Founded in 1997 by Lulu Lytle and Christopher Hodsoll, Soane Britain is synonymous with quality craftsmanship, excellent design and true Britishness.

As a child growing up among beautiful antiques in the English countryside, Lytle was fascinated by the exotic. Aged seventeen, she went on a trip to Egypt that opened her eyes to oriental culture. She went on to study Egyptology at University College London.

A keen interest in British manufacturing inspired a summer of travel around the UK to meet craftsmen practising prized skills such as fine chair-making, iron-forging, precision-engineering and saddlery.

It was with the help of many of these craftsmen that Soane Britain introduced its first furniture and lighting collection, later adding fabric and wallpaper to their offering.

Today, Lytle is passionate about manufacturing in the UK and proud of the enduringly exquisite workmanship at Soane Britain.

My favourite website… The live online auctions site, thesaleroom.com.

My favourite app… Instagram

My blog of choice… Stacey Bewkes’s discerning online guide to special people, places and products. It’s called Quintessence.

My internet hero… Farmer and businessman, Forbes Elworthy, who founded Map of Agriculture, which provides insight and knowledge to farmers, agricultural professionals and agricultural businesses, by delivering pioneering analytics, modelling and research.

My most recent buy online… Books about the Iranian Qajar dynasty from online book marketplace, AbeBooks.

The book I’ve just downloaded/read... The coming-of-age novel, ‘I Love You Too Much’, by Alicia Drake.

My favourite tweeter… @JaneGoodallInst, which showcases Dr Jane Goodall’s brilliant mission to protect chimpanzees and inspire people to conserve the natural world.

My favourite Instagrammer… Editor of contemporary arts magazine, Frieze, Jennifer Higgie @jenniferhiggie, designer, John Yunis @johnyunis or actor and antiques dealer, Peter Hinswood @hinwood06.

Social media allowed me to meet… Undiscovered museums all over the world (not to mention whippets in every continent!)

The most worthwhile newsletter I subscribe to… Briefings for Brexit - A platform for informed analysis and the expression of pro-Brexit opinion.

My pet hate about life online… Navel gazers (boasters).

April 2018