Since April, I’ve been busy, transforming a tired timber table into a vibrant and unique designer piece, all in the name of charity. And now, I can finally show you the finished product!
Before and after
Like with any DIY project it came with its trials and tribulations (including our publisher Jen having her baby Seb half way through the design process… how selfish!) but I can now say it’s complete and I’m extremely happy with how it turned out.
A special thanks to Sparkk for supplying us with a beautiful flamingo table runner
My table, along with my fellow designers’ pieces (such as two beds by furniture designer Mark Tuckey and a sideboard by stylist Steve Cordony), will now go up for auction. Running from Wednesday 8 July to Friday 17 July, all proceeds go to Salvos Stores.
All the projects
While upcycling continues to grow in popularity, it seems it hasn’t quite extended to medium and large furniture pieces, with people (myself included) choosing to throw away tired pieces rather than consider their potential. The Re-Love Project shows just how a little TLC can inject personality into second-hand furniture and give it a new lease on life. I must say it’s certainly changed my outlook on DIY!
To find out more information about the project or for inspiration for an up-cycling project you can complete at home, visit the Feast Watson website.
It’s an old and arguably tired adage, but the saying: ‘one man’s trash is another man’s treasure’ couldn’t be truer in the case of Feast Watson’s Re-Love Project. The initiative brought together eight designers who donated their time and expertise by ‘upcycling’ worn timber furniture items into unique, one-off designer pieces, all in the name of charity. For those new to upcycling, it involves turning used or useless furniture or other household items into something far more glamorous.
Simone Barter
The project was an undeniable success, raising an admirable $5,000 for Salvos Stores Australia after Feast Watson agreed to match the funds raised from the eBay auction of the pieces earlier this month. James Fisher, brand manager at Feast Watson, notes that the success of the auction was a great reflection of both the strong support demonstrated by the public, and the delivery of such stunning products from the designers.
The project also shines some light on a craft form that, while popular, has yet to come into its own; with many seeing upcycling as a task best suited to smaller furniture pieces. Salvaging a larger item of furniture from the trash heap and showing it a little TLC, can in fact yield fantastic results and doesn’t require a lot of hard work.
According to Simone Barter (above), who fashioned a stylish chair and desk combination as part of Re-Love, it all starts with the search. And once you’ve purchased your piece, creating a masterpiece is as simple as planning, preparing and then achieving your vision.
Check out Simone’s step-by-step guide to achieving the look:
What you need:
Feast Watson Timber Primer
Feast Watson Stain & Varnish Black Japan Satin
Dulux Super Enamel in Tango Semi Gloss
Dulux Super Enamel in Malay Grey Semi Gloss
Planning:
Decide where the item will be placed in cohesion with the rest of the space and then choose a desk that will enable a large workspace. “Shop around and explore old and loved stores, you never know what you might find or what bargain you could stumble across!”
Preparation:
Prepare the wood by sanding it back, first with a coarse sand paper, followed by a finer one to smooth the timber. When selecting paint, “choose colours that will add a ‘wow’ factor – I chose Feast Watson Black Japan, Malay Grey and Pop of Tango from the Dulux range for a dramatic effect.”
Achieving your vision:
After applying the primer and allowing it to dry, remove all drawers and apply the first layer of stain and varnish, building up coats until the desired colour is achieved. For the chair, apply the Dulux Super Enamel in Tango Semi Gloss then allow to dry. When it comes time to paint, tape approximately 10cm from the bottom of each chair leg, evenly wrapped all the way around each leg. Then paint the bottom section of each chair leg. Remove the painters tape when the paint is completely dry.
I’m so excited to tell you that our apartment (well, the one we moved out of last month!) is in this month’s Home Beautiful. Such an honour!
In the article, I talk about my favourite possessions and my role as an amabassador for the Salvos’ new My Salvos Stores’ online eBay store, alongside the lovely Baz Dubois from the Living Room.
Peep My Style blogger and op shopper extraordinaire, Claudia Stephenson
By Claudia Stephenson
Previously on Interiors Addict, I shared my top op shop finds. People often ask me what my secret is, so I thought it could be useful to give you my top 10 tips:
1. Don’t limit yourself to one area. Of course I have my favourite stores that usually deliver some kind of delight each visit, but when I have time, I travel all over Sydney, to the Blue Mountains and up to the Central Coast. Just because it’s in a nice area doesn’t mean there will be better stuff: cast your net wide!
2. Keep going back. The reason I tend to find great stuff is because I keep going back. Don’t be put off if you go somewhere and find nothing the first go, chances are you will if you are persistent. I tend to visit at least one store per week, even if it’s on my way home from work, I always find time to pop in.
3. Take your time. I took a girlfriend once and she scanned the room once and gave up, whereas I always scour every shelf and corner. I once found (and bought) an Hermes ashtray tucked up at the back of a bottom shelf amongst some cheap white plates. I paid $3…
Firstly, thank you for having me on Interiors Addict, Jen! For those of you who have visited me at Peep My Style, you’ll know I’ve been an avid op shopper for about 10 years. In that time, I have come across the most incredible finds, like this dining set complete with 6 Chippendale chairs (they were selling the whole lot for $160), but unfortunately I got there one minute too late!
But that same day I found my pride and joy: this gold dining table base. It originally came with a big hexagonal smoked glass top (you will be glad to know I left it at the shop) and I eventually found a large slab of marble to top it off, which works perfectly with it.
In my job as an interior stylist, I get lots of different briefs and budgets. Sometimes a client’s budget may not stretch to buying lots of new furniture so I like to mix it up a bit by going ‘hunting’. Hunting for me is going to Vinnies or the Salvos, furniture markets, auctions and garage sales and searching for great pieces of furniture that need some love and attention. It’s amazing what you can find when you know what to look for. In this post I am going to give you a few rules of thumb when it comes to searching for preloved furniture.
The first thing to look for is the shape of the piece. Look at the line and the overall shape to see if it is going to work in your room and with your scheme. If it has cushions that can be removed then take them off so you can see its bones.
I’m delighted to be a brand ambassador, alongside The Living Room’s Barry du Bois, for the new My Salvos Stores eBay shop.
The Living Room’s Barry du Bois
Do you love furnishing your home with unique, affordable items but don’t always have the time to go out and rummage through op shops and speciality stores to find them? My Salvos Stores has the perfect solution. Access recycled homewares and furniture at your fingertips by shopping online at My Salvos Stores’ new eBay shop, with all proceeds going to The Salvation Army. Now you can shop online for great quality recycled goods whilst also helping a good cause.
