My StyleA couple who source antiques in France have a loyal following among customers who love their sense of style, writes Eoin Lyons
Paul and Mientje Drum are nothing if not adventurous. Nine years ago they set up a business importing French furniture and now sell it from a showroom beside their thatched cottage in Killinick, Co Wexford.
Many years previously, they moved from Dublin to Wexford to raise their children and run Newbay House, a Victorian pile that they bought and ran as a small hotel. It attracted Wexford Opera goers each year and earned a place in the Michelin and Bridgestone guides.
"It was like a dinner party every night," says Mientje, whose father was Flemish. "We loved every moment but it became too much work to run."
More recently, they bought an old house in Bordeaux in need of renovation: they go to France eight times a year buying and sourcing furniture at dealers' fairs. A chance visit to one of these fairs got them started. "We used to have a business stripping and restoring antique wood and were asked by a French client to deliver some furniture to an antiques fair in Paris. We fell in love with what we saw and with the money we were paid, we bought a few pieces."
The Drums deal in antique rather than reproduction French furniture. There are some new pieces but most range from late 19th century to the 1940s.
Everything is on display in a small warehouse beside their cottage. The beauty of the pieces therein, such as a fin de siècle mirror or an early 20th century dressing table, is that they have genuine character: you'll notice e wood grain, the warmth of a stone detail, shades of faded white or grey paintwork. The pair work hard to give a special ambience to each piece: although most things need to be repaired, the Drums do not over-restore or French polish furniture to within an inch of its life.
And because they don't have the overheads involved in running a shop, prices are lower than elsewhere for equivalent furniture. "It's a small, personal business," explains Mientje. "People usually hear about us through word of mouth. We've a few interior designers who know about us and we open the storeroom by appointment. We've had great fun doing this and get excited about finding a particular size or style of piece for a client. Often people will buy from photos we email to them."
The cottage has been extended at the rear. "After we sold Newbay we built a new house but I felt it was too big, so we found this cottage and started to do it up," says Mientje.
Their French furniture works well in this distinctly Irish style of house. In one corner a French table sits in front of a Rococo mirror, inherited from Paul's parents. It displays a collection of hats and boxes. Paul's mother was a hat maker and this is a small part of his collection.
"The military hats were bought at Paul Cooke's shop on Francis Street in the 1980s. They're mid 19th century."
On either side of the table are two chairs, typical of what can be found in the Drum's storeroom. "What's nice is that they look authentic. I try to encourage people not to re-paint chairs like these," says Paul.
In the original part of the house, the Drum's opened up what was a low ceilinged room so that it now extends to a double-height space. This room now acts as a dining area. In the traditional hearth sits a stove, one of several throughout the house. The wooden beam was salvaged from an old boat.
In the same room is a Symphonian machine. "It's a German music box," says Mientje. "We bought it for £152 pounds at an antique shop in Dún Laoghaire in 1967. That was a lot of money then - we were young and foolish!" It works by spinning large perforated metal disks, similar to a record player.
In a downstairs bedroom, a painted French bed is another typical Drum piece. Their beds generally cost between €650 and €4,850. "We find people want to buy things that are ready-to-go," says Mientje. "Most of what we have comes in brown wood and we'll paint things if need be but really only newer things or furniture that is a little damaged." On the bed is a patchwork quilt by Mientje.
Chandeliers are popular: Paul cleans and restores them himself, getting spare glass pendants from Paris. They average about €750.
Small dressing tables are in demand too: one bought by a Japanese woman will be sent to Tokyo (the Drum's organises deliveries). Other items include 1940s tables (from €750), 1920s' mirrors with shell motifs (from €350 to €2,500) and original bistro chairs (from €50). But perhaps more than anything else, armoires never stay in the showroom too long: they cost from €850 to €1,200 and can be used as a wardrobe or for storage in a kitchen or bathroom.
By appointment. Tel: 053 9158779; drumantiques@eircom.net
