Saurabh & Fernando
Civil partners and expats, Fernando and Saurabh, love to rescue pre-loved furniture and transform them into bespoke pieces and now want to take on the ultimate renovation challenge.
About Saurabh & Fernando
Fernando is from Brazil and moved to the UK in 2001. Saurabh moved to the UK in 2012 after meeting Fernando online and they now both reside in Windsor.
They met on a dating website before meeting in person in London where Fernando was living whilst working as cabin crew for almost 20 years. Saurabh originally lived in Belgium first but then eventually moved over to the UK 3 months later to be together with Fernando. He is now a software engineer and they have been together ever since.
They began their DIY Journey in 2019 alongside their careers, and they have built their own side hustle business where they buy old furniture from Facebook marketplace, upcycle them and sell on for profit. Their first ever sale they made a profit of £5!
As a couple, they work well in balancing each other out and also love to bring each other’s cultures and ideas to life through renovation.
Their DIY journey
Fernando and Saurabh have only been into DIY for the last 5 years but have since opened their own business ‘RetroEnterior’ where they have transformed over 150 furniture pieces.
The couple want to promote sustainability as much as possible and live by their motto “Why buy new, when you can renew”!
During their first few years, they have picked up skills in flooring, decking, landscaping, plastering, painting and most importantly for them, upcycling.
Fernando is more confident in using machinery, such as multiple cutting machines and paint sprayers, whereas Saurabh is more confident with the design part. He loves using bright colours, textures and materials which he says comes from his Indian heritage, but sometimes Fernando has to step in if he thinks it’s too much, as he prefers more subtle tones.
The Dream
After a few visits driving through France, Fernando was very inspired by France and fell in love with the French countryside. They have wanted to live there for a long time. The dream would be to open their own workshop warehouse where people can bring their furniture to them, and give it a new lease of life, while they renovate the chateau.
The couple love to spend their time travelling the world, as well as being their own bosses. They think this is the perfect time and opportunity for them to take on the challenge, and take their business to a new level, whilst also opening the chateau as a bed and breakfast.