The BV magazine, November ‘22 RANDOM 19
Interview by Laura Hitchcock
The Repair Shop’s expert upholsterer Sonnaz takes on the Random 19 Sonnaz Nooranvary is a British-Iranian upholsterer who lives near Wimborne, best known as the resident upholstery expert on BBC One’s The Repair Shop. At the age of 17, Sonnaz became the first female apprentice at Sunseeker Yachts, where she developed her eye for detail and exacting craftsmanship standards. At 25 she started her own business, which has since grown into a bespoke interiors studio and workshop which includes interior design and restoration. Her new brand ‘House of Sonnaz’ has just launched – she hopes to ‘rewrite what it means to be a manufacturer and purveyor of home products’, creating furniture that will last a lifetime and bring joy, using processes that will not harm the environment. Sonnaz is passionate about manufacturing in the UK, and, from her own experience, she believes deeply in apprenticeships. And so, to the questions ... 1. What’s your relationship with Dorset? I came to Dorset because I applied for an apprenticeship at Sunseeker Yachts, and they wouldn’t accept me unless I lived in the area (I lived in Hampshire at the time and I didn’t drive). So I moved to Dorset for that, and have been here ever since! I’ve had the opportunity to move away, but I do love Dorset. 2. What was the last song you sang out loud in your car? I Am Woman. Who’s the artist? No idea. But it was I Am Woman – what a great song, very empowering! (I Am Woman by Emmy Meli, not the 1972 Helen Reddy one) 3. The last film you watched? It was The Luckiest Girl Alive. I saw it on Netflix – and I totally recommend it. It was pretty profound, there were lots of twists and turns and I thought the ending was genius. 22
4. It’s Friday night – you have the house to yourself, and no work is allowed. What are you going to do? Pretty much every Friday my set routine is to put on a facemask and re-do the nail polish on my toes. But if I was going all out I would run a bath, light some candles, add some music, a glass of wine – red, probably – and a book (maybe not in the bath with the book, that’s for in bed, later). A party for one! 5. What is your comfort meal? When we were kids we used to have – it’s really terrible actually – we used to have porridge with sugar and butter in it. Terrible. But if I’m feeling like I need a bit of comfort, that’s my go-to. BUT my other comfort food is a Persian meal called ghormeh sabzi. I absolutely love it. It’s loads of herbs made into a stewy sauce, and you have it with rice. It’s a really unusual taste and it’s one of my favourite meals.
6. What would you like to tell 15 year-old you? What would I tell me … I’m 15, so I am still at school … I may have been head girl by then – my life was looking up! I think I would tell myself that everything is going to be all right. 7. The best crisps flavour? Obviously it’s prawn cocktail 8. And the best biscuit for dunking? Again. Obviously. Custard creams. 9. What book did you read recently that stayed with you? A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. I’ve had the book for a long time, but I finally read it and it was heartbreaking. I cried. It’s a profoundly affecting story about people in Kabul, following their lives through the war in Afghanistan. It was a difficult, emotional read.
