35 WAYS TO UPCYCLE FOR A STYLISH HOME

CREATING THE VINTAGE LOOK

By Ellie Laycock

Creating the Vintage Look: 35 ways to upcycle for a stylish home, is a book by Ellie Laycock (Author and owner of Hunted and Stuffed, who I have blogged about before: HERE). This book is very well laid out with some creative tips, not only to use pieces that might otherwise have been thrown away, but also look stunning!

Discover how to upcycle to make unusual and unique homeware with Creating the Vintage Look. Upcycling is about taking something old, vintage, treasured or possibly even broken, and giving it a new lease of life by turning it into something new. It's a thrifty way of decorating and enhancing your home that avoids waste, but is also stylish. Here, Ellie Laycock shows you how you can make truly beautiful objects from things you might otherwise have thrown away. Be inspired by the ingenuity of her projects, including turning old tin trays into chic magnetic noticeboards, using teapots as quirky planters, transforming a vintage fruit crate into a rustic bedside table and converting metal cheese graters into tea light holders. All of the 35 projects have clear instructions and artworks to guide you on how to make them, and are grouped on a room-by-room basis, plus a helpful techniques section will teach you any skills you need to know.

To buy the book, please click HERE 

WINE BOTTLE CORK CHAIR

Introducing artist Aaron Kramer of URBAN OBJECTS

Featuring his chair made of corks from wine bottles.

"By exploring the intersection between the found and fabricated in my sculptural work I seek a deeper understanding of the transcendent nature of ordinary objects". Aaron Kramer, Artist

ABOUT THE ARTIST

I have been an artist for as long as I can remember. In kindergarten I drew a chickadee that my teacher did not believe I drew. In 2nd grade I drew a bald eagle that won a prize. By 4th grade I was selling posters I drew for a nickel to friends. By the time I left high school I had done animation, metal working, welding, woodworking and mixed media sculpture. I went to college at NIU outside of Chicago. My BFA was in Visual Communications. Design is really at the root of my work. After a brief career as a Graphic Designer working for a small firm in Chicago, I started my own company. Training on Macs, design of print collateral, logos, advertising and collage/illustrations. In 1988 I left my Design career and circumnavigated the USA on a bicycle returning a year later as an artist. It took me another 2 years after my return to go full time into art making. My career as a working artist took off after I did my first wholesale craft show in Baltimore. A line of objects that were a blend of quirky found object related sculptures and jewelry created a stir. In the first hours of that show I had 70K in orders and struggled with growing a business. The traditional Gallery relationships I had started to develop went by the wayside in exchange for American Craft Galleries, stores and Museum gift shops. I found a real community doing retail and wholesale shows around the country.

My process is akin to my curiosity. I often let it take me where it will. "How does that work?", "what is the process behind that?", "why do I love that?" I like figuring out a problem and solving something in a unique way. I love being in the flow. I present challenges to myself that pit my skill set against a challenge. I sketch. I have always kept a sketchbook. I'm into moleskins these days. I have my sketchbooks from when I was very young. I use this aspect of the process to get it out of my head. I sketch ideas post-facto. Or looking back I have had ideas and inventions that I finally get to at some point. I do work these days for myself. I truly believe you have to have an eye on commerce if you want to survive. I am never afraid to make a piece that I think will sell. But I still have fun. I think the sale for me is very important. I get a bunch of mojo from the client when they love it.

The traditional gallery-artist relationship is just one of many ways in which an artist can make it. For me it was not happening fast enough. That is why I took off in the "Craft" direction. I had a line of 30 objects I produced along with 7 employees at one point. I have shifted my approach in the last 20 years. Now I sell to Architects, Interior and Landscape Designers, Hotels and private individuals. Commissions come in via the internet, retail shows and word of mouth.

My advice to young artists, "Do not expect to be rich. Think in the long view not the meteoric rise (but be ready just in case)."

I was born in 1963 in Park Forest Illinois. I graduated from high school in 1981. College in 1985. I live with my wife and 2 children, 2 dogs, 8 birds, i hamster and 1 fish in Santa Monica, CA.

Visit his website: URBAN OBJECTS

Visit his FACEBOOK page

KELLY SWALLOW

"A swatch of vintage fabric is a little piece of history"

Stunning armchair by Kelly Swallow (above & below) - has just been made and the first time this particularly piece has been seen.

I have recently discovered the work of Kelly Swallow. A fantastic source for creatively recycling fabric pieces. Kelly's chairs & Sofas are made by using individually sourced vintage pieces of fabric. Each piece of furniture is a one off and with its own unique charm. The personality of every piece is rediscovered by painstakingly and lovingly choosing an exciting collection of fabrics to create unique pieces with newfound splendour. The fabrics range from vintage to designer including: Kenzo, Zoffany, Liberty, Andrew Martin, Designers Guild, Osborne & Little, Lorca, Mulberry - an eclectic mix with exciting and surprising contrasts.

Kelly has always collected fabrics (in fact, her house is full of fabric pieces!). She says that she cannot pass by a fabric shop without buying a remnant. She loves using vintage fabrics and also pattern books and is a big fan of Designer's Guild. The company Zoffany also now gives her all their amazing off cuts.

Kelly Swallow, based in Hertfordshire, specialises in doing bespoke pieces, involving the client to achieve stunning results which are truly tailor made.

To see more of her stunning work click HERE.

Kelly Swallow's grain sack armchairs.

MELANIE PORTER

I am loving the work of Melanie Porter. Creator of a stunning collection of contemporary & unique knitted chairs. This knitwear designer has turned her expertise to furniture, creating one-off contemporary designs from chairs sourced from auctions and markets across the UK. The chair is painstakingly stripped back to the frame, before being restored and reupholstered using traditional techniques. This blank canvas is then covered with a series of hand-knitted panels, especially created by Melanie for each chair. To see more of Melanie's work have a look at her website HERE.

RECYCLART

I love this chair from used carpet tubes a fab website called Recyclart