(Lead Image: Usplash)

Upcycling can be a great way to breathe new life into old furniture, which is not only better for the environment, but also beneficial for your bank account too.

Social media is awash with time-lapse videos showing people turning preloved tables and cabinets from drab to fab – and while satisfying to watch, those ten second reels don’t fully represent the time and effort applied to each transformation.

It can be a daunting prospect to pick up a paintbrush or sandpaper and give it a go, but everybody has to start somewhere. The Stray Ferret spoke to Yorkshire artists and enthusiasts involved in upcycling and sustainability, to share some handy tips.

 Don’t be afraid to experiment

Jodie with one of her creations (Jodie Flavell Artist)

 Last month the Stray Ferret spoke to Harrogate-based artist Jodie Flavell about her background and the imminent opening of her new shop on Mayfield Grove. Although she had no formal training in interior design or art before she started working on preloved furniture, she managed to take what was a creative outlet and make it into a fully-fledged business.

She also shared some of the key learnings she’s taken from her experience, especially lessons she had to discover for herself along the way. Her first tip would be to carefully choose the right ‘canvas’ or item of furniture to work on.

Jodie said:

“Proper wood, even veneered wood is better as it can be sanded down, but cheaper, laminated wood effect is much harder to upcycle, and doesn’t take on paint as easily.”

Secondly, upcycling is all about experimenting – Jodie recalled that through her own trials and errors she realised ‘you don’t need to paint things one colour’ and that a light touch is needed.

“Sometimes people feel like they need to get as much paint on there and can be heavy-handed which is what causes drips and streaks.”

Start simple

Before and after (Image: Jessie Parker)

According to upcycling enthusiast Jessie Parker, an easy route into upcycling requires two simple variables: a spray can and a flat surface.

She explained:

“I’m a big fan of making my home look lovely, but I’m not a big fan of buying new. That’s why I love finding items in charity shops that look a bit sad but, with a bit of work, have real potential.

“Things like mirrors and old metal picture frames can be easily revived with a bit of spray paint.”

Jessie’s favourite colour to use is metallic gold as it can instantly make an item of furniture more vibrant. She recommends thoroughly sanding down the surface first and wiping it over with a damp cloth to remove any dust, so the colour has the best chance at holding.

Equally as important is to make sure when spraying the item, it’s placed on a flat surface, otherwise the risk of bumps, drips or uneven coverage can increase.

She added:

“You then want to shake the spray paint for at least a minute to avoid the fluids separating. I usually do three coats but you can experiment with this to get your desired results.

“You’ll soon have the spray painting bug and always been on the look out for new things to upcycle and rehome.”

First impressions aren’t everything

(Image: Usplash)

 It can be easy to see a chair upholstered in a loud 80s fabric or a careworn table and immediately write it off as unsalvageable – or simply too ugly to transform. However, learning to look past the dated exterior and consider the potential in the piece is something that James Gascoigne from Leeds realised the hard way – and it left him kicking himself on the missed opportunity.

He explained:

“I moved into my first home in August 2022, and I was pretty hard up after buying a house, but I didn’t want to just buy cheap for-now pieces that I didn’t really like and would end up replacing quickly.”

James turned to Facebook marketplace for some of the larger items of furniture and came across a chair that he liked the look of – despite what he described as its ‘poor condition’.

However, after sending the picture to his partner he was dissuaded from buying it. It wasn’t until a several weeks later, when he mentioned it to a friend that he realised just what he’d passed up on.

“I showed this friend and they said they thought it was worth something and it looked pretty vintage – she thought it was a Ming chair, a famous style of furniture.

“When I Googled it, she was right – although we didn’t know how old the one on Facebook marketplace was, some of the high-end stuff goes for upwards of £400 and this had been sold for a fraction of that. Oh yes – it was sold straight away, no doubt to someone who didn’t hesitate.”

James didn’t make the same mistake twice and has successfully turned his hand to many other upcycling projects since around his home. His advice would be to at least view the item if you’re unsure – it’s a good way to check out the vintage credentials.

Not all projects are created equal

(Image: Pixabay)

With previous experience transforming preloved furniture to sell on as a passion project, Harrogate-based Steph Flint has several pearls of wisdom to share with budding upcyclers.

Explaining why she enjoys the process of giving furniture a new lease of life, she said:

“I can never find a piece of furniture in a shop that I like enough to purchase. I prefer old furniture with character that has stood the test of time.

“It’s very satisfying seeing an old dark unloved cabinet that nobody wants, become the focus point in a room, with a new purpose. I find painting furniture very relaxing, and I enjoy the creativeness. It can become quite addictive.”

In her time, she’s found that dark, ‘post-war’ furniture takes on paint easily, and is often sold cheaply, as it isn’t considered to be in fashion. But the right type of furniture isn’t everything; using the correct tools is important to the success of the project too.

Steph added:

“Start with something small – a small table or a chair. I prefer to use chalk paint.  It is very forgiving and there is no preparation required before you start.  Top tip – use synthetic paint brushes, they don’t shred and clean very easily.”

Read more:

• Discover the Harrogate artist transforming furniture as part of the ‘upcycling revolution’
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For some of us, auction houses are regarded as niche and expensive, the kind of places you might look for a unique piece of vintage jewellery, antique furniture or a collector’s item. 

But what is perhaps less well known is that alongside these higher-end auctioneers are auction houses that offer more affordable and everyday pieces.

Thompson’s Auctioneers in Killinghall is one such place. While the odd piece of furniture goes for over £1,000 – and a sideboard 12 years ago went for £8,000 – the average is about £80 to £100. Well-known names such as Mouseman and Ercol pop up now and again, but the saleroom is largely made up of reasonably-priced furniture, household and garden items, and gold and silver jewellery.

Lots in Thompson’s auctions, held every Friday, usually carry estimates of between £20 and £800. 

And not all of it is vintage or antique. Ikea rugs and Emma Bridgewater bowls sit alongside Victorian necklaces and 1960s drop leaf tables. There are collections and trays of assorted jewellery, glassware and coins, and even some white goods. Each weekly sale opens up a new Aladdin’s Cave, and you never know what you might find there. 

Ercol and Vanson

It’s this element of discovery that is one of the things Thompson’s director Kate Higgins loves about her job. As well as leading the auctions, she spends her week sifting through items at house clearances and valuations. She said: 

“It’s exciting. I love it, I like going to look at a job. I’ve been to house clearances where you can barely get through the front door and you have to go through all of it but it’s worth it because of what you might come across.” 

Among the pieces that Kate occasionally finds and sells are pieces by the famous Kilburn furniture maker Robert ‘Mouseman’ Thompson and the ‘Yorkshire Critters’ group of makers who were inspired by him. A Beaverman oak table and six chairs went for £1,500 a couple of weeks ago, while a Mouseman ashtray and set of nested tables was in the most recent sale. Kate said:  

“They are quite desirable. We get quite a lot of 1960s teak furniture which is very popular. People are paying decent prices for that. We’ve had a nice Ercol blond elm table and four chairs for £380 and a Vanson teak sideboard for £300.” 

Changing times

The auction house was started in 1989 by Brian Thompson. Kate has been at Thompson’s for 25 years and when Brian retired in 2012, she and another employee, Colin Evans, bought the business. Kate had started doing the auctions a few years before after remarking to Brian how easy it looked, to which he had answered, ‘Get up and do it then.’ She did, and found she loved it. 

Kate Higgins, director of Thompson’s Auctioneers.

But times have changed. Since Thompson’s were forced to take their auctions online during the pandemic and it’s stayed that way, Kate now finds herself leading the sale by “staring at a computer and talking to myself. It’s not quite the same but you have to move with the times”.

But she recognises the benefits that being online brings in reaching a wider audience and enabling more lots to be sold. Each week, about 500 lots are listed in the auction, and it takes around four hours to get through them all. Bids can come from far and wide, and items are shipped anywhere as long as the customer pays for the costs. Kate said: 

“Ninety-nine percent of people have been absolutely fine with us being totally online, even the older generation. There’s still the chance for buyers to view the lots between 3pm and 7pm on Thursdays, and people can drop off and collect items on Saturdays and Mondays. But most people are happy to buy from the website without viewing the piece in person. 

“We were shut for a year during the pandemic, and it took a while to get going again. We are actually selling more now than we were pre-covid. We are so busy that we are looking for more staff to help collect furniture – there’s currently a four-week waiting time for us to collect items from sellers.” 

Period drama props

Among their customers are regulars that come in for a browse every week, while others visit for specific items. She’s seen an increase in customers looking for affordable household goods while others are after a little project. They even have two or three TV companies looking for authentic props to use in period dramas. 

While the trend for ‘shabby chic’ has died down and people are no longer looking for cheap furniture to paint, original pieces that can be restored and reupholstered are in demand. Kate said people will go away and research items and are happy to buy them with faults such as woodworm or damage if it’s the kind of thing they are looking for. And the popularity of items can also change as fashions come and go. She said: 

“At the moment antiques are not very popular because nobody wants dark mahogany anymore, they want the lighter colours such as beech, ash and elm. Years ago, people would collect pieces of crockery and display them in cabinets but they don’t do that any more. People are buying second-hand furniture and watching what they spend.”

Read more:

• New auction house planned for Harrogate
• Beatles poster at Harrogate’s Royal Hall fetches £3,000 at auction

This story is sponsored by Halls of Ripon.

It has been a sparkling first year for the 20 plus independent retailers at Halls of Ripon.

At Red Buttons – one of the jewels in the department store’s crown – the celebrations continue for owners Mike and Liz Cooper as they will soon reach a golden milestone, having married in August 1972.

The couple, along with Hedley Hall, Ben Butler and Lloyd Sheard, were instrumental in the re-birth and re-invention of the unique retail destination on Fishergate, under the famous Halls name, so fondly remembered in Ripon and across the Harrogate district, for the quality of its goods and the excellence of its service.

In their own golden wedding anniversary year, Mike and Liz have launched a sale of select rings and other jewellery items, offered at discounted prices that customers can purchase to mark their own special occasions, from silver to gold, diamond and platinum.

The special anniversary sale of select jewellery items is now on at Red Buttons

Mike, who worked for more than 40 years in senior management at some of the best-known jewellers on the UK high street, said:

“Jewellery is a personal, emotional and sentimental gift that carries deep meaning and lifelong memories.

“Over the years it has been a pleasure to share in everything from marriages and the earliest wedding anniversaries, to the birth of a child, by helping people to find the appropriate piece or pieces of jewellery.”

Mike pointed out:

“For some customers, diamonds have been selected as the mile-stones that tell the story of their lives.

“The sentimental value goes on when single items or entire collections are left to loved ones and become treasured heirlooms that will be passed on to future generations.”

Creating customised Jewellery

Red Buttons takes pride in providing a personalised service and experience for customers, supported by designers and craftsman jewellers who can create customised pieces, often involving the recycling of a family’s redundant and damaged items.

Mike explains:

“A lady brought gold rings inherited from her parents, that she was unable to wear and within a matter of days we transformed them into a simple, but stylish cross that can be worn every day.

The gold heart with diamonds, created from wedding rings and an engagement ring

“For another customer, the wedding ring of her late mother and grandmother’s diamond engagement and wedding rings, were united in a single gold and diamond heart, whose sentimental value is beyond price.”

Red Buttons’ services include free jewellery cleaning and inspection, re-sizing, stone replacement, claw re-tipping and replacement. Part exchange is also available for customers with items that they wish to trade.

A community of independent retailers 

Liz Cooper, said:

“Our independent retailers cover all ages, from clothes for babies and children to hand-made furniture and a newly-introduced repair shop where classic sofas and chairs are re-upholstered and returned to use.

“All traders have expanded over the past year and each has something special to offer that adds to the department store experience. The coffee, homemade cakes and sandwiches at The Hive cafe within the store are highly recommended.”

The Harrogate branch of Sofa Workshop has closed after the company entered administration yesterday.

The Parliament Street shop is no longer trading and the company’s website has been closed, after administrators PriceWaterhouse Cooper were appointed.

The administrators said one shop in London would remain open for up to 14 days to sell remaining stock. The company’s order book has been sold to Timothy Oulton United Kingdom Ltd, also owned by parent company Halo, so any outstanding orders will be fulfilled.

Toby Banfield, joint administrator and PwC partner, said:

“Unfortunately, given the sustained level of losses, the directors had no option but to appoint administrators to protect the creditors of the company. Sadly, this has resulted in 77 redundancies having to be made today. We will do all we can to support workers impacted by the administration.”

It has not been confirmed how many jobs have been lost at the Harrogate shop.

Read more:

• Welcome to Yorkshire enters administration
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A Harrogate furniture reuse charity has helped to furnish four properties for female survivors of domestic abuse.

Essential Needs, on Leeds Road, has partnered with Independent Domestic Abuse Services (IDAS), which is the largest specialist domestic abuse charity in Yorkshire.

The homes in the Harrogate area will be used by women moving away from violence and abuse.

Essential Needs provided four of each of the following items; sofa, bed, wardrobe, chest of drawers, bedside drawer, kitchen table and chairs, coffee table, TV and TV unit, microwave, kettle, toaster and vacuum.

Lee Wright, manager at Essential Needs said:

“Essential Needs wanted to support IDAS as their work is lifesaving and the pandemic has made conditions for victim-survivors even worse.

“It was great to be able to partner in a way that drew on both our strengths as charities, supporting people who really need the help and to give them the best chance of living a life free from abuse and violence.”

Lucinda, a fake name, is one of the survivors that has moved into one of the properties. She said:

“The flat is lovely and homely, it is great to have the freedom to be able to go for walks again. The staff have been really lovely, and kind and it makes me feel safe to know that they are just a phone call away.

“I was so worried about how I would do this on my own but now all my worries about moving have gone away. I am safe.”

Read more:

• Charity Corner: Combating furniture poverty across the Harrogate district
• Harrogate domestic abuse charity sees referrals triple due to covid

Essential Needs sells donated furniture at low prices at its Leeds Road warehouse.

IDAS said all the properties now have residents that are getting the support they need to recover from their experience and rebuild. It added it was always looking to accommodate and help more survivors of domestic abuse so will likely partner with Essential Needs again.

Mel Milner, project officer for IDAS dispersed housing and safe havens in Harrogate and district area, said:

“We are very grateful for the generosity of our partners at Essential Needs. When survivors escape abuse, it’s so important that it represents more than just a roof over their heads, so we work hard to furnish our properties with everything you would need to have the best fresh start.”

A new French-inspired furniture shop is due to open in Killinghall today.

Once Upon A Time, which is being run by two friends, will also sell flowers, candles, coffee and homemade cakes.

Tina Parker, who lived in France for several years, said she and Sian Ross “could possibly be mad” for opening at such a difficult time.

But she thought the impact of coronavirus had made people more appreciative of small independent shops. She added:

“People missed their local shops when they closed and are more willing to support them.

“We want it to be a destination shop where people come and have a coffee and pick up a gift besides looking at the furniture.”

The interior of the new shop

Ms Parker previously owned French Loveliness, which was also in Killinghall and closed last year. The new shop is about 100 metres along Lund Lane, towards Hampsthwaite.

Read More:

• New music shop set to open in Knaresborough
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Ms Parker and Ms Ross, from Summerbridge, share a passion for French-style design.

Their shop will be open from Wednesday to Sunday each week.