OUR CREATIVITY TOOK US IN A NEW DIRECTION
As many of us have embraced new creative hobbies recently, we meet four women whose artistic skills set them on a new path
Four women share how their artistic skills led them on different paths in life
‘I love transforming old treasure’ After her parents passed away, Kate Taylor found a creative outlet and a love for vintage.
There’s something so satisfying about buying a tired old chair, then painting the frame and upholstering the seat to breathe new life into it. Buying, fixing up and selling vintage items is my passion project, which I do alongside my day job as a theatrical agent, and it’s so much fun.
It all started in 2014, after my parents died. My mum loved collecting antiques, and my dad was a tailor, so he made all our curtains and was also brilliant at upholstery. They taught me and my brother, John, everything they knew. It meant I grew up feeling inspired by people who make things, with a hunger to learn creative skills. I carried this into my adult life and I was constantly taking creative courses in my spare time.
John and I had been caring for our parents into their 90s and, when we emptied their house, we didn’t want to throw away all their things. So we decided to sell some of their furniture, along with bric-a-brac, such as china and glass, at Ardingly Fair in Sussex. My husband, Garry, joined us, and we all enjoyed it so much that we decided to start looking for vintage items to buy, fix up and sell. I thought it would be a lovely hobby that the family could do together.
Garry’s family is from Belgium, and we knew this would be a great place to source items. So, we took our first trip to Brussels and Ghent in November 2014 and had a lot of fun scouring the markets and haggling with sellers. We managed to sell everything we brought home, and I was hooked. A few months later, we bought a VW van (naming it ‘Dora’ after our mum), and started travelling to Europe every few months to enjoy a few days of treasure-hunting.
MODERN VINTAGE
When we got home from our shopping sprees, we’d set up stalls at fairs to sell our purchases and my 24-year-old daughter, Phoebe, would often help out, too. The fairs have such a community feel and we’ve made many great friends.
As we sold more and more, I started working out what sells and what doesn’t. I learned that by upcycling some of our wares, we could make them instantly more attractive to buyers. All the courses I had taken, from natural dyeing to upholstery, started to come in handy and I began injecting some creativity into the items we bought. I painted tables in modern colours, turned old French windows into mirrors and embellished jackets with vintage buttons. I try to go to India every year to do block-printing – a traditional type of fabric printing using wooden blocks – and I take vintage linens with me to print on, which I then use to upholster chairs. I love being fully absorbed in the task; it’s so satisfying. It’s amazing that, with a bit of thought and care, you can transform an item that feels dated and give it a second life. I think this is why people love buying vintage, as we all know the importance of reusing and recycling.
During lockdown, we had to stop travelling to buy items. But thankfully, I have loads of stock so there’s plenty to keep me busy. Luckily, lots of fairs and auctions are online and our products have still been selling, especially the well-made furniture. Some of my most popular items are 1940s cinema seats and vintage French work clothes.
I’m thrilled when something I’ve given some love and attention to gets a new lease of life – just as the business has done for me. We’re not making a fortune from it, and we reinvest most of what we make back into stock, but it brings me so much joy – and that’s what really counts.
Follow Kate on Instagram @etoilebrocante