I was quite flattered to be asked to take part in the Oxfam Home DIY project, alongside:
Angela Scanlon (stylist and journalist),
Eoin Lyons (interior designer & journalist),
Dara Flynn (editor of House & Home & journalist with the Sunday Times)
Teresa Martin Varela (photographer)
We were invited to choose a piece of Oxfamhome furniture and jazz it up however we saw fit, which sounded like great fun…and..well… it was!
To begin, I had a great chat with Paul Houlihan, the manager of Oxfam Home on Francis St. in Dublin. We decided that I should go for this antique chair - it was an interesting shape, but just shabby enough to benefit from some affection and love. Farrow & Ball were kind enough to sponsor the Oxfam - so I chose ‘Downpipe’ - while the new fabric is the remainder of the vintage coffee bean sacks from our armchairs in Shutterbug. It was a very well-behaved chair to work with - from the start of the sanding to the final touches, it took around 6 hours to complete.
A huge thank you to the talented crew from Studioseventyseven for taking the ‘after ‘photos of the chair and I, which appear in this month’s TATLER magazine. Thanks also to Ciúin Treacy for the before photo…and to Clare from Oxfam for thinking of me… I also very much enjoyed meeting everyone involved in the project too. Lovely folks altogether!
The pieces are on display this month in the Powerscourt Town House Centre in Dublin, as part of the Oxfam Haiti Lives Photography exhibition.
You can bid on all of the finished pieces *** HERE **** Please do send around this link if you know of anyone interested in upcycled pieces in aid of such a worthwhile charity.
xBlanaid
P.S Should I write this? Anyway “wearing…” : Denim shirt (Zara) vintage belt (robbed from my mother), grey skirt (Malene Birger), gold shoes (Gil Carvelho) makeup by Karen Fitzpatrick, hair a sliiiight mess by me. : )
P.P.S - This project will feature in the Sunday Times this week - so do pick up a copy if you see it on your Sunday Morning Lucozade Run! ; )
Well done on all ur hard work, such a shame to cover up such beautiful wood though don’t you think? Maybe thats just the woodwork teacher coming out in me
Thanks Roisin!
I agree about the wood, but in real life it didn’t look halfway as decent as in the ‘before’ photo. It had been very badly varnished numerous times and and would have needed a lot of work to get back to a somewhat decent condition…well for my limited skills anyway! I did think VERY hard about it before painting it out…but eh..did it anyway..sorry!
Also I must confess, I’ve just never been sentimental about wood. If there’s unpainted wood in my house, it’s due a lack of paint.. ;D
x
You look amazing in that picture!
The chair is lovely too - I really like the coffee bean sack thing, here and in the pics from the studio! It’s a pretty cool idea <3
Amazing! And I love your outfit too.
Well done, it looks great!! Cant wait to see it in the Sunday Times:)!! Onwards and upwards:)!! x
AH-MAZING!! and looking lovely in the The Sunday Times my dear x
I am a sucker for good makeover. Brilliant choice in paint and fabric. Fantastic.
cheers,
mel
Love this!
We have a chair like this at home, been covered in the most revolting fabric (think heavy tapestry of pheasants and the like) for years now, just sitting away in the corner. Methinks will be persuading the Mammy to let me have it for my new place this weekend..fantastic idea!
Ah thanks a million everyone! I really appreciate it! x
Thanks for the post. I know enough about the subject but am always glad to find out more information.
I would like to use the theme of this blog; Did you get a free wordpress theme or did you have to pay for a designer?
hey blanaid…
love this
I am a final year textiles student currently working towards my end of year graduate show. I am designing for interiors and also combine upcycling with my project. Iintend on upholstering an old antique chair but not really sure how exactly to go abaout this…any suggestions?
Cheers, Rachel