Hannah and Faith Russell are sisters – but also co-founders of Layer Home , an online marketplace connecting buyers and sellers of preloved furniture. 

With over 300 sellers and 6,000 product listings that include everything from lighting and seating to art pieces and obviously #GenerousStorage, Layer Home is showing no sign of slowing down...

How did you start Layer Home? 

We started the business about 18 months ago after looking for furniture for our own home. Hannah was freelancing at the time so she had the flexibility to travel all over the country to flea markets, traders’ warehouses and all sorts of places. We realised that there wasn’t a single online destination where you could browse beautiful furniture with a past – other than eBay – and know that you weren’t going to have to waste time scrolling through loads of rubbish. We started talking to professional furniture traders and realised that they really wanted to focus on what they loved – buying, restoring and selling furniture – and not so much on building an online presence. We launched with 30 traders and about 300 products and our listing is growing every day. 

You've also started hosting regular events. Can you tell us a bit more about them? 

We hosted our first event in July 2015 as a slightly belated launch event for the business. We invited a group of design leaders to talk on a panel – it was very informal, fun and honest. The room was completely packed with interior designers, stylists, bloggers and design lovers. After the event, we were being asked how people could sign up for the next one. And so our event series #LayerHomeTruths was born.

We now host monthly events for the design community and we’re going to be announcing some exciting developments to the lineup shortly!

Does your home style reflect Layer Home? 

Absolutely – so many things in our home have been sourced from Layer Home! We loved mixing old with new, and find than having something with a history in the room really gives the space some soul.

The style is probably quite eclectic given that there’s no rules – we’ve mixed mid century with French antiques and surprisingly, there’s loads of colour too. For someone who dresses almost exclusively in black, I’ve certainly taken a liking to colourful homewares!

We collect baskets from all our travels, do you collect anything?

 I love brass – anything gold and shiny usually catches my eye and I find it hard to resist!

Our tagline is #GenerousStorage, what does that mean to you?

Storage is absolutely key for making a space work. We believe seriously in thinking about storage first – where are your coats, bikes and wellies going to live?

Lastly, what are some of your favourite storage pieces currently available on the marketplace? 

1. Mid Century British Cocktail Bar in Maple 1960s
2. Mid Century Italian Drinks Trolley With Brass And Glass Shelves 1950s
3. Antique Mahogany Chest of Drawers with Decoupage
4. Antique Gustavian Chest of Drawers