Shining The Light On The Forgotten Silver Teapot And Other Upcycled Designer Finds
As upcycling draws the interest of more and more people concerned with the environment, a new era in upcycling has begun. The designer upcycle, where highly desirable statement pieces are fashioned from the unfashionable, unneeded or just plain rubbish.
5 designer upcyclers, each taking their own path come together at Vinnie & D - Designed and Made in Great Britain, a website that is an online showcase of British designers.
Vinnie and D have a stunning in find in their designer 'Chi abode'. Hiding out down in the New Forest, Chi Abode have taken the unloved silver tea and coffee pots and transformed them into beautiful pieces for the home. The silver teapot lamps are individually named with Morwenna and Lillybeth being current favourites.
Nearby in Dorset, British Firehose, otherwise destined for landfill is made into belts, bags and cufflinks by designers 'Elvis and Kresse' The designs are stunning in their own right, but add the 'Firehose factor' as well as their profit sharing philosophy of giving 50% to the firefighters charity one can immediately see why they are viewed as British pioneers of eco and sustainable design.
Unwanted shoe lasts form the basis for London's White Dove and Wonder designs. Coat hooks, receipt spikes lamps and candle holders, have been fashioned from the reclaimed lasts. Taking pride of place in peoples hallways, offices, living rooms and dens they beautiful yet useful pieces the subject of much envy.
Unique designs come from DW designs and recover me Sarah. DW Designs have cashmere covered in Hampshire.Taking used jumpers and cardigans and making them into desirable scarves and cute hottie covers as well as business shirts into cushion covers, they are the ultimate in recycled wares without the feel of something used. Recover me Sarah G, also in the New Forest, breathe new life into old furniture by covering with bright floral fabrics. The striking pieces bring colour and vibrancy to any room.
These designers join a careful selection of Britain's finest on www.vinnieandd.com
5 designer upcyclers, each taking their own path come together at Vinnie & D - Designed and Made in Great Britain, a website that is an online showcase of British designers.
Vinnie and D have a stunning in find in their designer 'Chi abode'. Hiding out down in the New Forest, Chi Abode have taken the unloved silver tea and coffee pots and transformed them into beautiful pieces for the home. The silver teapot lamps are individually named with Morwenna and Lillybeth being current favourites.
Nearby in Dorset, British Firehose, otherwise destined for landfill is made into belts, bags and cufflinks by designers 'Elvis and Kresse' The designs are stunning in their own right, but add the 'Firehose factor' as well as their profit sharing philosophy of giving 50% to the firefighters charity one can immediately see why they are viewed as British pioneers of eco and sustainable design.
Unwanted shoe lasts form the basis for London's White Dove and Wonder designs. Coat hooks, receipt spikes lamps and candle holders, have been fashioned from the reclaimed lasts. Taking pride of place in peoples hallways, offices, living rooms and dens they beautiful yet useful pieces the subject of much envy.
Unique designs come from DW designs and recover me Sarah. DW Designs have cashmere covered in Hampshire.Taking used jumpers and cardigans and making them into desirable scarves and cute hottie covers as well as business shirts into cushion covers, they are the ultimate in recycled wares without the feel of something used. Recover me Sarah G, also in the New Forest, breathe new life into old furniture by covering with bright floral fabrics. The striking pieces bring colour and vibrancy to any room.
These designers join a careful selection of Britain's finest on www.vinnieandd.com
Professional Upcycling Expert, Gary Port-Lincoln, Reveals The Secrets Of His Discoveries
Green in Mind, creators of unique vintage and retro pieces with an eco-friendly focus reveal the tricks of their trade in a new blog and project download area at their website www.greeninmind.co.uk
Gary Port-Lincoln, Director and Chief Upcycler at Green In Mind shares the secrets of sourcing, thrifting and planning an upcycling project - covering topics of restoring furniture handles to spotting original features at auctions and markets.
Green in Mind was founded by Gary and Joanne Port-Lincoln in 2011, consolidating over 20-years experience in interior design and fine-art decorating. The team at Green in Mind are experts at purchasing vintage and retro items and stock exclusive Upcycled furnishings and accessories from well-loved traditional British brands like G-Plan and Ercol.
Customers are able to view pre-loved original retro furnishings in stock and using an online process, design their dream upcycled item, working with the Green in Mind team to ensure every detail is incorporated into the final piece.
"A huge part of our upcycling work here at Green in Mind involves thrifting, scavenging, and reusing materials. We take huge pride in creating one-off bespoke pieces of furniture in the most eco-friendly way" says Gary .
"We recently worked with a customer to source a classic schoolroom desk for her particularly tall 8-year old daughter; every desk the client found was too small!
"Green in Mind sourced a beautiful dark wood, open leaf, traditional school desk and overcame the height issue by crafting leg extensions. We completed the upcycle by finishing the desk in shades of wood grain in a polka-dot pattern and painting the inside in a vibrant purple as per the customers specification. The result was amazing."
Every project completed by Green in Mind involves thorough consultation with the client, ensuring an overall appreciation of shape, style and size - and that the material will withstand vigorous sanding, priming and paint.
Gary says "At Green in Mind we are now fusing beautiful pieces of furnishings together to create a brand new piece from original, retro units. This way, nothing gets wasted and we are able to craft a pristine upcycled item from furnishings which may have been classified as junk"
"We scavenge handles, hinges and beading - all of which are all lovingly reconditioned and transformed for use in our other upcycled objects".
The website www.greeninmind.co.uk is regularly updated with hints and tips for domestic upcyclers to use - the team at Green in Mind even share tips with project downloads, the most popular of which has been a worksheet on creating cracked porcelain style handles. (http://www.greeninmind.co.uk/content/download.html)
Gary Port-Lincoln, Director and Chief Upcycler at Green In Mind shares the secrets of sourcing, thrifting and planning an upcycling project - covering topics of restoring furniture handles to spotting original features at auctions and markets.
Green in Mind was founded by Gary and Joanne Port-Lincoln in 2011, consolidating over 20-years experience in interior design and fine-art decorating. The team at Green in Mind are experts at purchasing vintage and retro items and stock exclusive Upcycled furnishings and accessories from well-loved traditional British brands like G-Plan and Ercol.
Customers are able to view pre-loved original retro furnishings in stock and using an online process, design their dream upcycled item, working with the Green in Mind team to ensure every detail is incorporated into the final piece.
"A huge part of our upcycling work here at Green in Mind involves thrifting, scavenging, and reusing materials. We take huge pride in creating one-off bespoke pieces of furniture in the most eco-friendly way" says Gary .
"We recently worked with a customer to source a classic schoolroom desk for her particularly tall 8-year old daughter; every desk the client found was too small!
"Green in Mind sourced a beautiful dark wood, open leaf, traditional school desk and overcame the height issue by crafting leg extensions. We completed the upcycle by finishing the desk in shades of wood grain in a polka-dot pattern and painting the inside in a vibrant purple as per the customers specification. The result was amazing."
Every project completed by Green in Mind involves thorough consultation with the client, ensuring an overall appreciation of shape, style and size - and that the material will withstand vigorous sanding, priming and paint.
Gary says "At Green in Mind we are now fusing beautiful pieces of furnishings together to create a brand new piece from original, retro units. This way, nothing gets wasted and we are able to craft a pristine upcycled item from furnishings which may have been classified as junk"
"We scavenge handles, hinges and beading - all of which are all lovingly reconditioned and transformed for use in our other upcycled objects".
The website www.greeninmind.co.uk is regularly updated with hints and tips for domestic upcyclers to use - the team at Green in Mind even share tips with project downloads, the most popular of which has been a worksheet on creating cracked porcelain style handles. (http://www.greeninmind.co.uk/content/download.html)
Passionate Upcyclers Reveal Handpainted Treasures
Green in Mind, creators of unusual vintage and retro pieces with an eco-friendly twist proudly unveil an incredible upcycled and reworked triumph - the hand painted Headmaster's Desk.
The desk, recovered from an ex-private school in Carmarthenshire, was a bespoke piece commissioned by a client with an idea to bring the outdoors inside their home.
Gary Port-Lincoln, MD and Chief Upcycler at Green in Mind worked long-distance with the client to rework and design the desk to exactly fit the brief. The brief included stylised branches (an important symbol to the client) being part of the desk.
Now in the safe hands of its new owners in London, the desk has a small storage cupboard and 5 visible drawers and one, concealed, secret drawer which may have been used to store important papers.
The rework included designing a branch pattern which was aged and distressed to look like it had always been there, all painstakingly illustrated and finished by hand.
Green in Mind was founded by Gary and Joanne Port-Lincoln in 2011, consolidating over 20 years-experience in interior design and fine-art decorating.
Gary comments "Our strengths are in creating fashionable exclusive one off pieces of furniture, with the process from start to finish being as green as possible - from sourcing to styling to delivery and everything in-between.
He continues, "We came up with a unique way of allowing customers to design their own one off pieces of furniture, through a simple process on our new website www.greeninmind.co.uk which gives customers an original and exciting way to shop online."
Gary works through a tried and tested process with each client:
Step 1 - Client consults the website www.greeninmind.co.uk and choses their furniture, paint, paint effect or digital image.
Step 2 - Through the order process the client sends requests with a descriptions/ mood boards/ ideas to Green in Mind for Gary to convert into permanent multi-dimensional images that will last a lifetime.
Step 3 - Green in Mind creates a set of images for the clients to review and chose from
Step 4 - Following the clients selection, Green in Mind create a 'mock up' of what the designs will look like on the furniture
Step 5 - The furniture is reconditioned and prepared for rework. Final proofs are sent to client for approval
Step 6 - Upcycling begins with regular contact with the client and plenty of 'in progress' photos shared. The final stage is packaging and shipping of the item - and the wait with anticipation and excitement for the client feedback.
The company are currently busy working with new designs and freshly sourced items including the 'Spider Sideboard', (see image 2 and at http://www.greeninmind.co.uk/spider-sideboard-p-145.html) a funky 8-legged sideboard with plenty of storage and personality.
The desk, recovered from an ex-private school in Carmarthenshire, was a bespoke piece commissioned by a client with an idea to bring the outdoors inside their home.
Gary Port-Lincoln, MD and Chief Upcycler at Green in Mind worked long-distance with the client to rework and design the desk to exactly fit the brief. The brief included stylised branches (an important symbol to the client) being part of the desk.
Now in the safe hands of its new owners in London, the desk has a small storage cupboard and 5 visible drawers and one, concealed, secret drawer which may have been used to store important papers.
The rework included designing a branch pattern which was aged and distressed to look like it had always been there, all painstakingly illustrated and finished by hand.
Green in Mind was founded by Gary and Joanne Port-Lincoln in 2011, consolidating over 20 years-experience in interior design and fine-art decorating.
Gary comments "Our strengths are in creating fashionable exclusive one off pieces of furniture, with the process from start to finish being as green as possible - from sourcing to styling to delivery and everything in-between.
He continues, "We came up with a unique way of allowing customers to design their own one off pieces of furniture, through a simple process on our new website www.greeninmind.co.uk which gives customers an original and exciting way to shop online."
Gary works through a tried and tested process with each client:
Step 1 - Client consults the website www.greeninmind.co.uk and choses their furniture, paint, paint effect or digital image.
Step 2 - Through the order process the client sends requests with a descriptions/ mood boards/ ideas to Green in Mind for Gary to convert into permanent multi-dimensional images that will last a lifetime.
Step 3 - Green in Mind creates a set of images for the clients to review and chose from
Step 4 - Following the clients selection, Green in Mind create a 'mock up' of what the designs will look like on the furniture
Step 5 - The furniture is reconditioned and prepared for rework. Final proofs are sent to client for approval
Step 6 - Upcycling begins with regular contact with the client and plenty of 'in progress' photos shared. The final stage is packaging and shipping of the item - and the wait with anticipation and excitement for the client feedback.
The company are currently busy working with new designs and freshly sourced items including the 'Spider Sideboard', (see image 2 and at http://www.greeninmind.co.uk/spider-sideboard-p-145.html) a funky 8-legged sideboard with plenty of storage and personality.
Reclaimed, Recycled, Reloved Artwork Collection
At Lily & Lime we are passionate about finding unique products that have been made in Britain. Our latest collection of artwork has these qualities as well as using reclaimed materials to create fabulous & original designs. Whatever the occasion, there is sure to be a piece that suits...
Made from solid tumbled limestone, this Baby Limestone Print, £49, has a rough pitted surface and broken, rounded edges to create a unique and rustic finish. A gorgeous gift to celebrate new arrivals, this piece is sure to be treasured for years to come.
A romantic gift to the one you love, this truly unique Handmade Hello Wooden Print, £75, is hand-painted onto a textured surface. The feature frame is lovingly made by British craftsman from reclaimed antique roof timbers salvaged from demolished Victorian factories. The possibility of knot holes, nail holes, warps & water marks in the wood add to the charm and character of the piece, making it what it is... truly unique!
“The best way to make your dreams come true is to wake up”... The inspiring quote on our A3 Dreams Print, £15, is hand-stamped onto 100% recycled A3 paper. The recycled nature of the paper creates a slightly textured finish for a natural appearance. Give this print with love, or hang on your own bedroom wall to make you smile as you wake up each morning.
www.lilyandlime.co.uk
Made from solid tumbled limestone, this Baby Limestone Print, £49, has a rough pitted surface and broken, rounded edges to create a unique and rustic finish. A gorgeous gift to celebrate new arrivals, this piece is sure to be treasured for years to come.
A romantic gift to the one you love, this truly unique Handmade Hello Wooden Print, £75, is hand-painted onto a textured surface. The feature frame is lovingly made by British craftsman from reclaimed antique roof timbers salvaged from demolished Victorian factories. The possibility of knot holes, nail holes, warps & water marks in the wood add to the charm and character of the piece, making it what it is... truly unique!
“The best way to make your dreams come true is to wake up”... The inspiring quote on our A3 Dreams Print, £15, is hand-stamped onto 100% recycled A3 paper. The recycled nature of the paper creates a slightly textured finish for a natural appearance. Give this print with love, or hang on your own bedroom wall to make you smile as you wake up each morning.
www.lilyandlime.co.uk