"I 'fell' into my love for furniture painting in 2015 after an expensive home renovation left us short of money. Myself and my husband realised that we would have to be resourceful in replacing furniture for our house ……sooooo, we bought second hand and I painted it all to fit in with the new decor. From that moment I was hooked on upcycling!

I loved all the creative finishes that could be achieved in upcycling and over the next few years I invested in some fantastic workshops with great teachers, all of whom are people I really admire in the field.

In 2017 I opened a shop selling vintage furniture, Frenchic furniture paint, painted furniture and gifts along with a bespoke service for my customers and workshops. In 2019 I decided to give up the shop and continue to offer a bespoke painted furniture service and run workshops teaching furniture painting, from my studio at our home in Bracknell, Berkshire. I have had the oppurtunity to test a wide range of furniture paints and products over the years and continue to use high quality brands such as Frenchic, Fusion Mineral Paint, Annie Sloan, Sophie James Decor paint and many other products such as WoodUBend, Redesign with Prima, Iron Orchid Designs and Mint by Michelle among many so rest assured of a high quality finish on your pieces of furniture

I have learnt so much about furniture – Antique, vintage and not so vintage!

Don’t get me wrong, while I love painting furniture, I also have a healthy respect for the craftsmanship of vintage and antique furniture due to the design, beauty and quality of the wood. I truly believe that not all wood should be painted. Sometimes it is better to showcase the wood and it’s grain with sanding and oiling or a wood stain, so I spend time assessing each piece I am thinking about painting!

Vintage furniture is generally very well made, built to last and often created from quality wood and we can’t bear to see it being trashed! As time goes on, my horror of the amount of material waste that goes into landfill increases. I have seen perfectly good furniture discarded as it no longer ‘fits’ with a person’s decor and yet through a modern makeover, it looks as good as new and can exist in harmony with you in your home!

My motto is very much ‘don’t throw it away!’. Upcycling has allowed me to embrace my passion and explore the limitless number of options there are to create unique finishes while still being able to enjoy the beautiful designs and workmanship of antique furniture."

I am often ‘helped’ by my two shadows - namely Springer Spaniels called Darcey and Elsa! When not hard at work painting, I am out walking them as they seem to have no ‘off' button where exercise is concerned!Thanks for reading!

Get to know me!