The sale takes place at Cheffins on July 9
26/06/2026 Decorative Items
A chance to buy a tastemaker’s style and support a brilliant cause in the process? That’s what you can expect when Karen Harvey MBE’s collection goes under the hammer at Cambridge auction house Cheffins this July, raising funds for waste and poverty-fighting NGO Toiletries Amnesty.
Karen formerly bought and sold vintage and antique pieces - her curations so covetable, Paloma Faith once bought a set of her napkin rings - and, a writer and photographer, has contributed to Homes & Antiques and seen her home featured in Fabric Magazine.
And now you can steal Karen’s interiors style: going under the hammer at Cheffins on July 9, as part of the Interiors Sale, she is selling a collection of pieces to raise funds for Toiletries Amnesty, her award-winning NGO.
Star lots include a Johan Bertil Haggstrom sofa and chairs, Constance Spry Fulham Pottery mantle vase, Blot Galland vintage French metal wine racks, a pair of Castelli Plia chairs and a print by Frederic Leighton - The Garden of the Hesperides, hand photogravure, 1893 - one of which is held in the V&A collections. There will be jewellery lots too, spanning Victorian mourning brooches and 1950s marcasite to 1970s Finnish silver and modern gold Versace.
Working to end both hygiene poverty and beauty industry waste, Toiletries Amnesty started in 2014 with a single donation of shampoo to Wintercomfort, the Cambridge support service for the homeless and vulnerably housed; fast forward to today and, supplying 1,500 locations worldwide, it has given more than nine million people access to toiletries and hygiene products in the last year alone.
Made an MBE in recognition of her work with Toiletries Amnesty, Karen says selling some of her vintage and antique pieces is a natural step. “I’ve accumulated so many great items,” she explains, “so I reached out to Cheffins, as the local experts, to bring together a sale of jewellery, art, ceramics, furniture. Every sale will support a really important cause, so I’d encourage everyone to take a look - and place a bid.”
Known as a creative director, curator and contemporary aesthete, Karen is also the founder of Shutter Hub, which provides opportunities, support and networking for creative photographers worldwide. Most recently, she curated the Shutter Hub OPEN exhibition at Cambridge University, and is currently editing photobook The City Series: Cambridge.
Says Brett Tryner, director, Cheffins: “We are delighted to be able to support Toiletries Amnesty. At Cheffins we have a strong community giveback ethos and are always looking to support local charities and groups with the important work which they carry out. Last year, Cheffins raised more than £200,000 as part of the firm’s 200-year anniversary, gifted to a series of different charities throughout the region, and we look forward to seeing how hosting this sale for Toiletries Amnesty will deliver in terms of very real benefits for those in need.”
Brett draws attention to “a number of interesting pieces on offer as part of the Toiletries Amnesty collection, with the mid-century furniture and contemporary jewellery in particular looking set to generate interest among buyers”.
He adds: “Our monthly interiors sales provide a brilliant opportunity for people looking to furnish their homes. On average, they tend to include around 600 lots of furniture, paintings, prints, decorative items, ceramics and glassware, with prices ranging from around £50 - £3,000. These sales are a perfect place for a first foray into the auction world and offer a fascinating mix of items, whether for people looking for practical furniture or just to decorate their homes with unique and one-off pieces.”
To view the calendar of sales at Cheffins, please click here
To support Toiletries Amnesty, please click here