THIS couple have gone from an alleyway workshop refurbishing junk furniture to having a room dedicated to their pieces in a top London department store.

The husband and wife team Nass and Brenda Nassarian will now see their antique decoupage furniture sold in a room on the fourth floor of Liberty in Regent Street.

Decoupage is the art of decorating objects with paper cut-outs and Mrs Nassarian renovates the furniture which she buys while it is "a bit down at heel".

The couple run Arundel Eccentrics in their hometown, a warehouse and workshop in the former Swallow Brewery and behind the town's Co-op in Queen Street.

Mrs Nassarian said: "It is the most enormous room, which is just phenomenal, it is beautiful and we have come from obscurity."

She added the department store had purchased pieces from them before and they were in the "right place at the right time" when the space in the store became available.

Their decoupage furniture, which is designed and crafted by Mrs Nassarian, has also been sold to dealers in the New York and featured in the US Architectural Digest.

The workshop was started out by Mrs Nassarian and a friend when they were both working at the Body Shop headquarters in Littlehampton.

As they shared a mutual love of arts and crafts they decided to try and make some extra money by setting up the workshop in the town.

They refurbished the "filthy, damp" building and Sussex Eccentrics was born.

Mr Nassarian, who worked as an antique dealer, also becoming involved with the business.

Mrs Nassarian said: "I think people seem to love it when they come to the workshop because they feel like they have found a secret.

"People who have lived in Arundel for 20 years are still discovering us. The warehouses help as well and it is just fantastic.

"People like it because it is quirky. Cold, but quirky."

Growing up in Woodingdean, Brighton, Mrs Nassarian's grandfather worked as a restorer who painted furniture with a workshop in Kemp Town

"It is interesting how stuff gets passed down", she added.