A Bermuda interior designer is the first non-US supplier for a new range of furniture handcrafted in developing countries.

Gregory Nelmes, who runs Gregory Nelmes Home for retail and an interior design consultancy in St George, said he spotted the Imagine Home line at a major trade show in Atlanta earlier this year.

He added: “I was looking for products for the store, something with a specific identity, a coastal vibe for Bermuda, both relaxed and elegant.

“I went through a hundred of these showrooms and that one really stuck in my mind. I went back and they were getting the award for best in show.”

And Imagine Home is furniture with a difference. Founder Staci Lantz, herself an interior designer, was inspired to create a fair-trade range using craftspeople in small enterprises in developing countries after she visited South Africa with Toms shoes, which works with people in poorer countries and is a major donor of aid.

Mr Nelmes said: “I was really impressed with the owners and how they source their products — they travel the world and go direct to the artisans.

“There are fewer people involved between the craftspeople and Imagine, so there is more money going to the people in these countries.

“And there are no big factories — they are all small-scale enterprises.”

Imagine works with people in Haiti, India, Peru and Guatemala to create a range which includes couches, chairs, tables and shelving, as well as handmade pottery, hand-woven place mats and napkins and bed linen.

The upholstery is 100 per cent organic and the firm promotes work in natural and chemical-free environments.

Mr Nelmes said: “Everybody has buying power — we can buy X or Y and we don’t know where the product comes from. When you hear the story of these products, that’s what impressed me, that handmade and artisanal quality. There is a raw edge to it all and that’s where the beauty lies.”

Mr Nelmes added: “We have a cross-section of items on the floor and everything can be customised with different colours and different fabrics.

“We have a specific look in the store — we did it and blue and white with greys, but we can do different colours and materials.”

And he said: “We had a launch party and people were really excited about it. We’ve had a few orders placed and we’re very pleased about that.

“We don’t have everything Imagine makes in the store, but we can get it if people want it.

“They have just launched in the States and they have been picked up by several furniture stores there.

“The rugs are all handmade and made from recycled materials — one is actually made from old blue jeans.”

Mr Nelmes, a Best of Bermuda winner for interior design in 2013, launched his business in the Duke of York Street, in a combined apartment and showroom three years ago.

He said: “The walk-by trade is slow. There is definitely something missing still in St George.

“I remember working here as a summer student years ago and there were as many people walking around as there was in Hamilton.

“We have to educated people that we are an alternative retail centre in Bermuda and that there’s plenty of free parking.”