Each month we chat to a different local in the city to find out their top tips on discovering Edinburgh. This month we caught up with Vicki Baty, a budding interior designer and upcycler read on to find out more about Vicki and her tips on Edinburgh!
Tell us a bit about yourself?
Interiors and product design are huge passions of mine. I first came to Edinburgh from Newcastle upon Tyne in 2006 to study Product Design at Edinburgh Napier University. After a few years away and some time in London I headed back to Edinburgh three years ago and haven’t looked back. My passion for interior design was reignited when my fiancé and I bought our first flat back in October last year. Since then I have been building up my Etsy shop to include lovely soft furnishings and upcycled furniture.
You are all about interior design, tell us more about your business and where you get your inspiration from?
I love taking something old and tired and giving it a new lease of life and that’s what I do with the chairs I upcycle. Edinburgh has some great antiques places and you can pick up some amazing bargains which can be turned into fabulous pieces. As well as furniture I make soft furnishings including cushions and curtains, I adore brightly coloured fabrics and brought back some amazing fabrics from a recent trip to Madrid. My style is bold and bright, I love to mix old with new, which I think can work wonderfully with the traditional Edinburgh tenements and their super high ceilings.
What are our favourite interior shops in the city?
I love Popping Up on Raeburn Place in Stockbridge, it’s always packed full of colourful upcycled furniture and lovely soft furnishings. The premise of the shop is that independent artists, makers and upcyclers can rent a space or ‘pop up’ within the store, they rent spaces on a two week basis which ensures to keep the stock exciting and fresh. I think it’s a great idea as it gives smaller businesses who might not otherwise be able to afford premises the opportunity to access a new market.
If you’re after something really unique then Joey D on Broughton Street has some amazing pieces. As well as selling clothing and accessories Joey D also makes furniture and furnishings. His furniture is one of a kind and not for the faint hearted, but if you want something completely individual that will turn heads then I definitely recommend a look! I picked up a fabulous lampshade which I can certainly be sure that no one else will have!
I’ve always had a soft spot for Oliver Bonas, I’m a bit of a magpie for bright colours and Oliver Bonas certainly delivers. I can walk past a shop without popping in to see what latest gems they have in. Anything brightly coloured sign me up!
Tell us about your perfect weekend in Edinburgh?
I think I would start off with heading down to Hectors in Stockbridge for a Scottish breakfast, not better way to start the day! Then I love nothing more than to do a bit of furniture shopping so I would probably head out to Drum Farm Antiques for a rummage so see if I can find any hidden gems perfect for upcycling. Then after a hopefully successful shopping trip, a nice walk along the Water of Leith to burn of some of the breakfast followed by a cocktail in the Raeburn Hotel. I would then probably finish off the day with a meal at Harajuku Kitchen for some of their unbelievable gyoza, yum!
Any little hidden gems we don’t know about?
As I mentioned as part of my perfect weekend I just love to rummage around in antiques yards, Drum Farm Antiques and Retropolis being two of my favourite. They are both out on Old Dalkeith Road and are always full of amazing furniture and retro pieces, I could spend hours there, and often do! Retropolis tends to have more mid-century style pieces with Drum Farm Antiques being more traditional. I have found some fab stuff in both, from a old trunk which not sits in my living room, to many of the dining chairs which I upcycle, and a lovely sheet music chest in almost perfect condition which sits in my hallway. I would definitely recommend a trip out there!
Is there anything in the city you haven’t done yet and would like to?
Hmm, this is a tough one, strangely in my six years here, I’ve never actually spent a Hogmanay in Edinburgh, which is something I would really love to do. It would be great to watch the fireworks over the castle and enjoy a proper Scottish Hogmanay! I’ve also not been to Scran and Scallie in Stockbridge which I hear is delicious, it’s always so busy! I’ve also heard Camera Obscura is great fun, I’ve not made it there yet either but I definitely intend to!
You can follow Vicki on Instagram or Facebook and shop at her Etsy store too
instagram.com/victoria_interiors
facebook.com/victoriahopkinsinteriors/
etsy.com/uk/shop/VictoriaHInteriors
