THE UPSIDE OF ‘UPCYCLING’
Wondering what to do with that old hand-me-down dresser you love to hate? Leigh-Ann Allaire Perrault has some suggestions. The self-styled “frugalista,” who is a guest at this year’s Vancouver Home + Design Show, discusses upcycling, her father’s thrifty
Q: As you’ve taken on this role as a design expert, your niche has become DIY. How did that happen?
A: It’s based on my upbringing. I come from a comfortable upbringing; I never wanted for much, however, they (my parents) did teach me the value of a dollar. They were forever dragging me to garage sales, flea markets. I can remember a number of occasions where my father would pick something out of somebody’s garbage. Of course I was mortified. I would shrink down in the car before anyone could see me.
And this was way before thrifting was ever a cool thing to do. The term “upcycling” didn’t exist. But they really taught me there was potential in all things, not to throw things out, to avoid sending things to a landfill if possible, that things could be reinvented, and you could breathe new life into items with just a little bit of creativity and elbow grease. Oftentimes, they’d paint things they’d picked up at garage sales.
They were collectors of some very fine pieces as well, so it was an interesting mix. They collected a lot of European art, tons of antiques that had high value, but those would be paired with a 10-cent vase that they picked up from a flea market.
Q: Tell us more about upcycling and the philosophy behind it.
A: It’s a fancy way of describing thrifting. And that’s a symptom of the economy. It’s become more and more a symptom of the economic state of young millennials starting out, as well as gen-Xers and even gen-Ys. A lot of money is going toward the home, and there isn’t a lot left in the decor budget.
On the flip side, we’ve got all these baby boomers who are aging and downsizing, and now their offspring are inheriting a lot of these pieces. In a lot of cases, they’re happy to take the pieces to fill up space, but they’re certainly not their taste. Hence, the evolution of what we call upcycling, which is putting a unique personalized stamp on maybe these heritage heirloom pieces that people have discarded. In a lot of cases, that’s just a simple coat of paint to freshen things up.
Q: What will you be talking about at the Home + Design Show in Vancouver?
A: My topic is “Runway to room — Creating a haute home for less.” Oftentimes, I speak with homeowners and their biggest question to me is, “Where do I start, how do I develop a style?” People are able to tell me what they don’t like, but they have no idea what they like. I’m stripping it way back and taking the fear out of making commitment decisions for your home. I’m going to teach everyone how to look for clues on how to define their style. And one of the easiest ways to do that is to look in your closet. We tend to gravitate toward the same patterns, the same colour schemes, regardless of the season. That’s what we’re comfortable wearing. So be comfortable living within that realm. Just in terms of cues: don’t take it too literally. Then it’s translating some of those simple cues into the home, and treating your home like you would an outfit.