"You know what’s lacking from your study/club room? Something from White Dove & Wonder"
"You know you’ve made it when you have your own study or den or club room in your own home. You know you’ve really made it if you have all three! But do you know what’s lacking from your study/club room/club room? Something from White Dove & Wonder, that’s what! These genius and elegant designs are the brainchild of Susan Gaston whose family’s trade in the shoe business goes back three generations. Finding herself in possession of so many beautifully crafted vintage 1930s shoe lasts Susan didn’t know what to do with them at first. But with her partner in crime (husband Jimmy) the pair found new life for them, one that preserves the lasts’ proud heritage. The unique results speak for themselves. From book ends and lamps to coat pegs and coffee tables and more, the products are most certainly versatile and the designs definitely leave a lasting impression."
Lifestyle For Men - March 2013
Homes & Gardens - March 2013
Pretty Nostalgic Magazine - January 2013
"With a new year comes a new feature
January ARTISAN focuses on the work of art and antiques dealer Susan Gaston and husband Jimmy and their company White Dove & Wonder. Susan's family heritage is set within Britain's shoe industry and for the 21st century White Dove & Wonder are utilising the beauty and traditional design of shoe lasts to produce stunning pieces for the home. The vintage wooden lasts are used to create bookends, doorstops, coat pegs, candleholders and more and there are plans for other exciting designs for the future. Susan and Jimmy also offer a bespoke design service."
GDUK Style - January 2013
"White Dove & Wonder – Interview
Today we’re happy to present a British company in every sense… the cultural heritage, the beliefs, the creativity and the entrepreneurship. White Dove & Wonder has all of these qualities – how else would vintage 1930s wooden shoe lasts be given this kind of new lease on life? Susan and Jimmy are the wife and husband behind the brand, and with their opposite skills set, they buy the raw material, they design, they reclaim and remake, they sale, they are PRs and they market.
We invite you to meet the entirely creative and committed duo, with a conversation about their company, the Best of Britannia, British heritage and their future…"
Decor & Style - Wednesday 16th October 2012
The Knitter Magazine - October 2012
BOB (Best Of Britania) Show Guide - 5th, 6th & 7th October 2012
Northampton Chronicle & Echo - 4th October 2012
"I'm all for re salvaging objects..
Art and antiques dealer Susan Gaston and her husband Jimmy, are the master minded duo behind White Dove and Wonder where they have an ingenious way to recycle vintage shoe lasts. I'm all for re salvaging objects so when you come across a website like this one it can only inspire you to give what was thought a discarded object a new lease of life."Powder Grey - Saturday 29th September 2012
"Recycling at its most ingenuous!
We love the simplicity, beauty and tactility of the products created by Greenwich-based White Dove & Wonder. Husband and wife team, Jimmy and Susan Gaston have demonstrated great design foresight and a commendable sense of responsibility to our industrial heritage by restoring these “shoe lasts” that date from the 1930s, turning them into highly covetable items for the home.
Although shoe lasts made from hardwood are still in use today, they are the preserve of the bespoke shoemaker. High density plastic that can withstand the processes associated with mass production are now much more common.
We think that White Dove and Wonder’s products will look great just about anywhere and although first impressions might conjure up images of gentlemen’s clubs and country house libraries, we can see them working equally well in; bootrooms,coastal cottages, and
uber-modern apartments with an industrial edge.
And in case you’re wondering, the beautiful 4-legged model featured on the website who answers to the name of Pearl, is not for sale!."
Casey & Fox - Tuesday 31st July 2012
"AT LAST… Quality pieces for the home that aren’t just cobbled together!
It’s safe to say most women love shoes (that’s not a generalisation, its fact) but art and antique dealer Susan Gaston has taken her passion for a pair to a whole new level by putting a fitting twist on a family footwear trade that goes back three generations.
Alongside her husband Jimmy, Susan uses antique wooden lasts sourced from one of Northampton’s finest shoe factories to create stunning pieces of Objet D’Art for the home.
From coat hooks to table lamps and even toilet roll holders these former moulds for the meticulous making of footwear have been lovingly restored and redefined to create a perfect piece that really is built to last.
And if you’re hooked on their style the good news is this talented duo are about to take their admiration for our industrial heritage to new heights.
They’re in the process of designing a range of bespoke furniture from reclaimed British aeroplane parts, a collection we’re sure will fly off the shelves... sorry we couldn’t resist one last pun!"
Gloriously British - Tuesday 24th July 2012
"White Dove And Wonder Is Perfect For Your Home!
When something as unique, and simply amazing, as White Dove and Wonder comes along, it is hard to not spend hours on their website and admire everything! This UK based company is taking a family trade and reinventing it into something modern, yet still holding on to their traditional roots. The look and feel of White Dove and Wonder is absolutely perfect for anyone looking to re-decorate or invest in an amazing new interior design piece."
Chiffon Souffle - Monday 2nd July 2012
Chiffon Souffle have written about us on their amazing lifestyle blog! This prestigious blog was started in January 2012 by Heather Hahn. Heather knew that of all the blogs out there, there were barely any that stated the perfect lifestyle, including; fashion, beauty, food, DIY's and much more. Chiffon Souffle have over 5000 followers on twitter worldwide and are hugely influential, so we feel very honoured that they like what we do and have taken the time to feature us. They are wonderful people to deal with and I urge everybody to check them out.
"Brings ‘Shoe Envy’ to a whole new level!
Susan Gaston owner of this magical company, White Dove and Wonder has a long family background in the shoe trade…She had taken some time out to raise her family and was looking to start a new career, and had begun to trade art and antiques on a small scale. Whilst doing this, she happened upon a thousand lasts, which she bought on a nostalgic whim, much to her husband, Jimmy’s understandable annoyance! However, her husband Jimmy, an ex photographer from Northern Ireland, has now immersed himself (and his creativity) in White Dove and Wonder, he restores and makes all the shoe last objet d’art by hand."
Her Indoors - Friday 22nd June 2012
"These fantastic coat hooks, made from vintage 1930s wooden shoe lasts really brought a smile to my face!
I found these at White Dove & Wonder, a company run by art and antiques dealer Susan Gaston and her husband Jimmy. Grown from an impulse purchase of a collection of vintage Northamptonshire made shoe lasts, Susan and Jimmy began to see many interesting and attractive uses for these discarded items. They both come up with the designs together, and then Jimmy painstakingly restores each shoe last before hand-making each piece using natural wood. (I don’t think the doggy comes with the coat hook, but I’d take him home happily too)"
Blanket And Bone - Friday 15th June 2012
"Wonderful accessories from White Dove And Wonder!
Always impressed with furniture and accessory ideas that stir the senses and bring us back in touch with how industry was once a function of very few materials, we first saw the creative re-purposing of wooden shoe lasts from Brothers Dressler in Toronto. White Dove & Wonder, based in the UK, have taken this a step further by creating a whole range of products from shoe lasts created at one of the finest shoe factories in Northampton in the 1930's Always innovating, if you have another idea for an object-d’art Susan Gaston and her husband Jimmy even offer a bespoke design service to use the lasts. It begs the question of what else is out there, once made out of wood, that delivers the same connection to our industrial heritage?."