The Story of The Foaling Box
The Foaling Box is the newest addition to our Bethnal&Bec family and has sustainability at it's core whilst maintaining our signature luxury style.
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When we started designing The Foaling Box, we set ourselves an initial target to furnish it with 75% recycled, repurposed, skipped, second hand or redundant items. Then, where this could not be applied, we have shopped with small, independent businesses, and as sustainably as possible.
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In fact, we surpassed our goal and 95% of all fixtures, fittings and furniture were not new. It does take a lot more effort and time, and sometimes the need and want to just jump onto Amazon, or head to a website and click next day delivery seemed a far better choice...but we're just so proud of not doing that and creating a beautiful space, and helping our environment too.
Inspiring our guests to adopt sustainable practices
We would love it if you take some inspiration from what we have achieved with The Foaling Box. Instead of easily clicking on that Amazon button or heading immediately to buy new, stop and ask yourself...‘can I buy second hand or get the item fixed first?’.
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And we'd love it even more if you left a comment on our Instagram about what has inspired you, or anything you'll take away with you as an idea...or indeed share some ideas with us! We love to learn about all the many ways we can live a more sustainable life. We'll share these with future guests - and create an eco-system of ideas and knowledge!
So where did everything come from?
We're often asked how we sourced so much of The Foaling Box furnishings, fixtures and fittings sustainably and where we sourced everything from. To make things easy we've compiled a list showcasing everything along with links to small businesses that we used along the way.
Entrance
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Neon Sign: This was made by a brilliant small business www.sparkleduk.com
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Bedroom
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Pillows, duvet & topper: all our pillows, duvets and toppers are made from Sustainable Bedding. Dacron® Comforel® ECO2 fibres are produced using recycled plastic bottles which are collected from across Europe and reprocessed into plastic pellets for use in the creation of polyester fibres by Advansa. Innovative & sustainable manufacturing processes, using less CO2 land and water to make the pillow duvet and bed topper fibres that help you sleep so beautifully. This makes them anti allergy too.
Headboard: This was specially made for us from Gorgeous Headboards. It is a gorgeous female owned small business in North Yorkshire.
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Furniture: everything was found on Facebook Marketplace except the mattress. This was from John Lewis Seconds (returned mattresses due to incorrect size, etc) and destined for landfill if not sold.
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Panelling: MDF saved from a skip. We had it spray painted by a local company using eco-friendly paint.
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Doors: bedroom, bathroom and toilet doors all free on ebay.
Bathroom
Wall & shower tiles: From The Baked Tiles Co.
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Floor tiles & wallpaper: all found on Facebook Marketplace as leftovers from projects.
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Bath: saved from a skip.
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Sink Unit: upcycled unit from Limited Editions, a lovely small start up local business in Hitchin, Hertfordshire.
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Brass Appliances: all from Drench.
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Kitchen
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Designed by Vicky and built by our favourite tradesman Jay from Hertfordshire Kitchen Company (there really is no better carpenter!).
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Units: all the units were free and in perfect working order but the owner wanted a new kitchen…it’s incredible really how we throw out perfectly good kitchens and just buy new ones.
We had the doors resprayed in Farrow & Ball via a wonderful man called Clive who runs The Kitchen Facelift Company based in Kidderminster.
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Worktop: Jay salvaged the walnut worktops from a job that had over ordered and we created shelves with them too.
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Wallpaper: the wallpaper is from www.woodchipandmagnolia.co.uk, with toughened glass set over it.
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Appliances: all of the appliances are reconditioned, second hand. The majority of kitchen items are second hand, charity shop, seconds from retailers or from eBay.
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Island: the kitchen island is from a school, out of the science lab, and was built in the 1960’s. We added wheels and that’s it! The stools were saved from a skip.
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Honesty Pantry: Bought from eBay - it is an Oak Haberdashery unit from a shop in London from the 1950’s.
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Snug
Seating Area: all items bought from Facebook Marketplace, including the sofa and footrest.
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Samsung TV: from the AO.com seconds store.
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Gaming Machine: made for us by a small company in the UK, Arcade Depot: www.arcadedepot.co.uk
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Vinyl Record Player: refurbished & second hand.
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Records: All from Carboots, charity shop finds or eBay
Garden/Veranda
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Tiles: all the outside tiles are from tiling shops that were going to just ‘skip’ them, over ordered from jobs or sat in storage. I decided to create unique designs instead of following the traditional style of same tile/pattern. Wetstones are a friendly local tile merchant but deliver nationwide.
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Plants: all plants on the bank and in the garden are sourced from a local charity called Waste Not Want Not . Waste Not Want Not is a horticultural based social enterprise and community interest company which uses horticulture as a therapeutic tool to assist in helping homeless people, ex addicts, ex-offenders, socially excluded, people with mental health issues and depression and those recovering from a life crisis. Waste Not Want Not seeks and gains donations from organisations including B&Q, Nurseries and members of the public – they give them their unwanted plants which would otherwise end up in landfill, they nurture them and sell them at their nursery.
Inspired to stay with us?
Now you know a bit more about The Foaling Box and it's sustainable credentials we're sure you'll want to come and experience it for yourself. Take a look and book now, or if you're not ready to book then remember to sign up to our FAM CLUB to get emails from us with the latest offers, last minute availability and one night stays.