Show me the gently curving arc of a chair sitting on the side of the road and I’m there (lifting it gently and wrapping it up in the back of my car!). You might have wandered by and seen rubbish headed to landfill, I spotted a gem longing to be restored to it’s former glory. Waiting for someone to love it again.
My obsession with discarded chairs started as a hobby. Bringing dingy damaged antiques and Facebook Marketplace finds back to life through upholstery gave me life too. After sourcing and re-upholstering 50 chairs for my wedding, I realised that it was more than just a fun pastime. It was what I wanted to spend all my time doing.
Completing the Diploma in Upholstery from the AMUSF, I sharpened my skills in my holidays and spare time. And, as I transformed each neglected armchair I built the tools, know-how and, most importantly, unwavering drive to turn this calling from my moonlighting side hustle into a full-time upholstery business.
Now in my cosy garden studio I get to practice my passion daily - demonstrating that sustainable revival is always possible with a little imagination.
My goal with every chair revival project is to solve a creative challenge: reimagining damaged, outdated parts into a bespoke piece. I build upon heritage craft methods to rework each vintage find, no matter how far gone, into a future family heirloom. One that you’ll be proud to sit in.
Working on my art and illustration practice has allowed me to create my own fabric designs to use in my work. All the needle craft and textiles skills I have gained from a young age mean that I can play with fabric manipulation and apply this as well.
Complimenting the furniture with soft furnishings such as cushions, quilts and lampshades feels like a natural progression to me and means that I can curate collections that all work well individually and together.
Creating these textiles and prints allow me to keep exploring and playing creatively. And it helps me minimise waste in the studio as I can take the offcuts and work them into something completely unique.
Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t - but it’s fun all the same.
