A little paint and creativity making the old new again
GREEN
Upcycling stays on trend with local businesses inspiring creativity, Megan Gillis writes.
Paint it. Wax it. Gild it. Love it.
Whether it’s a solid-but-ugly curbside find, a hideous handme-down or even those golden oak kitchen cupboards, upcycling unwanted into unique is fun, frugal and fashionable.
And it’s turning into more than just a passing green trend. A growing number of Ottawa entrepreneurs say it combines the quest for quality in a disposable world, the tactile pleasure of getting your hands dirty and the satisfaction of having something fabulous to show for it.
They’re selling ready-to-takehome pieces, supplies and workshops to inspire DIYers with a sensibility that’s more contemporary than country.
Malenka Originals’ Katrina Barclay was on hand at the recent Ottawa Home and Remodelling Show for people who wanted to try out dry brushing, gilding and waxing or pick up starter kits for their own projects.
Many stopped to snap up a treasure at the home show’s pop-up shop of “refreshed” furniture.
Two things account for upcycling’s staying power, according to Barclay, who first turned to it as she furnished her own home after stints living in London and Rotterdam exposed her to eclectic European style. The power of paint became a passion and she opened her own shop, now located in Hintonburg, in 2012, offering her own designs along with upcycling pioneer Annie Sloan’s paint, advice and workshops.
“The first thing is everyone is realizing that new furniture is just not made the same as old furniture,” Barclay said. “We have a lot of old furniture that’s being tossed aside.
“We’re waking up and realizing it’s built really well and it can take on a new life. You can transform these pieces.”
The second is that busy people are looking for a creative outlet.
“It’s incredibly satisfying to transform a piece of furniture you may have found by the side of the road or had in your attic for 30 years then have it in your home every day and say ‘I did that,’ ” Barclay said.
Erin Rochon, meanwhile, spent 2016 turning Bluebird Upcycled Style into a full-time venture. Working out of Makerspace North at City Centre, she offers updated vintage pieces, paint made by a pair of Canadian companies and furniture, light fixtures and wine racks made out of scavenged materials by her husband, Jeff Bond.
Making something new out of the old is a trend here to stay, she said.
“I think it’s here forever,” Rochon said. “I’m finding that there’s definitely in Ottawa a real rise in people looking to recycle and upcycle. It’s a great way to create and there’s no risk. If you paint something and don’t love it, you can just repaint it.”
Both Rochon and Barclay note that it’s easier than ever with specialist products that allow beginner DIYers to get straight to the fun part — colour, pattern and embellishment — without so much priming and sanding.
“Give it a quick clean, scuff it up a little then you start painting,” Rochon said, suggesting that newbies start with something small, like a thrift-store end table, and take a workshop if they’re still intimidated.
“People come in and say they don’t have a creative bone in their body,” she said. “I don’t believe that.
“I’m a firm believer that everyone has that creative spark inside.”
Blair Lepine and her husband Jason have turned upcycling into a growing, home-based family business. We Paint Westboro offers their own creations and tackles more complicated custom jobs.
They recently took an inherited 1920s sideboard that the owner wasn’t even sure was worth saving and turned it into a gleaming red showstopper. They glued and screwed loose joints using dozens of clamps, filled holes, sanded, painted, waxed and buffed until the piece shone — all for about $400.
In their hands, a heavy 1970s credenza became a Palm Beach style bar thanks to a coat of grass green paint and gold details. Nor is there anything country about a slick cream-coloured vanity set with glittery hardware and matching mirror. A drab dresser turned brilliant magenta.
They’re not precious antiques with valuable patina but if there’s a change-of-heart, “it’s still under there if you want it back to the original, you can remove the paint,” Lepine said.
“People need some colour in their lives.”
THE SOURCES
Mine your own home, look to downsizing family members, check out thrift stores, flea markets, estate and garage sales or watch the side of the road on garbage day, say the experts. “You never know when you’re going to find something,” said Caitie Mackenzie who runs Merrickville’s Paint and Distress with business partner Dana Moore.
THE SUPPLIES
Stockists of specialist products say they have low or no VOCs, cover without the prep required by traditional paint and come in great, mixable colours. Malenka Originals stocks the paint that started it all — Chalk Paint by Annie Sloan, developed in England in 1990 by the now-famed decorative painter behind seven books and countless imitators. Bluebird Upcycled Style sells products including Fusion Mineral Paint and FAT Paint, both made by Canadian companies.
THE TECHNIQUES
Barclay has a series of videos on her website or her customers can check out www.anniesloan.com for pages of tips and techniques, like how to get a smooth modern finish, getting the rustic “chippy” look, mixing colours and using the paint on floors or in the garden.
The most-used techniques for updating furniture include a smooth, contemporary finish, dry brushing, colour washes and dry and wet distressing techniques, Rochon said. It can be as simple as painting a piece in a bright colour, layering white on top then distressing with sandpaper to reveal hints of the colour below mimicking natural wear. Find tutorial videos at fatpaintcompany.com or fusionmineralpaint.com.
THE WORKSHOPS
Need hands-on help? At Malenka Originals, workshops ($45-$130) range from an introduction to using chalk paint to advanced techniques, like craquelure and decoupage, plus indepth primers for projects ranging from painting and reupholstering chairs to updating tired kitchen cabinets. Thursday is open studio night at $20 an hour.
At Bluebird Upcycled Style, recent workshops ($40-75) include monthly Creative Ladies events aimed at getting friends together for projects like making sea glass or stencilling burlap pillows to indepth primers on using chalk paint or transforming kitchen cabinets.
THE TRENDS
For colours, Rochon sees her customers leaning toward greys and neutrals with Navy State of Mind from FAT Paint’s Amanda Forrest Palette, a popular pick. But she sees green coming on strong, with zesty, springlike Greenery, the Colour of 2017, which Pantone describes as “nature’s neutral,” a natural fit for the upcycling trend.
For her 2017 forecast, Barclay believes that an eclectic mix of styles “is holding strong” and that colour is as individual as the person, whether it’s beachy hues or deep, dark jewel tones. “It’s so personal,” she said. “I like to work individually with people and get them what they want — it will outlast any trend because they love it.” Find them at: malenkaoriginals.com bluebirdupcycledstyle.ca