Creating something for the people you love and value can be such a special thing. It is an activity I have written about previously - sending presents I have made to friends, designing cards for my amazing daughter, or the Christmas cards I send to everyone who is important to me each year. Recently, my sister turned 50 - and I wanted to mark it creatively. When we visited my exhibition at Perth Museum, she liked the chair I had upcylced, as it reminded her of Danish design? Her favourite pattern was my art deco style design of the Tunki bird, as it reminded her of an ice cream parlour. I loved this idea, and knew I wanted to reupholster a chair for her in this theme.
Thankfully, a few more of the chairs I had upcycled previously were available from the office which was closing down. As ever, it starts with taking it to pieces, being careful to stored all the screws and fittings. The fabric had to be ripped off - always a dusty job - and then the foam meticulously removed. Both my sister and I suffer from terrible dust allergies, so I knew it had to be free from any old materials. You can see the original hand made print below on my printing press. I adapted the colourway somewhat from the original pattern - from a purple pink with black to a pinker bird on a creamy vanilla background. Partly this was to fit in with the colours of the wooden chair arm - but also to reflect that idea of my sister of an ice cream parlour.
Upcycling any item of furniture presents you with opportunities to put your own stamp on a piece. One of the metal finishings was missing from the top of the chair’s frame. One of my favourite childhood memories is that of going on a family skiing holiday to Austria with my sister when we were teenagers. We went toboganning one evening, going up to the top of an empty ski run by lift. As we sat at the top of the floodlit run, taking in the mountains around us, knowing we were going to have a thrilling ride down, it was a perfect moment. I decided to mark this moment on the chair by lasercutting a tiny circle of wood for the fitting, and rasterising an edelweiss into it, as a symbol of the Alps. By painting it silver, it does not stand out from the rest of the chair, but it is pleasing to know it is there.
Here is the final chair. Especially as it was for a special occasion, I was relieved that the icecream colourway worked out, and I took a long time ensuring the pattern was perfectly straight and aligned. It now serves as an office chair for my sister. If you know someone who has a significant event coming up in their life, why not think about upcycling something in a way which is meaningful?
