Our Upcycling Heroes
Upcycling:
'the creation or modification of a product from used or waste materials, components or products which is of equal or higher quality or value than its compositional elements'.
Upcycling is a broad term defining a process of re-creation, incorporating creative forms of repair, reuse, refurbish, upgrade, remanufacture and recycle of items which might otherwise end up in landfill.
For furniture it is about taking a once unloved piece and restoring it to its former glory, giving it a lease of life whilst also holding on to its story.
Not only is it a good way to reduce our carbon footprint, but is also a great way to pass time by learning new skills, which is undoubtedly good for the mind as well as the environment.
With more and more of us becoming conscious about sustainability, combined with wanting to make our money go further (as well as staving off those lockdown blues) up-cycling and arts & crafts has really taken off lately in the UK and around the world. Be it re-discovering a once forgotten love for painting, starting a new business making jewellery or upcycling an old, dusty worn out chest of drawers, many of us are choosing to live more resourcefully and it is expected this trend will continue to grow in the following years.
Perhaps with people being more resourceful, choosing to make and mend in favour of the current, linear status quo: take, use and dispose, we will continue to see real progress in championing the move to a more circular and eco-friendly society.
Although many of us have undertaken an upcycling project of some sort as a personal hobby in our spare time, there are some very skilled and talented individuals who do this full or part time who are worth a mention.
Without further adieu from the UK, Denmark, Australia and back again here are 6 of our favourite up-cycling projects from 6 different exceptionally talented up-cycling heroes:
KOOKIWOOD
Injecting vibrant luxe details into your home
Kookiwood transform classic furniture into statement pieces using a combination of hand painting, decoupage and cork, with eye catching and iconic pieces influenced by mid century styles and art deco.
Are you a Frida Kahlo fan? Then this piece is for you. This stunning fresco cabinet with her portrait adorned to the exterior has been painted in a custom blend of duck egg blue with the portrait decoupaged to the doors.
Oh and if that wasn’t impressive enough… the doors slide back to reveal a cocktail cabinet beneath. ...Cheers!
Orange Otter Design
Refinished statement furniture, art prints and homeware that is kind to the environment without compromising on style.
Orange Otter Design are a husband and wife team based out of Surrey. They bring new life to furniture out of a desire to reduce their impact on the world.
Have you ever wanted a genuine cinema experience from the comfort of your living room? These repurposed 1930’s art deco style cinema chairs might do the trick, they have curved back and deep sprung seats and are custom to order. The downside? They recommend that they be bolted down... But considering the charm, its a small price to pay!
Sarah Peterson
BBC One’s Money for Nothing designer. Professional Furniture Upcycler. Upholsterer of funky chairs! unique•quirky•colour•pattern•design
Sarah Peterson is passionate about upcycling and has been doing it for years, Stakes tired, classic pieces and transforms them into something vibrant and eye catching.
She really went for it with this one, the creativity and imagination speaks for itself! It’s outrageous, wonderfully 80’s and wacky and that’s why we love it. The result from the before photo really goes to show what can be achieved with a bit of imagination and paint. We especially like that she did not stop with the outside and painted the interior drawers in different colours.
Who said disco is dead?
Furniture for Fun
Upgrading and bringing new life to 20th century furniture. Upholstery, renovation and furniture.
These Danish up-cyclers take mid-century chairs, consoles and more and bring them back to life by turning them into elegant, classic pieces.
This mid-century cabinet has been adorned with elegant gold and black foil pattern. Pure sophistication.
Ivy Burton Interiors
Upcycled furniture and homeware. Unique, handpainted designs. Add a bit of quirkiness to your home. Reloved in Yorkshire UK.
Ivy Burton Interiors, takes pre-loved furniture and homeware and hand paints it to give it a new lease of life.
This pink ‘you can dance chair’ is for all you pink fanatics out there and we love the shaggy fabric seat. Pop, funk and flare come to mind.
J.A.W Furniture
We are furniture artists creating unique original handpainted statement pieces for your home as well as artwork.
Looking for a real work of art? This Australian outfit takes classic pieces of furniture and hand paints stunningly detailed works of art on to them, oh and they don’t just do toucans, they also do peacocks, horses, elephants…goldfish… you name it! But who doesn’t love toucans!
True joy and inspiration!
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Do you have a favourite? Let us know in the comments below or on our Instagram post.
We are always on the lookout for interesting up-cycled projects so do get in touch if you are working on something interesting and would like us to write about it, we would love to hear from you.
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