Five years ago, Toma Clark Haines – CEO of The Antiques Diva & Co – was asked in a surreal moment to speak at the House of Parliament at the LAPADA conference. The purpose of the talk was to discuss how to sell antiques to the American buyer. Toma started the talk by saying, “If you want to compete in today’s market – you have to be willing to change.”  Today's guest on the podcast, Steven Favreau, represents that change in the way we sell – and decorate – with antiques.

Steven Favreau is a top interior designer known in both Boston and San Francisco. His work with both residential and commercial clients has been awarded accolades and has been featured in Design New England, The Boston Globe, California Home + Design, San Francisco Chronicle Stylemakers, Houzz.com, among others.

The expression “Making Antiques Modern” is overused and often under-explained. Antique dealers understand that, in order to be successful in selling antiques today, they must take a fresh approach to selling – and displaying – antiques. Gone are the days of dusty doilies and grandma's antiques. 

 Theatrical in personality, style, and design, Steven Favreau is NOT SELLING your grandma's antiques. His approach to the Business of Antiques seamlessly merges the gritty alongside the sleek – antiquity with contemporary.  He makes antiques modern by juxtaposing styles so that each genre elevates the other. In this episode, Steven talks about the evolution of his interior design business. 

 During the conversation, he tells about launching the Favreauleus Factory in Boston – an 11,000 square foot loft in the heart of Boston’s Innovation and Design District. More than an antiques store,

it was an event space that awakened the senses and challenged the possibilities of dynamic interior design. When the pandemic hit, Steven was stuck with a difficult choice: he had to close the Favrealous Factory. Using this time to reevaluate his business and his life – he chose not to close the factory but to relocate it to Hudson, New York – a small town in upstate New York, which is being dubbed the ‘New Brooklyn’. It’s hip and cool, and the town was ready for Steven’s look.

Steven and Toma talk about this decision to relocate. The challenges of being too far ahead of the competition.  Of not just following the trends – but setting them – and being trailblazers in their own ways.

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The British Shop transports fine art, furniture and antiques by air, land and sea around the world. David Hockney once said “Art has to move you” and The British Shop offers a service which moves ART AND ANTIQUES with attentive personal care delivering delicate items around the world. Whether you’re shipping an entire container yourself or you need to ship a few items via consolidation – The British Shop is your solution for shipping antiques from Europe to the USA (or wherever else you happen to be located when listening to this podcast). Don't let the name fool you. This international antiques shipper might be called The British Shop… but they don't just do shipping from England. The British Shop does collections in France and Belgium with regular collections ALL across EUROPE. Schedule a CALL with Malcom Disson of The

British Shop by visiting their website https://thebritishshop.com/. Tell them you heard about them on the Business of Antiques Podcast to receive a special offer on your Insurance for your delivery!