Being Unique is Better than Being Perfect
Is something no-one has ever said to me, but they really should have. I mean, you can’t get any more “unique” than me. I’ve always been unique though, and for long enough, I detested that. I always wanted to fit in and be “normal.” But it hasn’t really been until these last few years that I have totally owned by uniqueness. When I see people from school and they ask what I’m doing with myself now and I tell them that I write my opinions about travel and lifestyle online for money and free stuff, their faces are priceless. Although they really should have seen this coming, I was never really going to be an accountant now, was I? Unique. AF. And I love all things unique. In the Summer I can be found, arse in the air, picking up unique slithers of sea glass. In the Winter, I can be found sticking seashells to my ears to remind me of Summer sea-glass excursions. What do I love about sea glass and sea shells? They are unique. And no piece is ever the same. So when I came across Unique Ness, the home of quirky Inverness furniture, I was feeling the unique realness.
Unique Ness
Unique Ness and I have quite a lot in common. We are both from Inverness, we are both unique and we have both seen the bottom of a whisky barrel. I am all about repurposed whisky barrels. There’s something incredibly romantic about furnishing your home with the origins of many a drunken night. And a little like sea glass and sea shells, no piece is the same. So when this beautiful stag-come-whisky-barrel clock arrived at my house (just in time), I was peeing my wee pants.
Our house is over 100 years old and is tasked with holding it’s own during any adverse weather condition (which it sometimes struggles with). But with that, comes its marvellous original features. We are spoiled by large bay windows that look out onto a golf course and the North Sea, a fine Scottish view. It is both a renovation project and a home which is crying out for tartan and numerous stags.
Whisky Me Away
I first came across repurposed whisky barrel accessories during a Tomatin Distillery tour. Tomatin Distillery is only a 15-minute drive from Inverness and offers some of the best booze in the Highlands. At the time I made Aye 2.0 aware that I needed “all of it and preferably today.” So you can imagine my delight with this beautiful repurposed piece from Unique Ness? It now takes pride of place in our living room.
Alongside my gorgeous new clock, I also got my paws on a repurposed glass holder, made from an old oak barrel. How funky are pieces like this? Knowing they have some wild backstory makes them all the more precious to me.
Inverness Furniture
Unique Ness is a fairly new addition to Inverness’ Eastgate Centre, and a welcome one at that. Using repurposed materials that would have otherwise seen the dump, the team at Unique Ness create bespoke and unique pieces, often using Scotland for inspiration.
You can pick up your own very own bespoke, retro or vintage gift from Inverness furniture and accessories store, Unique Ness, located at Unit 36, Eastgate Shopping Centre, Inverness. The shop is open 7 days a week and just can’t wait to welcome you in for a dram-clock.