George + Smee

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George & Smee encompasses years of experience discovering, collecting and restoring items of furniture from all around the world. The owners, George and Katie, believe that in a world of diminishing resources, it’s better to restore and refresh the things we already have than create unnecessary waste. Read on to find out more about their business from behind the scenes.

What’s the inspiration behind your company/business?
We have been creative spirits all our lives and think creating beautiful spaces for newlyweds has got to be one of the all-time greatest jobs! We love seeing their faces as they walk in and see our ideas come to life. With our backgrounds in furniture restoration, events and fashion, our areas of expertise and experience worked really well together to produce the right amount of creativity and event planning.

How did you go about starting it up?
After numerous discussions, wines and brainstorming sessions we decided to go for it. Within months we had collected an eclectic mix of beautiful furniture and props and George and Smee launched. We have never looked back since!

What makes your company/business unique?
I’d like to think we have some cool, different ideas! We get inspired everywhere we go and like to play around with the everyday. Whether that’s using bark from the trees, rocks from the ocean, wild greenery or props we’ve restored ourselves, we’re happy to go that step further to make it tailored to each individual couple. It’s not unusual for us to spend a day painting individually crafted watercolour name places or dying fabric napkins to suit the theme of the day.

What does a typical day look like for you?
No two days are ever the same (which we love!). It depends how many events we have on that week, but early in the week our days normally start with a run and swim in the ocean at sunrise. Next up is emails, various meetings and site visits, creating mood boards, sourcing items and restoring pieces. Fridays and Saturdays are when we get to put our ideas into action. They are full on days, sometimes 18 hours long and exhausting, but it’s worth it when we put everything together.

What’s your favourite thing about working with couples?
We make lots of awesome friends! Working around other creative people in the industry, and for amazing couples - contributing to the best day of their lives is incredibly special. You can’t beat it!

What does marriage mean to you?
A commitment of two soul mates; a commitment to say I want to grow old with you and will love, laugh, support and encourage you from this day till the end. The day itself should be magical and about love and laughter with your nearest and dearest.

Credits

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