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Layerhome.com founders
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Home Style June/July 2016
WHO: Hannah & Faith Russell, founders of Layer (layerhome.com)
WHAT: Marketplace for pre-owned & vintage furniture
WHERE: Enterprise House, Delta Way, Egham
Q What do you do?
Layerhome.com founders
A We are sisters Faith and Hannah Russell who, with our mum Denise, set up Layer – an online marketplace dedicated to buying and selling preloved design furniture.
Q How did it all start?
A I was a TV PR executive, Hannah worked with tech start-ups and mum in professional property development, so between us, we had a good mix of skills to start the business.
Q Why did you set the business up?
A It evolved from our mutual appreciation of antiques markets and our love of discovering one-off vintage gems among the junk. Through speaking to favourite traders we realised that many of them weren’t online. So the idea arose of creating a website to connect sellers with their buyers.
Q What is your style passion?
Layerhome.com
A Style for us is all about affordable, timeless design pieces that transcend trends. We are always moving furniture around in our homes to create a different style and look.
Q What are your key products?
A Most of our pieces are one-offs. We sell a lot of mid-century desks, sideboards and storage – these are always high quality and the mid-century look is still very much in vogue.
Q What is your USP?
A We work with individuals who have pieces to sell but don’t feel comfortable putting them on eBay.
Instead, we offer a personal service that aims to reach interior lovers who appreciate design-led items. It helps that we take care of the logistics too.
Q Where are you based?
A We’ve just moved into offices in Egham after building up the business from our kitchen table at home in Ascot.
Layerhome.com
Q What challenges do you face?
A As an online business, one of our biggest challenges is recreating the personal experience of buying furniture – of being able to feel it and see it up close. We’re constantly working at giving each piece the exposure it deserves.
Q What do your customers love about Layer?
A While we operate via our website, we are also a voice at the end of the phone and able to lend a helping hand with sourcing any pieces a customer may be seeking. Clients can ask us a question at any time of day for a quick response.
Q How can people buy if they can’t try out the furniture?
A For many people with busy lives, travelling around the country to markets and different traders isn’t possible. We help to bring the charm of the flea market to our customers’ laptops.
Layerhome.com
Q What is your favourite piece currently?
A We’re particularly in love with the Ercol chair (right): it’s such a statement piece.
Q What inspires you?
A Aside from the items we sell, we run a blog interviewing interior and fashion designers, bloggers and celebrities, as well as our sellers, for style tips.
Q What are the biggest mistakes you have made?
A Before we launched – at the end of last year – we underestimated the time and manpower involved in getting over 30 traders and their many products live.
There were a lot of late nights, cups of coffee and favours asked of our friends. Now though, luckily, we have thousands of products live and close to a hundred sellers on board.
Q How much commission do you take?
A For individual sellers, listing is free. Once a piece is sold, we take 30% commission of the sale price. We also take care of delivery with our specialised logistics team.
Q Key trends for this year?
A We’re noticing the way people are designing their homes – increasingly mixing styles and eras. For example, brown antiques are slowly re-emerging alongside more popular pieces, such as mid-century or French antiques.
We’re also all about colour this summer. There is so much to be said for adding a pop of colour to neutral, clean lines to transform a space and bring it to life. Plus, sourcing colourful pieces that appeal to you is a great way of incorporating the playful side of your personality into your living space.
Read the Q&A in print in our Windsor, Ascot and Maidenhead Magazine in June and the Guildford, Farnham and Woking Magazines for July
