbridled passion for what they do, they also have an undeniable gift.
Steve Wyatt is one of
those people. Wandering around Restored Retro, the showroom he runs at the new Kingland Crescent development in Poole, the quality of his work is clear to see.
The shop is full of the most beautiful mid- century furniture, from polished dining table and chair sets to statement armchairs and floor lamps - all of which have been lovingly brought back to life by Steve.
Steve began selling online, before taking on a pitch at Bournemouth Vintage Emporium in Pokesdown, which doubled in size within two weeks. "I helped them rebuild the shop and got my workshop in there," he says. "Then we went into lockdown. I did lots of work in the first lockdown, got this shop offered to me September/October last year. I got a loan to get the shop and saved as well.
"We source mid-century furniture and restore it and sell it. I like to get out there and interact with people.
Steve prides himself on going the extra mile with customers talking to them about the history of each piece. "I have a knowledge of this stuff, I can tell you where 80 per cent of this furniture came from," he says. "Sometimes I go and pick it up and there's always a story."
Perhaps that's why Steve is drawn to the mid-century style of furniture, which he admits is not to everyone's taste
Emma Joseph speaks to Steve Wyatt about his relentless and incredible passion for giving a new lease of life to mid-century furniture, and his long journey to opening his business
“The seed had been sown,” he says.
As he progressed through what was to become a final, successful court-ordered 12 step drug rehabilitation programme in 2014, he decided to start a social enterprise restoring furniture with a friend.
At last, he had a purpose.
“I did it. I finally got clean,” he says proudly,
“But with the skills that I’d learned, I taught myself to restore mid-century furniture. I really worked hard.”
At first he sold his restored items online, then in a vintage emporium, until a shop became available.
“It was a scheme Legal and General were piloting just before Covid hit,” he says, “to give away 10 shops rent and rate free for the first two years.