Furniture Upcycling

Workshop Cabinet 1

Furniture Upcycling is a new endeavour for me. I am interested in a more sustainable way of living and also in the mindfulness in upcycling a piece. There is something calming about the rhythms of sanding, waiting for the paint to dry and being in the moment that I enjoy. I was recently given the opportunity to upcycyle two workshop cabinets, both being in a state of disrepair. The first is a collaboration with my father who did the replacement work with regards to wood, while I worked on the sanding, abstract design and painting. The design was inspired by the triangular peaks of the workshop roof and its corrugated iron walls. The cabinet was painted primarily with leftover house paint and the shelves lined with excess house lino. Here is a video of the finished piece and some work in progress photos.

Workshop Cabinet 2

This second cabinet was attached to the walls of the workshop and adjacent to an inbuilt desk space making it more of a challenge to paint. Due to its age and time in the workshop, it needed a thorough cleaning first. Given the holes in the metal top and large number of deep scratches and notches on the cabinet, I thought the best approach would be to create a distressed look, spray painting in layers and sanding back to highlight the lighter colours beneath. Thus capturing and highlighting the history of the piece instead of trying to hide the imperfections. Below is a video of the finished piece, which was primarily painted using leftover spray paint and shelves lined with excess house lino, together with some work in progress photos.