Nicholas Mesiano and Alistair Knight once drove three hours through the French Alps during a blizzard to purchase a rare dining table by painter Piero Fornasetti.

Such is the pair’s commitment to sourcing high-quality, unique design pieces. They first opened their namesake business, Nicholas & Alistair in Richmond, before moving to Abbotsford in 2003.

Set in an early 1900s shoe factory, complete with original timber-lined ceiling, the showroom hosts modernist Italian lounge chairs, 1950s chinoiserie (Chinese-inspired) cocktail cabinets and Art Deco light fittings.

The collection has French, Italian and Brazilian leanings, with a focus on 20th-century furniture, decorative objects and applied arts.

It’s the opposite of mass-produced furniture, and more grown up than your collection of vintage cane wares. Each piece is a rare find thanks to its small production run or original one-off commission.