For over 20 years our directors Michael & Tracy have been importing antique furniture from India and South East Asia. They have developed a fantastic network of suppliers and personally source all furniture and textiles for the Sussex showroom. More importantly they have gained a deep knowledge of the working practices in these regions and a good instinct for finding honest and good hearted manufacturers.
Our ethos
Our ethos is to get to know our suppliers and their methods, learn about their working practices and decide whether they share the same values as TB. Consequently we have spent years developing relationships with our suppliers who for the most part have become close family friends.
Although we try hard to ensure our products are great value, they are often not the cheapest Indian goods you can find, which is our way of ensuring all workers involved in the production of our items are fairly paid and have good working conditions.
Each buying trip involves workshop inspections and an opportunity to speak to the artisans themselves. During times of hardship over the years we have helped to provide extra food or fabric for clothes to workers in extra need which has proved especially rewarding.
sustainable sourcing
We only use newly forested wood if it’s from a sustainable source. By far the majority of timber used for our furniture has been reclaimed from old colonial warehouses and broken railway sleepers. Last year, in partnership with a longterm supplier, we began The Green Tree Project, enabling the planting of new trees in Rajasthan which is an ongoing project.
We’re always happy to answer any questions you may have about our ethical sourcing. It’s something we’re pretty passionate about though, so make sure you allow enough time for a chat!
COVID 19 - India & Asia
As you may be aware, South East Asia has been particularly hard hit by Covid 19. With the help of our wonderful customers we have worked hard to provide support to families facing starvation during this time. We’ve been so proud of action taken by many of our suppliers to help their communities during this awful time. They really do want to know they’ve done the best they can to help those most in need and this has reaffirmed our commitment to working with them all going forward, and we hope you feel the same when you buy their products.