When it comes to richly patinated furniture few can beat Elaine Phillips Antiques and their selection of 17th and 18th century Antique Oak furniture and associated decorative items. A business that was started by Elaine Phillips in the 1960’s continues to be run by Louise Phillips – Chairman of the British Antique Dealers’ Association (BADA) and Northern and Scotland Regional Representative for the BADA.
I caught up with Louise at her base in North Yorkshire to discuss our shared passions, art, antiques and the great outdoors!
Current stock at Elaine Phillips Antiques.
Elaine Phillips Antiques is a family business that has been trading for over half a century - how did it come into being and what do you feel is the secret to your success? My parents were avid collectors with wide-ranging interests and I grew up surrounded by a fascinating variety of objects. When I was born they lived in a modern apartment furnished with Robin Day designed Hille furniture, but their real passion was early oak furniture.
My father was a fashion designer, and in the late 60’s my mother founded Elaine Phillips Antiques, trading in 17th and 18th century oak, delftware, metal ware, tapestries and treen. The business was based at our home in the Yorkshire Dales. But one day in 1975 my father came home from work and my mother announced she had taken a lease on a shop in Harrogate’s Royal Parade. As the business grew my father left his career to join his wife and then in 1985 I abandoned my career in fashion in London to add to the list of employees! I.e. just the three of us. Something I had wanted to do for a long time.
What do you think gives Yorkshire its unique identity? The people. They speak their mind but once they get to know you they are fiercely loyal.
Lower Wensleydale - some of England's finest walking country
Where is home and what does home mean to you? Home is near Leyburn and it means everything to me. My partner Graham and I, spent three years restoring a derelict house and garden with the aim of moving the business here from Harrogate. I am a passionate, if not very knowledgeable gardener and just love working outside. We now deal by appointment which means I have more of a life and can be out on the road buying and meeting new clients without the constraints of a shop routine 6 days a week. It also enables clients to come out of hours which I find creates a more relaxed environment.
How do you relax? Walking and gardening are my great loves. Cooking, when not under pressure and if there is a good radio play on – so much the better. Travelling to new places and discovering museums and art galleries and of course good restaurants. I drive Graham mad with the amount of research I do before we go.
Landlocked in the pandemic, what were your escapes and diversions? Walking was one. We are lucky that we live in such a beautiful part of the county and can walk from our door in any direction. Our cocker spaniel, Belle, was naturally delighted as she had extra walks. During the first lockdown I spent a lot of time in the garden which for me was bliss.We managed to tackle a lot of jobs that had been on the back burner which was immensely satisfying, building new paths, planting veg. cutting back overgrown trees, gathering wood.
But on a more serious note, I had just taken on the role of Chairman at the BADA and was very conscious of the need to support our members, many of whom were trapped in London and the cities. Dealers are a gregarious bunch and suffer if they are not with other dealers and people. So I spent quite a lot of time phoning round and also spending time getting those who weren’t online to engage with our website www.bada.org and to improve their own.
A corner of one of the well appointed showroom spaces.
Can you recall your earliest memory of appreciating beautiful art and objects? I was lucky that my parents were collectors. My mother in particular had a huge appetite for all manner of art and antiques. She was one of the first people to buy 1950’s art glass. I just remember being surrounded by reference books and all these fascinating objects and furniture and I absorbed and developed an interest in them.
What is it about antique oak furniture specifically that appeals to you? Original natural patination is impossible to replicate and is just like rich chocolate when it is good. The pieces seem more friendly when compared to say, mahogany. There are not many items of furniture we have sold over the past 50 plus years that cannot be used in the home as opposed to some which can only be looked at.
What are your main professional challenges? Sourcing good stock is becoming so much harder as any dealer will tell you. Balancing the business between in-person and online selling. I much prefer the former as my stock is my passion and selling it through the website without meeting the buyer lacks the human contact which I love. You cannot beat standing in front of a piece. As I was born in the 1960’s I also struggle to keep up with technology and had only just got my head round fax machines when everything shifted up a gear!
Guy Taplin wooden birds (personal collection). Table from a selection at Elaine Phillips Antiques.
What is your most treasured possession? After our dog and my walking boots, my collection of Guy Taplin wooden birds. Also the 17th century joint stool my mother gave me for my 18th birthday and the 17th century side table with barley sugar turned legs and cross stretchers.
Nick and Louise in conversation.
When did you became chairman of BADA, and what does your role entail? In 2020 I was elected the first female Chairman since the BADA was established in 1918. My role is to guide our council (which is made up of some of the top dealers in their field of expertise) and to promote both our members, their knowledge and inventories. My aim is to make the British Antique Dealers’ Association more accessible, and I have made it my mission to visit all BADA members and listen to their thoughts and wishes.
Following the pandemic, the Antiques Trade is very different. Covid accelerated the importance of being online, we are investing in our website, holding webinars on important issue such as money laundering, customs regulations to help with Brexit issues, social media advice to name but a few. I’m also very encouraged by the fact we have three members on the BADA Council who are in their thirties and are seeing an upturn in younger buyers.
Madonna and Child with Two Angels by Fra Filippo Lippi.
Do you have a favourite period in art and who are some of your favourite artists? I was so very lucky to be sent to a school in Oxford when I was 16 where, if you were studying History of Art, you were sent to Italy for 3 weeks a year. This was in the 1970’s and Venice, Florence and Tuscany were relatively quiet. I had a fantastic tutor who I am still great friends with who made the artists of the early renaissance come alive. So Fra Filippo Lippi’s Madonna and Child in the Uffizzi is a favourite. Another top choice is Sir Stanley Spencer - Saint Francis and the Birds 1935 – which was rejected by the RA. For his irreverent portrayal of biblical subjects.
Do portraits appeal to you, if so why? We own several – mainly 17th century but also one we call The Fat Butcher which is more of a folk art depiction. I think they give tremendous character to a room.
Ulshaw Bridge House, Leyburn.
How do you relax? Walking and gardening are my great loves. Cooking, when not under pressure and if there is a good radio play on – so much the better. Travelling to new places and discovering museums and art galleries and of course good restaurants. I drive Graham mad with the amount of research I do before we go.
Where are you happiest? At home. Capri comes a close second as I used to go with my mother who spent three weeks there every year (before it became overcrowded). Bliss. We would venture out for coffee in the morning and then retreat back to our small hotel to read or I would go walking and swimming. Then out again at eight o clock for huge glasses of vodka and tonic in the square followed by a sublime dinner.
Louise also acts as a consultant and agent for several European collectors and has advised many private clients on the development and curating of their collections.
Discover more at: elainephillipsantiques.co.uk
Nick Cox / Period Portraits September 2022