THE BRAND EDIT: APEMAN INTERIORS, NUNNINGTON

The fourth edition of The Brand Edit took me to Nunnington, where I spent the morning with Tom Brennan, founder of Apeman Interiors.

I'll admit, I'd secretly hoped to work with a male-led business this time. Through my work with The Malton Women's Business Collective, I spend a lot of time championing female business owners, but The Brand Edit has always been about celebrating brilliant local businesses, regardless of who's behind them.

When Tom's application landed in my inbox, I had a feeling his business would be something a little different. As I read the first line of his application:

"We have so much to show, from the people to the objects to the work people never see. We just need people to know we're here."

And that, in a nutshell, is exactly why The Brand Edit exists.

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Let me introduce you to Tom.

Tom founded Apeman Interiors back in 2016 when he was just sixteen years old.

What started as a teenage fascination with antiques has grown into one of North Yorkshire's most fascinating showrooms, tucked away in the courtyard at Nunnington Studios. Begining in one small unit he's gradually expanded until Apeman Interiors now occupies at least a third of the courtyard.

Spend five minutes with Tom and one thing becomes obvious...

This isn't just a business.

It's a lifestyle.

When he's not in the showroom, he's restoring furniture, researching antiques, travelling to source new pieces, or out walking with his little dog Norman. Even then, his mind never really switches off. He's constantly looking, noticing and discovering.

"If I like it, I buy it."

One thing Tom said during our discovery call has stayed with me.

"If I like it, I buy it."

There isn't a complicated buying strategy.

Sometimes it's a beautifully made Spanish bowl.

The next time it's a piece of Japanese fabric.

Sometimes it's the craftsmanship.

Sometimes it's the quality.

Sometimes it's simply because something about the object draws him in.

He describes it as almost being a gravitational pull.

He can't always explain why.

He just knows.

Walking around the showroom with Tom felt a little like walking around an art gallery. I wasn't just looking at antiques anymore.

Every object had caught his attention for a reason. Every piece had potential. Some had travelled halfway across the world. Others had passed through his workshop, where he'd carefully restored them before giving them a new home.

It made me realise that what Tom really collects isn't antiques.

He collects stories.

Tom points out the message written on the bottom of these shoes, a gift to someone once up on a time.

He bought these boxes because he liked them and then discovered the ceramic within in them when they arrived.

Why Tom applied for The Brand Edit

Tom felt the business had reached a point where it deserved to be seen by more people.

Whilst the showroom is filled with carefully sourced antiques from India, China, Japan and beyond, there's so much more to Apeman Interiors than the objects themselves.

There's the restoration workshop.

The lighting repairs.

The craftsmanship.

The stories behind every piece.

The knowledge built over nearly a decade. The problem was that very little of that was visible online. As he put it,

"We have so much to show... we just need people to know we're here."

Photographing Apeman Interiors

As with every Brand Edit session, this wasn't about creating a catalogue of products.

It was about capturing the atmosphere of the showroom and the person who has spent years building it.

We documented Tom naturally as he wandered through the space, inspecting pieces, rearranging displays and doing exactly what he would normally be doing if I hadn't been there. I photographed details that catch my eye as I explored the showroom, along with some that Tom went straight to.

I captured wider images that show just how much there is to discover, and of course, Norman had to make an appearance too.

Those photographs now give Tom something he didn't have before.

Not just images of antiques.

Images that tell the story of Apeman Interiors.

One common mistake I see...

One common mistake I see when looking at small business photography is showing what you sell, but not why you're the person to buy it from.

It's something I've noticed throughout The Brand Edit. At The Homestead Kitchen, it was all about photographing the experience rather than just the food, whilst at This Other Eden we focused on introducing people to Grania, the person behind the carefully curated homeware. Every business is different, but the principle is always the same.

For Tom, it wasn't just about documenting antiques.

It was about showing the expertise, passion and craftsmanship behind Apeman Interiors, because that's what really sets his business apart.

People don't fall in love with antiques because they're old. They fall in love with the stories they carry and the people who bring those stories to life. I'm so excited about this next bit, I asked Tom some questions, because I'm fascinated.

Five Questions with Tom

Do you remember the first antique you ever bought?

"If I'm honest, it was probably junk! I remember buying a pair of vintage skis and getting the biggest telling off when I brought them home. Strangely enough, they sold within a week. After that, my parents stopped questioning what I bought."

What's one object in the showroom that everyone walks past but you absolutely love?

"That's such a tricky question! At the moment, it's a stunning pair of nineteenth-century Japanese gloves repaired using sashiko stitching. I love the multiple repairs and the signs of constant use. You can piece together a story patch by patch. They were never meant to be beautiful, but to me they're a work of art."

What's the biggest misconception people have about antiques?

"The phrase I hear all the time is, 'This is lovely, but it wouldn't work in my home.' That simply isn't true. By mixing items from across the globe, different styles and different periods, you can create really unique interiors. A classical piece of Chinese furniture can look just as good in an Edwardian house as it can in a modern new build. It's people's misconceptions that stop them seeing the possibilities."

What's the difference between something that's genuinely valuable and something people just think is valuable?

"It really depends on the subject. When it comes to Asian ceramics, just because something is highly decorated doesn't necessarily make it valuable. Quite often, the plain cracked bowl in the corner is worth far more because it was made to be used rather than admired. It's very similar with furniture too. Everyday items were often thrown away, so the pieces that survive tell a much richer story."

As I drove away from Nunnington that afternoon, I found myself thinking about something Tom had said.

"If I like it, I buy it."

On the surface, it sounds wonderfully simple.

But after spending the morning with him, I realised there's far more to it than instinct.

It's nine years of learning, restoring, researching and trusting his eye.

And perhaps that's what people are really buying when they visit Apeman Interiors.

Not just an antique. But the confidence that someone has already recognised its story.

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Every business teaches me something different.

If you've enjoyed Tom's story, you might also like:

• Hot Toddi, Malton. How personality helps businesses build trust.

• The Homestead Kitchen, Goathland – Why people remember an experience, not just the food.

• This Other Eden, Helmsley – Why showing the person behind the products matters.

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WORK WITH ME

I’m a branding photographer based near Malton in North Yorkshire, working with small businesses across the area…If you’re ready for branding photography that feels natural, relaxed, and actually reflects you and your business, I’d love to chat.

Book a discovery call here.