20 questions with Apter-Fredericks gallery manager Alice Freyman
The Steeple Times shares “wit and wisdom”. What’s your guiding force?
At this stage in my life, it is ‘balance’: work, play, family, self.
“Don’t get even, get medieval” is, in our humble opinion, a great motto. What’s yours?
The only difference between a dream and a goal is a plan.
Kerry Katona was considered unacceptable in 2007. Who or what is unacceptable in 2014?
I don’t know who Kerry Katona is. Is that unacceptable?
Tony Blair misses being Prime Minister. What do you miss most in your life?
I used to be a very spontaneous person but now I have commitments in my life which must rightly come first. If I’m honest, occasionally I miss the ability to jump on an aeroplane and see where the wind takes me.
What might you swap all your wealth for?
Money can’t buy health. I had a very close call three years ago and it put life and death into perspective.
Donald Trump was once a case of: “If you owe the bank a thousand, they close you down; but if you owe the bank a billion, you own the bank”. What’s your view on the banking crisis?
I have no view. I find banking completely uninteresting, much to my husband’s combined horror and delight. Give me a theatre production to critique and I could talk for hours.
What phrase or word do you most loathe?
Someone “lost their battle with cancer” irritates me. Why make cancer a winner in any way, shape or form?
In the UK, some people consider charity to “begin at home”. What’s your view and what causes do you personally support?
I was raised in a typical English village and am a huge supporter of investing in one’s local community, which I personally try to do in Maida Vale where I live.
The judge in Law Abiding Citizen states: “I can pretty much do whatever I want” before being blown up whilst answering her mobile phone. What’s your view on the appropriate use of such devices?
I am lucky because I don’t have my work emails forwarded to my phone which means I find it very easy to switch off at weekends, both literally and figuratively. I think one should simply remember time and place. Quick Facebook updating during Mass? No thanks. Transatlantic journey with three daughters under the age of seven? Anything goes.
If you could fill a carriage on The Orient Express, who would be your fellow passengers?
I spent a large part of my life thinking I was born into the wrong decade, so whoever was in there they’d need to be in 1930s dress.
If you were unfortunate enough to end up on death row, what would be your last meal and where would you eat it?
I am not a massive foodie and have never really become sophisticated enough to move on from nursery fare, so probably a soft boiled egg and soldiers at the breakfast table.
What time is it acceptable to consume the first drink of the day?
7.01pm. The usual glass of wine which many a mother is familiar with.
A Negroni, a martini or a cup of tea?
A cup of peppermint tea or an apple martini.
Whose parties do you enjoy the most and why?
My own: I love hosting a good party.
Who is the most positive person you know?
Our nanny, who survives, and even seems to enjoy, a whole week with our tribe. She always has a smile on her face which is so warming to come home to.
What’s your most guilty pleasure?
My Kindle. I love it.
If a tattoo were to sum you up, what would it be of?
During my art history gap year in Florence, I duly trundled off to the tattoo parlour to get a spade from a pack of playing cards stamped onto my side. To this day I have no idea why the spade so it’s probably a good thing the shop was closed.
If you were a car, what marque would you be?
When I first left university I used to drive a 1963 MG Midget and then had a bright orange 1970s Mini. The sad reality is now a Volvo XC90. I’m holding out for another convertible for my mid-life crisis though.
Cilla Black presented Surprise, Surprise. Tell us the most surprising thing about you.
My professional ambition. My career to date has been quite entrepreneurial and varied. But it seems all these paths have merged at the right time in my personal life, and I have definitely now found my niche professionally at Apter-Fredericks with its mix of business and the arts. It goes to show that sometimes not following a traditional route can work out, so long as you hold tight to what makes you fulfilled and happy.
What’s currently sitting on your mantelpiece?
A lot of party invitations, but they’re mostly for our daughters; they have a much busier social life than we do.
Alice Freyman is the gallery manager at Apter-Fredericks Ltd, a fourth generation dealership specialising in English furniture from the eighteenth century. It has been trading from its Chelsea showroom since 1946.
Follow Apter-Fredericks Ltd on Twitter @ApterFredericks.
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