Redecorating at our fingertips. But at what cost?
What if I told you that you could create a beautiful piece of furniture for your home that was created with meaning and intention? Rather than a mass produced “on-trend” item that simply serves decorating value for a few years?
Whilst as a society we are moving towards a conscious way of living with our clothing production/consumption, environmentally-sustainable products and food choices, I want to ask:
How can we adopt a mindset of sustainability in all its forms? Not only applying our mindfulness to those areas listed above, but also to lesser-considered items, like our furnishings?
Going beyond our clothes, recyclables and food - have you taken a moment to consider that another aspect of encouraging and leading the way in sustainability (and one that is often overlooked), is the furniture that make our living environments a home.
For example, stores like Ikea and Freedom give us on-trend furniture for ⅓ of the price, and with a simple “click and collect” - we’ve re-furnished our living rooms in a heartbeat.
While the expense for these products is low … what are the outlier costs? Rarely do consumers take into account (or are aware) that low-cost furniture often comes with less sustainable values.
And even those who are pro-zero waste, or who are trying as best they can to accomplish it, fall into the trap of overlooking homewards.
Here are a few things to consider:
- What is the life of the product? Does the turnaround time for when you need to replace, equal less than the original value?
- What materials were used to bring the product to life? How much impact do these products have on the environment?
- Did you intentionally buy this product or was it simply purchased for the sake of something new (or for on-trend redecoration), or a sale you couldn't resist?
As an Upholstery Artist and Zero Waste Advocate, I founded an.ti.quate to provide quality, creatively unique pieces with an environmentally conscious edge, proving that you can re-imagine furniture in a modern approach that is also sustainable in all its forms.
This is what I will be helping you achieve at our very first two-day an.ti.quate workshop. Together, we’ll focus on slow furniture and I’ll help you not only bring to life a piece that will last in your home for generations to come, but will also be rich with sentimental meaning.
Join me to invest in furniture that is produced while actively reducing unnecessary landfill. Workshop details are as follows:
Upholstery Art Masterclass
Dates: Saturday 12th & Sunday 13th October 2 day workshop
Included: Custom made ottoman with participants choice of fabric, reading for weaving. Huge selection of fibres to weave with. Lunch, afternoon tea and drinks or both days. Lots of weaving techniques to experiment with.