French Revolution

If you want to travel to France it may take you 23 hours. However, if you’re happy with being among the essence of France then a little more than a five minute drive through equally pleasant. Mangawhai countryside will take you up King road, through local wine country to the barn-styled No 28 Antiques where Susan Gardiner, former owner of Pitt & Gantry Gallery at Waipu, has recently opened her boutique of antique French furniture.

Re-modelling your home or simply looking for that special piece with a difference and a style all your own, No 28 Antiques is a great place to start with a choice of indoor and outdoor furniture, bric-a-brac, French linen sheets, mirrors, paintings and more. Practical or decorative but almost certainly unique

The casual country setting lends itself admirably to browsing at leisure. Talk furniture and French to Susan who has spent three years living in the French southern haven that is the Dordogne and who has personally sourced each piece.

The depth and quality and workmanship in the aging woods - solid Oak, Mahogany and Baltic Pine – cannot be replicated. The offering is mainly French with some Georgian just for variety and include drop-leafed tables, tea trollies, paintings, lamps, light fittings plus bigger items such as dressers, a grand 3 metre high French corner cupboard and a Dutch chest dated from the 1700s.

The French linen sheets are popular, says Susan as are the nightshirts “which are actually quite smart when worn with a belt and tights,” says Susan agreeing there is no second-guessing to what may become fashionable.

n A definite ‘must do’ over the summer period for either locals or visitors, No. 28 Antiques is open weekends 10 -4:30, 28 Pigeon Berry Lane, just past Te Whai Wines, off King Rd. Ph Susan 021 0859 4167 for an appointment.