Creative collection Meet Paige Miller of The Dusty Road Upholstery
IT TOOK PAIGE MILLER A DECADE TO FIND HER TRUE PASSION. NOW, THE SELF-CONFESSED ‘UPHOLSTERY NERD’ COULDN’T BE HAPPIER
At just 50 square metres, there’s not a lot of space to move about in Paige Miller’s workshop, where she runs her business, The Dusty Road Upholstery. Tucked underneath a gallery in Byron Bay’s bustling Arts & Industrial Estate, the tiny space where Paige often works late into the night transforming furniture, is filled with fabric stacks, samples and a hefty industrial sewing machine and overlocker. While it swelters in summer and is a squeeze when crammed with pieces in progress, the workshop is her happy place. “For me, it’s a dream to immerse myself in a craft which is so transformative,” she says.
Having dabbled in a variety of things, such as an environmental science degree, marketing, hospitality, long stints travelling, and television production, Paige finally found her creative side when she moved to Byron Bay eight years ago, and fell in love with upholstery.
“It was like falling down a rabbit hole and finding myself in Alice’s wonderland filled with possibilities,” she explains. Paige landed a job as a PA for acclaimed artist David Bromley and his wife, Yuge, which opened her eyes to many artistic applications, the most fascinating of which for her proved to be upholstery. “David would find interesting antique furniture pieces and get them reupholstered in an old canvas, a paint-splattered drop sheet or vintage rugs, and the result was incredible,” she says.
What followed was a three-year self-guided apprenticeship of sorts. The first challenge was learning how to sew on an industrial machine she’d bought for $500, which turned out to be a lemon. “It made it a very rocky start, but over the years I’ve discovered skills I never knew
I had, like persistence, and that I can lift and wrestle furniture twice my weight,” she says.
An eager student, Paige sought out experience wherever she could, with several local upholsterers generously sharing their knowledge and offering her work. The Bromleys also commissioned upholstery projects she’d tackle while studying books on the topic, watching You Tube tutorials and Googling. “By that stage they’d moved to Daylesford [Victoria], so I’d go down there for stints and lock myself in a studio full of chairs, and just sit for hours working things out, practising and making mistakes. It was a really good way to learn and I’m so grateful for David,” she says.
Since launching her business two-and-a-half years ago, Paige has carved out a niche not only reupholstering furniture, but also working with interior designers and architects on fit-outs for local restaurants and accommodation providers, creating everything from custom bedheads and joinery through to banquet seating. “There’s infinite possibilities with upholstery and always something to learn, which is why I love it,” she says. “I can’t imagine doing anything else.”
“I’M STILL LEARNING. THAT’S WHAT I LOVE ABOUT UPHOLSTERY. YOU CAN’T BECOME A MASTER OVERNIGHT. IT’S A DAILY PRACTICE” ~ Paige