The Platform

Wednesday 6th March 2019

A guest blog by Karen Dawe, Westquay's Retail Business Manager

My upcycling hobby really began with an interest in all things vintage and retro, and the need to decorate two spare bedrooms in the house!   Initially, I rummaged around our shed and found a couple of items which I knew to be too good to thrown away, so I bought an Annie Sloan book and with a few of her simple tips, just took the plunge! 

My very first attempt was upcycling a former white wooden coat rack and transforming it into a mantle for the spare bedroom!  I literally gave it two coats of the paint, followed that by some dark wax and voila, it completely transformed from something I was going to put in the bin into a really useful and nice looking addition in the bedroom!

I found the blanket box at an auction house and knew instinctively that not only would it be easy to change, but that such a good quality item deserved a new home.  I chose the colour to get a classic vintage green, but kept to the clear wax and not the dark, purely because I also wanted it to retain a fresh look which would pull together the vintage and contemporary mix in the room.

The great results inspired me to look for other items which I could easily change through the simplest and quickest methods i.e. paint, wax and varnish, and has now led to numerous pieces throughout the house…..…a vintage desk, pine chair, wicker baskets, candle holders and picture frames!

I am most definitely not artistic, nor do I have the imagination to envisage outcomes; I just work on instinct and within the means of my limited capabilities!

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