shoptalk anewall

Talk / Shop: Anewall

Monday, October 7, 2013

Talk shop with Anewall_coco and mingo

Photo via Gillian Stevens Photography

Guys, I have some fantastic news! Today I’m so excited to introduce you to Talk/Shop – my newest column dedicated to learning more about my favorite small businesses (and the people behind them), while also promoting their beautiful products! Today I’m kicking Talk/Shop off with not only a fantastic new shop, but a couple of really, really great gals (you’ll see why below!)

Richele and Sydney are the owners of Vancouver, B.C.-based shop, Anewall (a-new-wall) which offers vintage and historic art pieces and wall coverings that will seriously fill your home with gorgeous wall eye-candy! Just look at the photos below, I envy each of those interiors! I mean, who doesn’t want a large vintage map mural for their home?! I’ve gotten to know these lovely ladies a bit better over the past couple of weeks through email exchanges and I gotta say – they love what they do!

Continue on to check out our Talk/Shop including their tips to a great partnership…
. . .

Let’s start at the beginning:
We began our shop because we have a love for old forgotten art that we feel was meant to be timeless. Our business is really just about bringing these vintage art pieces to life and appreciating the beauty in each. We really wanted to be able to do something spectacular with these pieces. Not only do we produce small prints of each of our pieces, but we have the ability to make many of them into large wall murals or entire wallpapers to provide something truly extraordinary for your home.

What’s the best thing about owning your own small business?

Currently it’s just the two of us, so we get to wear whatever we want to work (most of the time)! Haha. But seriously, when it’s a cold, rainy day and we can throw on some tights, a big knit sweater and even some slippers – we really appreciate that we own our own small business. It’s the casual and relaxing environment of our job which makes it that much more enjoyable! + all of our ideas are a possibility. We don’t have to run them through anyone but each other and we feel really comfortable doing that. Owning your own small business is such a blessing and such a treat!

anewall interior

bedroom_anewall_interiors

above photos via Tracey Ayton Photography

You two seem like perfect business partners and friends – what’s the secret to a great partnership?
We’ve only known each other for about a year now, but we hit it off as great friends right away. In the grand scheme of things, it’s probably because we share a lot of common interests: fashion, health, beauty and decor. Moving into a partnership with such a great foundational friendship has made things very simple for us. We’d say the “secret” to a great partnership is being able to identify your strengths and weaknesses and to delegate tasks based on what you’re strengths are. There’s no use trying to accomplish something that your business partner can do better. Rather than taking offense to that or arguing over tasks, accept it and based on your strengths, determine what tasks you you can perform better at so the job gets done to the best it can. It’s all about not stepping on each others toes.

Your shop focuses on interior decor – what is your dream home style + decor?
Our dream home styles border between quaint French farm houses and English cottages. They would have a warm feel, with neutral interiors, soft linens, comfortable seating, vintage art, large wooden beams and floors with lots of fresh flowers for decorating. I guess you would call this ‘French Country Living’? A big back yard is a must too so our kids could constantly be outside. If we lived close by, or right next door to one another – adjoining backyards would be a dream.

anewall interior

anewall interior

What are your future goals?
Ultimately, we just want to have fun with what we’re doing! But at the same time we have a passion for home decorating and vintage art and when we see our business starting to take off we get really excited. We hope that one day we would big enough to open our own retail store in addition to our online store so people can see our ideas come to life in an actual, physical place. Until then, we love the cyber world and it really has become an amazing way to make positive connections and relationships with people all around the world. Online shopping has become bigger than ever!

What inspires you?
Our families. As much fun as it is, starting our own business has been a BIG project and a lot of sacrifices have been made to do it. We couldn’t have more amazing families, who constantly support us, promote us and encourage us to keep on going. We’re inspired to keep working hard everyday because of them.

Top of your playlist:
Oblivion by Bastille
Call & Answer by Jordan Klassen
Come & Goes by Greg Laswell

Current obsession:
Provence, France. Everything about it. The flea markets, the fresh food, the style, the architecture and the slower-paced lifestyle.

Favorite daily reads in the webosphere:
1. Women’s Health. Every morning we read the daily post of Women’s Health for some new health tips and inspiration!
2. We can’t get enough of Rue Magazine. From the fashion posts and inspiration to the interior design and decorating tips, this magazine keeps us up to date on everything we need to know. We love Rue’s ‘Decor & Inspiration’ posts – especially, this Q&A with Julia Engel of Gal Meets Glam.
3. One of our favourite daily reads on the web is DesignLoveFest. Just looking at her sight makes us happy. Everything is so bright and colourful, it overflows with creativity and just keeps our minds fresh with new ideas and design tips daily! Her September post, “SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE” is our current favourite.

Other shops you’re inspired by:
Kalos. Three years ago friends of ours started their own business called Kalos. Kalos is a handmade, vintage, accessory shop and you can purchase their items through their totally cute blog, Treasures & Travels. They also do an annual Kalos pop-up shop in Vancouver, BC each summer that features incredible hand-picked vintage clothing and accessories. It’s always a great night filled with awesome music, fun finger food & lots of shopping!

products_anewall

Shop my favorites above:
1 // Botanical collection
2 // “Songs of Innocence”
3 // Feather pairing
4 // “Loved you yesterday”
. . .

Thank you, Richele and Sydney!! Go check out their shop (ships worldwide) and visit their blog and enter to win a giveaway of their gorgeous American Bison wall print!! (giveaway ends 10/10/13)

Anewall // BLOG // SHOP
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Photo credits:
Sydney and Richele @ top via Gillian Stevens Photography
Interior photos:
1, 2 (Living room and bedroom) via
Tracey Ayton Photography
3 (bathroom) via Brandon Deepwell
4 (galaxy print) via Anewall
5 (circus print) via Anna @ In Honor of Design

Other posts you may enjoy:

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