Retrouvius

Retrouvius Founders Adam Hills and Maria Speake's architectural salvage, warehouse and design studio in Kensal Green, London.

Reclaimed white marble column lamp bases, the solution to your summer evening side lighting #1859
31/05/2026

Reclaimed white marble column lamp bases, the solution to your summer evening side lighting #1859

We have a few stacks of travertine in our warehouse… looking for their new home. What do you think of when you see trave...
28/05/2026

We have a few stacks of travertine in our warehouse… looking for their new home. What do you think of when you see travertine? We can’t help but think of the Romans, who quarried colossal amounts of the stone to build their empire. Some buildings for example are The Colosseum the Trevi Fountain, and St. Peter’s Basilica.

20th century architects used travertine to create clean lined modernist buildings like the iconic Barcelona Pavilion by Mies van der Rhoe and furniture by Carlo Scarpa.

Here are a few examples of how we have used this salvaged stone in some of our projects:

Image 1 . 600mm square and 45mm thick travertine slabs bonded onto structural computer flooring. These can therefore be used as a suspended floor or bedded onto a solid base. Salvaged from a 1980’s City office. Don’t forget that this can also be used on walls.

2. Here a thick travertine worktop fits into a London Kitchen, pairing with Parquet cabinetry

3. Large slabs make up the courtyard floor in a London property

4. In Bella Froid’s Chiltern Street shop, a table and a countertop make the backdrop for customer experience….

To find out more about our available stone, please head to our website.

Modernist travertine coffee table, on a plinth base with four rectangular legs.Travertine became a defining material in ...
17/05/2026

Modernist travertine coffee table, on a plinth base with four rectangular legs.

Travertine became a defining material in the architecture of the Roman Empire, for example: the Colosseum. Since the Renaissance, it has remained a staple in architecture and interiors, valued for its neutral tones, porous surface, and ability to work across both classical and modern design styles. It is widely used, but that does not mean it should be any less valued when it is reclaimed and reused today.

H 330, L 1300, W 745 mm

A vintage leather gym mat, circa 1930s.The paler in colour of the two gym mats from our recent stock has already been sn...
16/05/2026

A vintage leather gym mat, circa 1930s.

The paler in colour of the two gym mats from our recent stock has already been snapped up, but the darker one is still available in store and online.

Made from thick leather that has softened with use, these mats have a lovely patina.This is the kind of salvage we love to find and use in our design projects, as you can see in the 3rd image a gym mat is turned into a living room centerpiece, soft enough to put your feet up on and sturdy enough to pile up books.

Size approx: L 1800, D 1100 mm

Reclaimed pink sink in a marble-lined bathroom for a London based design project. Designed to be the children’s bathroom...
14/05/2026

Reclaimed pink sink in a marble-lined bathroom for a London based design project. Designed to be the children’s bathroom, we ensured the full stone surround would make the perfect splash-zone.

There’s often a resistance to second-hand sanitaryware, despite these pieces being among the most enduring objects in a building. Vitreous china was made to survive decades of use, yet so much is discarded purely in pursuit of the new. Reclaimed basins and baths often carry a richness that you may not find in a new design: vintage colours and unusual forms. Sanitaryware deserves the same consideration we give to buying vintage furniture.

STOKED. Fire-side accessories available in store in Kensal Green or online via our website 1-2. Brutalist fire companion...
09/05/2026

STOKED. Fire-side accessories available in store in Kensal Green or online via our website

1-2. Brutalist fire companion set
3. Wrought iron fire grate
4. Fire grate in the style of Leyutens
5. Reclaimed cast iron fire backs
6. Cast iron fireback with cherubs
7. Large copper cauldron
8. Antique Iron Firedogs

Salvage story: These Rose Aurora marble slabs were salvaged from an office building in the city. They soon landed in the...
06/05/2026

Salvage story: These Rose Aurora marble slabs were salvaged from an office building in the city. They soon landed in the hands of our design team and have been rehomed in a few of our projects. Rose Aurora marble is a decorative marble quarried in Portugal, known for its soft pink, peach, and cream tones with gentle veining. Although this marble is not a grand tour marble and is widely used in Architecture and interiors, we still value the reuse of this stock. What would have been tipped, now lines bathrooms pairing brilliantly with teak.

In this beautiful Suffolk farmhouse, we transformed the old utility and pantry into an informal country boot room entran...
02/05/2026

In this beautiful Suffolk farmhouse, we transformed the old utility and pantry into an informal country boot room entrance hall. The floor settled in once we added locally sourced reclaimed terracotta pamments. An Iranian rug acts as a dramatic sleight of hand, disguising the sudden change of scale into the restored barn. The rich red color is owing to handmade waxed wallpaper from India, made in sheets.

See more images of this project in our new book, and browse available textiles on our website.

Appliqué Egyptian Textile Panel #1765This wonderfully faded fabric panel was probably produced in Egypt in the early 20...
29/04/2026

Appliqué Egyptian Textile Panel #1765

This wonderfully faded fabric panel was probably produced in Egypt in the early 20th century as a souvenir for visiting tourists. A similar example can be found in the V&A Collections.

On Monday evening we were hosted by the V&A Museum in the beautiful Lydia & Manfred Gorvy Lecture Theatre. Thank you to ...
25/04/2026

On Monday evening we were hosted by the V&A Museum in the beautiful Lydia & Manfred Gorvy Lecture Theatre. Thank you to The World of Interiors editor Emily Tobin for guiding the talk, and our publishers at Rizzoli and Sophie Liardet. Thank you also to everyone who came to watch and listen, it was a great turn out.

If you haven’t already got your hands on our recent book, you can find it online via our website or do come and visit us at our shop in Kensal Rise.

Have a lovely weekend!


k.tobin

Address

1016 Harrow Road, London NW10 5NS
London
NW105NR

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 6pm
Tuesday 10am - 6pm
Wednesday 10am - 6pm
Thursday 10am - 6pm
Friday 10am - 6pm

Telephone

0208 960 6060

Website

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