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Times
2 days ago
- Lifestyle
- Times
How London shapes the world of Vinterior's Sandrine Zhang Ferron
Sandrine Zhang Ferron was born in China, raised in France, educated in business and worked in finance. But a decade ago she had both a moment of realisation and an immediate problem. One, she didn't want to spend her life 'making rich people richer' in finance, and two, she really wanted a yellow Poul Volther chair, but couldn't find one. They became the catalyst for an idea that changed the market for vintage furniture: in 2015 she launched Vinterior, an online marketplace for vintage and pre-owned furniture, lighting, textiles, home decor and art. Ten years on, the platform has 690,000 monthly visits, over half of which are Londoners. 'The city's rhythm, constant energy, and unexpected encounters have made it feel not just like home but the place where everything began,' she says. Now rooted in London, the self-confessed aesthete finds endless inspiration in the city's eclectic mix of cultures, styles and hidden gems. We asked Zhang Ferron to share her favourite spots, from the markets where she unearths unique finds to the places that feed her creativity. Suzhou, the Venice of China, where I lived with my aunt until I was five while my parents were settling in France. Then Lille, in the north of France, where I spent my teenage years. And Paris, where I did my master's, met my husband and built some of my closest friendships. The mix of cultures still lives in me. Split between north London and Mallorca. In London, it's that familiar triangle between Arsenal, Stoke Newington and Highbury, where I had the idea for Vinterior and where the company began. And then there's Puigpunyent, a small village in Mallorca where we spend most summers and long weekends. It's where our daughter learnt to walk, where we celebrated ten years of marriage and where everything slows down. One is full of momentum and energy. The other is quiet, grounding —our reset. • Your guide to life in London: what's new in culture, food and property Curious, convenient, delicious. Queen Elizabeth I, specifically the day after the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588. I've always admired leaders who stay composed under pressure, and her Tilbury speech is such a powerful example of that. I'd want to see how she handled the political aftermath, balancing strength and vulnerability, leading in a world that wasn't designed to hear her voice. We'd walk the streets of Tudor London (ideally with good boots and a bit of distance: I'm not sure how often things were cleaned) and I'd ask her how she navigated power without compromise, earned loyalty without giving too much away and kept her independence when the world expected her to marry. Her line 'I have the heart and stomach of a king' captures the mix of courage and restraint that true leadership requires. We [her partner and I] planned to stay in London for two years before moving to Asia — it's now been 18. I doubt I would have started a company, let alone Vinterior, if we'd lived elsewhere. London has this way of opening doors you didn't even know existed. Coming from a French and Chinese background I was used to being very direct and sometimes too direct, as I quickly learnt in my early days here. Highbury Barn is pretty close to perfect. It has everything I could want — La Fromagerie for cheese, Godfreys for amazing cuts, Highbury Fishmongers where I pick up fresh clams every Saturday to make spaghetti alle vongole for lunch (my daughter's favourite), and Da Mario for incredible Italian deli goods. Their fennel sausage, rosemary ham and mortadella are the best I've found in London. Swimming at Hampstead Heath Ladies' Pond. Only in London would cold water before breakfast feel like something people queue up for. There's a little hidden gem just behind London Fields that's become our go-to, aptly named Behind. A young, passionate chef puts out a seafood-led menu that changes with the seasons. The dishes are inventive and full of soul, and the wine list is just as thoughtfully curated. It always feels intimate, like you're in on a secret. I also love Prawn on the Lawn in Highbury for something a bit more relaxed: strong flavours, fresh fish and small plates that are made for sharing. My ideal night out starts with an early dinner, followed by immersive theatre — ideally Punchdrunk. Every experience there is electric. I love the ritual of debriefing with friends afterwards: what they noticed, what I missed, how we each saw something different. It's a brilliant conversation-starter. My ultimate breakfast indulgence is the bacon naan (with an egg, always) at Dishoom; the King's Cross location is my usual. It's a comforting ritual. On the weekends, you'll often find me at the French market on Blackstock Road. Their baguettes and croissants are the real deal and, in January, I always make a pilgrimage for a proper galette des rois. French roots die hard. Vinterior, of course. I used to spend weekends scouring vintage fairs and antique shops, hunting for the perfect piece. Now I can do it all online, from velvet Bellini sofas to sculptural art deco sideboards or a rustic ladder-back chair with just the right patina. It's all about character and history — and convenience. I'm at Third Space Islington four to five times a week: it's my reset button. I mix strength training, HIIT (high-intensity interval training), yoga and Pilates, depending on the day. My favourite mornings start with a tough HIIT session, followed by fifteen minutes in the sauna and five minutes in the cold plunge. It wakes me up on every level. I love the full spectrum — musicals, theatre, immersive performances, opera, ballet — you name it, I'll go. Recently I saw Much Ado About Nothing with Tom Hiddleston and it was absolutely brilliant. London's cultural scene never stops surprising me. When I want to slow down and take it all in, I'll head to the Royal Academy of Arts or the National Portrait Gallery. Both have that perfect blend of iconic works and unexpected discoveries. Whether it's a blockbuster exhibition or something more niche, I always walk away seeing the world a little differently. For me, it's Michaela Coel. She grew up in east London, trained at Guildhall, and created work like I May Destroy You that's bold, uncomfortable, and completely original. She embodies what makes London special: that someone with a strong, honest voice can shape culture without needing permission. She's both deeply local and globally resonant. Her work reminds me this city is where unexpected, anti-conformist voices don't just emerge, they thrive.
The Guardian
25-04-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Vinterior: meet the boss who quit finance to set up a thriving vintage furniture site
Vinterior may not have any showrooms or shops, but the home of the founder and chief executive, Sandrine Zhang Ferron, has plenty of finds from the classy secondhand furnishings site – from quirky vases to a vintage drinks cabinet. Zhang Ferron, who was born in China but grew up in France, readily admits that she created the site for herself, ditching her well-paid job in finance, after struggling to find interesting pieces to furnish her London home after a move to the UK. 'I realised I don't want to do that for the rest of my life, you know, helping rich people getting richer,' she says, speaking to the Guardian at her home with her cat Misifu – a male British Blue – mooching around. 'I spent literally three months finding my yellow Poul Volther chair, which I eventually bought in a small shop in Hackney. 'You know, it can be fun, but also, if you've got to buy a lot, it can be like, I just don't have time for this.' After talking over the idea of creating an online marketplace for vintage furniture with a few well-placed friends, Zhang Ferron says 'I went to my boss and said OK, I'm gonna quit because I'm gonna learn to code.' One former colleague told her at the time: 'It's never going to work', and potential investors, most of whom were men, felt the idea was 'so niche' that the market would be tiny. But she went all in anyway. 'I wanted to be fully committed to it. I never really thought about it as doing a side hustle.' Zhang Ferron signed up for a three-month course with Makers Academy, the training scheme that promises to help 'the best people in Britain pivot into tech' as she felt that this would give her the skills, contacts and the necessary understanding to build a digital business – even if she was going to bring in more experienced tech experts later. She then began approaching people she knew who might want to sell expensive pieces of furniture they no longer wanted. 'It was a big flop,' she admits. After a rethink, she began trying to persuade London furniture dealers to list on her site, tempting them with exceptionally good terms with the aim of finding 200 must-have products to launch with. Having realised that most of the dealers were small businesses who didn't have the time, knowledge or interest to list things online, she offered to create posts for them for little or even no cost. A dozen signed up initially. The site's first sale in January 2016 was a pair of Belgian mid-century armchairs. It quickly became apparent that Zhang Ferron was not the only one looking for an easier way to buy vintage furniture. By the following year the site had hit £1m in sales and annual sales via the site hit more than £16.5m in the last year – up 15% in a tough market. Vinterior now has just over half a million pieces listed on it, the vast majority of which come from 2,600 professional dealers and the rest from design conscious individuals or sellers. More than 100,000 customers are signed up after the company invested in its first TV ads and it has gradually extended its ranges beyond the trend for mid-century classics to Victoriana and art deco, among others. Vinterior had a bit of luck securing half a million of extra funding from its investors in February 2020 – just before the Covid pandemic hit the UK. That cash was good to have in the back pocket as shoppers locked away their wallets during the first weeks of lockdown as they battled the challenges of a pandemic. 'The first few weeks of Covid was so scary. Nothing happened.' It was particularly tough for Zhang Ferron as she was about to go on maternity leave. But the team conserved limited cash, working part-time or taking furlough, and then sales started to take off. As physical shops across the country were forced to close for several months, and the manufacturing and deliveries of many large items such as furniture were blocked, secondhand goods that could be sourced online – and delivered quickly rather than being stuck on a container ship – were in demand. Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning after newsletter promotion The pandemic also shone a spotlight on how items were being transported and made in far away places, helping fuel interest in more sustainable choices that had already been kicked off by the rise of vintage clothing sites such as Depop and Vinted. 'Covid was definitely an accelerator,' Zhang Ferron says, helping to attract new shoppers and an additional £8m in funding in 2021. It sparked a shift in mindset so that buying secondhand became 'more of a norm,' she says. 'Obviously, gen Z like the idea of resale and most people are more open to it. It doesn't feel like it is cheap.' That rise in demand came with its own challenges. Like many other online specialists, Vinterior believed the coronavirus pandemic had kicked off a complete change in consumer behaviour and shoppers would not return to physical shops in quite the same way. When the inevitable pause in growth came as the pandemic subsided, Zhang Ferron realised the company had 'made some bad decisions' but it was lucky that it had been careful about spending. There was some painful adjustment in the wider market, with the online furniture seller and others collapsing, but Vinterior continued to expand after a brief lull, despite wider problems in furniture retail amid a lacklustre housing market and a squeeze on disposable income. Sales are set to rise by a fifth this year. The uncertain geopolitical environment could be a challenge as shoppers rein in spending. However, Zhang Ferron says the US president Donald Trump's tariff war is not necessarily all bad news. 'We could see this shift making our platform even more attractive to premium UK and EU dealers who currently sell a lot to US customers and may now seek to diversify due to increased barriers,' she says. To many of Zhang Ferron's customers, finding the right piece is an emotional more than a financial call and they still feel they are making savings despite some eye-watering prices. Paying more than £2,000 for a sought-after Togo Ligne Roset sofa on Vinterior can still be more than a third cheaper than a new one and it can be delivered right away. She argues that vintage pieces can also hold their value more than new items – something that buyers take into account. Zhang Ferron can also attest to years of enjoyment. 'The yellow Poul Volther chair that sparked the idea for Vinterior is still one of my most treasured pieces,' she says. And that sceptical former colleague? His wife apparently refurnished their home with pieces from Vinterior..
