Decorating your home has never been so much fun!  Vicky Sartain visits new home-shop, Cool Calm Collected in Barnstaple.  Photos: Guy Harrop.

 

Ever walked into a shop and thought, "This is perfect"?.  I had that rare experience recently, on stepping into Barnstaple's newest home accessories store, Cool Calm Collected on Bouport Street.  At nine months old, the critical gestation period has gone unsurprisingly well for joint owners, Andrew Short and David Thompson, whose dream to move away from London and start afresh in the country, has now become a reality. "We decided on Barnstaple because it has individuality, whilst being an incredibly friendly place," surmised Andrew.

 

Three elegant rooms of divine interior must-haves house exclusive designer Nigella Lawson's Living Kitchen, Burleigh ceramics, Andrew Martin, Mulberry Home, Liberty Furnishings, Designer's Guild, Green Gate, Linum...

 

All are new in town, whilst everybody's favourites: Cath Kidston, Osborne & Little and Colefax & Fowler, are also staking new territory.  In fact, whatever you fancy, this store will be right up  your street.

 

"Our design concept is contemporary-country living," began Andrew gesturing to some of the quirky items on display (one being a Linum stripy hammock lolling in the window).  "We had a great honeymoon period when we first opened.  Local customers seemed excited about the business and they're still coming back".

 

Indeed they are.  And not just to fawn over a plethora of gorgeous fabrics and adorable pottery, but things that you might not expect to find, such as unusual greetings cards and gift wrap, a cabinet of sparkling Orly jewellery as well as a rainbow selection of watering cans.  This is the irresistible equivalent of a traditional sweet shop, boasting an assortment of living and gardeningware, replete with a sense of humour and an unconventional twist.  Whether you're looking for that fastidious someone or desire a new set of dinnerware, this is where the search ends.

 

Andrew and David have worked solidly to transform the formerly dilapidated grey office space into a polished retail outlet, where the door is left wide open to all - even on rainy days.  "Our hardest battle to date is getting ourselves known, as we're not in the most obvious locations," said Andrew of his Mermaid Walk base.

 

However, this is unlikely to be a long-term problem, with trusty word-of-mouth appraisals coming thick and fast.  "I really like what you've done here - it has such a welcoming feel," gushed Mulberry Homes sales agent, Judi Speirs who arrived to showcase a range of beautiful fabric.

 

Shoppers would seem to agree.  Like many people, my own first glimpse of Cool Calm Collected was fleeting, from behind a windscreen - but it was enough to bring me back for a closer look.

 

"David and I both have a theatrical background; he was the chief hair designer on Titanic and continues to work freelance on various film and television projects," Andrew explained of his business partner.  "His second career is as an interior designer (for some high profile city abodes), so it goes without saying that he has a great eye for choosing products.

 

"I'm a little more boring!" laughed the modest proprietor.  "I was a theatrical costumier for the last 10 years, so have some idea about textiles and pattern, and I'm also a patchworker and quilter.  I just love everything about fabric!  When I first left school I trained as a window dresser, so that comes in handy, too.  Our combined work experience has helped enormously with opening our first retail outlet."

 

Their distinctive product list is the result of careful research and instinctive buying - a process that seems to please a more discerning public.  "Sometimes you can sense when a trend is coming in, and also when something is beginning to wane.  We're hoping to launch a website over the next year.  It will be an interactive shopping site, which all our friends in London have been nagging us to organise!"

 

In addition, customers can soon expect a design consultancy service from the talented two, as well as occasional evenings dedicated to promoting the work of local crafts people.  "When it comes to home decoration, our philosophy is to keep the foundations simple and experiment with colour and textures," concluded Andrew.  "Should you ever tire of the look, it can then be easily updated.  That's really what we're all about."