Meet Lizzie and James, founders of Honeysuckle & Roses
How it all started………..
Hello, I’m Lizzie, co founder of Honeysuckle & Roses. Here we share our adventures around the French countryside, sourcing beautiful pieces for the home.
My husband James and I entered the world of French brocanting in 2015 when, not long after going through a sad time in both our lives, a couple of lovely friends of ours kindly gifted a holiday in their gorgeous home away from home. They own an apartment in an orangery in the grounds of a gorgeous chateau situated roughly 45 minutes East of Paris. Find more details here https://www.facebook.com/orangerydelatrousse/
Chateau de la Trousse
Orangery de la Trousse
It was a magical holiday and one which totally changed the course of our lives. James spent many hours planning our time away, sourcing lots of markets for us to visit locally, (in amongst plenty of rest and relaxation too of course!) We soon began to realise how much we enjoyed exploring this small area of France, stumbling across the beautiful treasures it had to offer. We became obsessed with beautiful cafe au lait bowls, confit pots, mirrors, mannequins and enamelware and started to share out journey over on Instagram (follow our posts here https://www.instagram.com/honeysuckle_and_roses/. ) It wasn’t long before we were getting messages and comments asking to purchase our finds and before we left to come home, we had more or less sold everything we had found.
We returned home but quickly had itchy feet again and the very next weekend we found ourselves back in France trawling the markets, and the same the next weekend……… and the next……… 4 years later, here we are today! After a change in circumstances and a big increase in work load, James was able to join me full time at the beginning of 2018 and now we both run Honeysuckle & Roses together. James plans all of trips, helps me source stock and you will always find him helping with sales at the fairs. He’s definitely better with numbers than I am. I love sourcing and choosing our treasures, styling and being creative, whether that be on our stand or for our online shop. Some say we make a good team! You will still find us in France most weekends, enjoying the stunning scenery France has to offer and filling our boots with all we can find to bring home and sell to you online and at international fairs and brocontes in the UK. Our finds are taken all over the world with regular customers from America, Japan and Korea and even New Zealand and Australia! We have stock picked up by film studios, television companies and interior designers and it’s so exciting to hear where they might be used!
About Me….
I grew up in the Suburbs of London in Harrow with my parents and two older brothers. but truth be told I loved the countryside. My Dad would often take us on ‘mystery tours’ which usually ended up meaning he had no clue where we were going and getting totally lost in fields or woods but we loved it. I yearned for green fields and the quietness it brings. I went through my schooling and then during my university years, training to become a nurse, we moved to Maidenhead in Berkshire. Still town life but so much nearer to some beautiful countryside and there I stayed until I met and married James in 2005. It’s the love of the countryside that plays a significant role in my choices when sourcing French pieces. I adore anything that helps create the country vibe in the home from shutters to confit pot to old chippy paint furniture. If its there, it comes home with me!
After leaving nursing in 2013 I found my creative gene. James bought me my first DSLR camera and you would often find me on beaches in and around where we were living in Eastbourne, trying to avoid getting caught by the waves whilst trying to get that elusive shot!
I still love photography today and my next challenge is to work out how to use a drone we’ve recently purchased! Expect some ariel footage of the french countryside in the not too distant future.
I love interiors and I think thats why I love brocanting too. I love finding old pieces and styling them out to fit beautifully into a home, whether it be mine or someone elses!
Thank you so much for stopping by and browsing our website. You can also follow our journey on Instagram, where we regularly document our trips through pictures and short videos. We have also recently launched a Youtube channel where we are hoping to upload regular videos of our trips to France. Be sure to follow us on our social media platforms so you don’t miss out!
