Sussing out sustainable interiors: How to hop on board
‘Sustainability’ is a word that’s been bandied around for years but to find out more about how sustainable choices can be easily woven into our décor decisions, I spoke to queen of upcycling, Rachel Verney @the_shoestring_home, award winning fabric & wallpaper designer Charlotte Raffo @the_monkeypuzzletree and kitchen painter, Claire Hill @clairethefurniturestylist.
Rachel is well known on social media for her bold and impressive furniture upcycles. She told me; “Purchasing second hand or giving existing furniture a re-vamp should always be part of the consideration set when it comes to home décor. I always visit Facebook Marketplace when I need a piece of furniture; you can often find real bargains and well-made furniture that have stood the test of time.” Rachel went on to say “Unsurprisingly, bargain pieces are usually in need of some TLC but it’s relatively easy to totally transform and re-purpose an item using a bit of patience and paint.” I asked Rachel to share some key pointers for anyone out there who may be looking to upcycle a piece of furniture for the first time….
Planning and preparation are key. Try and make a plan for your design, winging it tends to end in disaster. Be ready to put the time in when prepping, I’ve skipped on sanding and priming before and lived to regret it when my pieces don’t hold up! Give everything a good clean with sugar soap when you bring your second hand finds home and it will give you time to discover what condition the piece is in an, and what steps you will need to get it looking great again
Before you start check you have all the tools you need, I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve been caught out mid project when I couldn’t find something. Always best to check you have everything you need. Some of my essentials are sandpaper, filler, frog tape and my drill
Don’t be afraid to try bold colours or quirky designs. The beauty of up-cycling is that you can really stamp your own style onto a pre-loved item. Go wild! I love incorporating wallpaper or stencilling to my upcycles to easily give a fun patterned look
Changing hardware is a great way to update an old item for a quick and easy glow up
Fabric designer, Charlotte Raffo, also told me that her fabric is often used to revamp existing items. “Much of the fabric I sell is used to reupholster vintage furniture. It might be a very special piece or have sentimental value, and the owners want to give it a new lease of life. Upholstery is expensive, but if you have a well-made piece that you really love, it should definitely be considered so that you can keep it for decades to come” says Charlotte.
Re-using or upcycling items in your home does not have to be limited to small or individual pieces of furniture either. Claire Hill specialises in painting kitchens and has seen a huge rise in the demand for her services. Claire told me “When thinking about a kitchen update, people assume the only solution is one that requires a substantial amount of money. But actually, painting your existing kitchen really does achieve the look and feel of a brand new kitchen but at a fraction of the cost. If you’re happy with the layout and would just be replacing almost ‘like for like’ in terms of cabinetry, then this really is the ideal solution”
Claire also shared the environmental benefits of re-painting an existing kitchen rather than having it ripped out and replaced. “For me, the environmental benefits are huge too. Frequently I see kitchens advertised on places like marketplace saying “if not collected, it’s going to the tip”, which is just so sad. It will be taking up valuable landfill space and the carbon footprint of the replacement kitchen is a cost to our precious planet. The ‘power of paint’ cannot be underestimated!”
Claire kindly shared some useful tips for anyone looking to paint their existing kitchen:
Over years grease and grime can accumulate on even the cleanest kitchen so always begin with a thorough degrease
Research your products to make sure you use good quality ones, to ensure a good quality finish and avoid chipping down the line
Make sure you use a good primer. It’s important to use one which is appropriate to the material you are painting
Always take all the doors and drawer fronts off to ensure you get a good finish.
There are obviously times when we do want to invest in new items for our home. Buying less and making considered product choices to reduce waste is key. In a trend driven market, it’s easy to get in the trap of buying throwaway items. “If you are going to buy something new, make sure you really love it and that it ideally has minimal packaging and is made locally” advises Charlotte.
Charlotte also shone a light on the importance of considering where and how homeware items are made. Focusing on her own industry, Charlotte says “While no textile manufacturer can claim to be completely sustainable yet, there are many ways that producers can operate in ways to reduce their footprint.” Charlotte shared how her recent fabric design, ‘All Tomorrow’s Futures’ stacks up’ was created to demonstrate this.
“The fabric was woven and printed locally, using European yarns. Local production really reduces the carbon footprint of the fabric as well as supporting local skills and jobs. The other advantage of having as much of the production in Europe as possible is that we have more stringent controls for chemical use and waste processing, and a higher proportion of our energy comes from renewable sources. We used natural fibres so that the fabric is biodegradable and we chose not to dye or bleach the base fabric so it is left in its natural state.”
Charlotte concluded by saying “Monkey Puzzle champions transparency as a way to improve sustainability. We feel if there is nothing to hide behind, this is the best motivation to improve each step of the process. We’re hoping that the larger manufacturers will follow us in this and that that will encourage better standards for everyone.”
A big thankyou to Rachel, Charlotte and Claire for their contributions to this blog post. Please do find Rachel @the_shoestring_home, Charlotte @the_monkeypuzzletree and Claire @clairethefurniturestylist on Instagram or visit the following websites; www.themonkeypuzzletree.com and www.thefurniturerestylist.co.uk to see their work.