Q&A | Orient House

Sourcing our wares is truly a journey, taking us across continents to Africa, China, Indonesia, Turkey, and India. Each time seeking out not just beautiful objects, but the stories and traditions behind them.

We’re drawn to pieces that have beautiful form, patina, and authenticity. Whether it’s a handwoven basket from Africa, a carved wooden sculpture from Indonesia, or a carved doorway from India, we look for craftsmanship that stands out and tells a story.

We also care deeply about how and where our pieces are made. We make a point of working directly with artisans and local communities, supporting traditional techniques, and ensuring that our sourcing is ethical and sustainable. It’s important to us that every item we bring back not only adds character to a home but also supports the people and cultures that created it.

Looking back over nearly three decades of treasure hunting for Orient House, it’s incredible to see just how much the world has changed.

Back in the day, our ‘cutting-edge’ process involved snapping photos and sprinting to the nearest one-hour photo shop, anxiously hoping we’d captured the perfect piece. Today everything’s digital, instant, and honestly, a lot less nerve-wracking.

While technology has turned the world into a global marketplace, it’s made finding truly unique pieces much harder. With so many people shopping online, the rare and special finds are snapped up quickly, and the market is flooded with mass-produced lookalikes. So, we have to dig deeper, travel further, and visit more artisans to uncover those one-of-a-kind treasures that make Orient House what it is.

Another challenge we never expected is the changing lifestyle of younger generations – choosing air-conditioned call centres or professional jobs over the painstaking manual work of traditional crafts. Who can blame them? But it means that so many incredible skills and traditions are at risk of disappearing. Each year it gets a little harder to find artisans practicing their craft and a little more bittersweet when we do.

There are more than a few pieces we still dream about (and maybe even shed a tear over from time to time).

In the early days we had a knack for stumbling across absolute gems like Chinese walnut, blackwood, and huanghuali furniture pieces. We sold them for what now feels like loose change – if only we’d known they’d become highly collectable and prised possessions.

Then there are the African tribal artefacts. Pieces with patinas so rich and stories so deep, you could practically feel the history in your hands. Those kinds of finds just don’t come around anymore and if they do, they’re snapped up before you can even blink.

India was its own treasure trove. We used to uncover genuinely old, intricately carved doors, columns, and objects from palaces and havelis. These weren’t just decorations; they were slices of history. These days, you either can’t find them at all or you need to take out a second mortgage just to bring one home.

And don’t even get us started on the beautiful crafts from the Indonesia archipelago and amazing pots from Turkey. Back then, they were everywhere, and the prices were almost too good to be true. Now, if you spot one, you’d better be ready to fight off a crowd of collectors.

So yes, there are plenty of pieces we pine for. But honestly, part of the magic was in finding them, sharing them, and knowing they’d go on to become someone else’s story. Even if we do sometimes wish we’d been a little more selfish and stashed them away. 

You’ll find our space is all about easy comfort. Our seriously comfy sofa sets the tone for laid-back living, and each room is carefully curated so it never feels too busy or overwhelming. We like to keep things pared back so the real showstoppers we’ve collected on our travels can shine and tell their stories.

But we do make one exception: the bookshelves. That’s where we let our inner collectors have some fun, mixing in a lot of our favourite finds alongside the books. Each shelf becomes its own little adventure filled with unique pieces and memories from our travels. It’s the perfect blend of comfort, character, and just the right amount of curated chaos to keep things interesting.

It’s all about mixing a sense of adventure with personal style. Whether you’re into minimalist, Hamptons, bohemian, modern, or traditional looks, let your space tell your story. Layer treasures from your travels, choose hero pieces that spark conversation, and keep things comfortable and inviting.

When it comes to vintage pieces it’s all about picking what catches your eye – maybe it’s the shape of an old chair or the detail on a cabinet that just feels special. I like to pull out colours from cushions, curtains, or even a rug, so everything feels tied together without being too matchy-matchy. 

We’re definitely not design experts, but right now we’re loving warm, earthy terracottas, olives, and those deep browns that make everything feel grounded and welcoming. When it comes to hard surfaces, it’s the natural, earthy qualities like timber with beautiful grain, stone with a bit of texture, or ceramics with a handmade feel that really catch our eye. These earthy materials add so much warmth and charm to a room, especially if you’re keeping things minimal elsewhere. Style-wise, we’re still mixing modern basics with a few vintage or quirky pieces, just to keep things interesting. If it feels good and brings a bit of nature inside, it’s a win in our book!