A Surbiton antique collector opened his eclectic array of arts and curios to the general public for the first time on Saturday.
Joseph Berry, 25, held an open-day at his Georgian-style home on Claremont Road and hoped to sell pieces of the collection through his company Joseph Berry Interiors.
Berry said: “This was my inaugural event. I do take appointment bookings but I think’s it’s a more comfortable environment for visitors when there are numerous people.
“I’m hoping to do it quarterly or at least three times a year.”
The collection featured antique furniture, religious ornaments, taxidermy and contemporary art from the likes of Andrew Miller and Magnus Gjoen.
Berry said: “I moved into my own place and thought ‘I want somewhere different’.
“I don’t want just some IKEA flat, I want people to be emotionally moved when they come in.”
Berry collects anything from antiques to contemporary art.
He said: “If it’s sexy and it attracts me, then that’s what I’ll stick to.”
Berry’s company has garnered 2,000 followers on Instagram, and he said he thought the social media app is the way forward for antique and art dealers and buyers.
“It’s so immediate, I don’t have the interest in loading loads of stuff up onto my website.
“I’m on the higher-end websites like The Hoarde but for every new website you’re on you have to upload, upload, upload, and I want this to be fun.
“With Instagram I can take a picture on my phone, upload it and immediately send it out to 2,000 people. Sometimes it will sell in a day, sometimes it will take two years, but it immediately gets you out to that amount of people.”
What initially started as a hobby became an expanding business, and Berry recently featured on Quest TV’s Salvage Hunters.
Berry said while he enjoys the buying side more, the selling side gives him the chance to meet new people.
“I’m meeting artists, I’m meeting designers, I’m meeting everyone and it’s just about that exposure to fulfill you personally as well as financially.”
To view the collection or find out more follow @josephberryinteriors on Instagram or visit the website.
