Shop Small Saturday: Lillian Daph

Welcome to Shop Small Saturday, a feature where we celebrate our community of independent boutiques, from Bath to Berlin.

Situated in the North East seaside town of Saltburn-on-Sea is independent homeware boutique, Lillian Daph.

Discovering her love of interiors while studying textiles, founder Christina set up shop with her husband fresh out of university. “Just as I was finishing up my degree, an old post office became vacant in Saltburn, a town in which I had always dreamed of opening an interiors store,” Christina explains. “We got the keys and 6 weeks later - with lots of graft - we were open.”

Lillian Daph supplies an eclectic mix of homewares and lifestyle for all the family. From design-led sculptural lighting from Umage or Zuvier, to soft furnishings from Madam Stoltz and Studio Loco, and kids toy room essentials from Wigiwama or Ila Y Ela, Lillian Daph aim to bring together brands they love and showcase them to their little chunk of the country.

Join us as we chatted to Christina about Lillian and Daphne, the pooches that inspired the boutique’s name, and what a typical Saturday in store looks like.

“It's a lovely walk through the farm fields down to the beach to get to the shop. I try to always walk to work on a Saturday morning with our two dogs Daphne and Lillian. 

We wish we could have Daph and Lil around the shop but Lil would be constantly hiding all the soft toys and Daph sheds way too many blonde hairs to have around. They are usually in the yard or in the basement throughout the day.

I usually get there for about 9am on a Saturday if the kids have allowed me to get out of the house on time. Then it's a quick hoover and get the coffee on before opening at 9:30.”

“Our team is the best, completely chilled and welcoming - we have a really good rapport. You will usually catch us all scoffing croissants and sipping our coffee on a Saturday morning.

The music is completely different every day and depending on which staff member is in, Shelley takes charge through the week and has some cool laid back tunes on.

Our town is quite a small seaside town with restaurants down by the sea and more at the top of the town (where we are) alongside only a handful of retail shops in the main area. We have a fab chocolate shop but by far our fave is That Pantry who sell the best artisan foodie treats alongside fresh bakes."

“Not many days go by where we don’t have a delivery which means the shop is always getting switched about. Nothing stays in the window longer than a week and when I'm in I'm usually rearranging the full shop which is over 3 floors (I have been referred to as “a bull in a China shop”). I’m an all-in rusher by nature, and work is my happy place so once I get started it’s hard for me to stop.

My favourite brands in the shop at the moment include Erstwhile - I love the impact their wall hangings have and also love the fact that they are a rare brand. I adore Little Lights,  family brand from Poland who make and hand paint wooden night lights- such beautiful pieces! I’m also really in love with Russell and White scents, like us they are a husband and wife team who hand make candles and diffusers. We’ve never had so many compliments on scent combinations.

Russel and White are some of our best sellers too, along with Archivist matches, Moulin Roty for the kids and the Christmas baubles started flying out early this year”