Bright and brave upcycles, with Rachel 🌈
Looking to inject some colour into your home, but not keen on emptying your pockets? Enter the eccentric upcycling whiz, Rachel of @therachelhendersonstudio 🎨
Rachel is a creative director, interior stylist and artisan, known for her maximalist interiors and ruthless upcycling skills. You may have spotted her on TV, as a finalist on BBC’s ‘Scotland’s Home Of The Year’ or more recently an expert on BBC One’s ‘Money For Nothing’ 📺
Most recently tackling a bedside table project, we asked her to walk us through the full process, and share her knowledge along the way, including the best pieces of furniture for upcycling, and bedroom trend predictions for 2023 💬Discovering maximalism 🌈
“Coming from a textile design background, and working in the field, I have always played around with colour, texture and print, and created my own quirky home decor. However, it wasn’t until we bought our first property that I really started to experiment and push the boundaries. That’s when the colour blocking, print clashing and mural-ing began and it was then I discovered my love for maximalism and how happy being surrounded by bold palettes and prints made me feel! Ever since then I have embraced the rainbow and never looked back!”Furniture to upcycle, not dump 🔃
"Here are three underrated pieces of furniture that are often dumped, which I think have the greatest potential to be transformed into valuable pieces:"Wicker conservatory furniture
“It’s crazy how many people throw these out because they look really dated. These often neglected items can easily be updated and brought to life again with some cans of spray paint and brand new cushioned pads, and then sold again for a really good price!”Pine bedroom chests
“People often think that pine furniture from the 90’s is way too old-fashioned looking to do anything with, but in fact there are so many ways that you can transform these pre-loved items into contemporary pieces of furniture! With just a lick of paint, some wallpaper / vinyl and some shiny new hardware, they can be turned into beautiful one–of-a–kind pieces!”IKEA Kallax cube storage units
“I see these all the time at recycling centers. People often think because it was cheap to buy and not made of real wood it doesn’t have any potential, but it DOES! With a little imagination you can turn these items into stylish looking cabinets – all they need is some shellac-based Zinsser primer, a top coat of eggshell paint and some varnish, then add a panel of MDF to the back, some colourful hair pin legs, some new cupboard doors and some new hardware, and VOILA!”
The bedside table project 🛠
"I sourced my pine bedside tables from my local British Heart Foundation store which is always packed full of good quality sturdy pre-loved furniture. They were only £20 each – BARGAIN!"
Prepping & painting
"I firstly washed the units down with sugar soap, removed the old pine handles and filled all of the holes with wood filler. I then lightly sanded the units and drawers with aluminium oxide paper (240 grit) – working in the same direction as the grain to avoid ending up with scratchy surfaces. I like to use a fine abrasive – it’s great for taking away some of the varnished coating on this type of furniture. I primed the units and drawers using Zinsser primer – I gave them two coats and left them to dry fully in-between each one. I then lightly sanded them all down again to smooth out the surface. I applied two coats of eggshell paint using a sponge roller – I use this type of paint a lot on furniture as it’s easy to apply and cleans well, it also doesn’t tend to chip!"
Drilling
"I measured the inner drawer fronts and created a card template, then I worked out where the new handles needed to be positioned and made two small holes on my template, then marked these out on all drawer fronts. Using a template like this makes this part of the upcycling process a lot easier and quicker!I also placed a small length of painters tape onto the centre of each drawer front (this helps to stop the wood from splintering) then starting with a pilot hole, I drilled through all of the marked points. I then sanded down all of the drilled holes."
Decorating
"I used the card template I had made for the handles to cut out 6 x panels of wallpaper. I applied the paper to each inner drawer front using a slightly watered down mod-podge – I evenly applied the adhesive onto the inner drawer fronts, then I firmly pressed down the paper panels and smoothed over each one using a small squeegee. I then coated each panel with mod-podge to seal it."
Installing the FOLD handles
"The last part of the process was to install the FOLD Round Handles. I was initially drawn to the FOLD Round Handle because of the shape of them as they tied in really well with my flower power bedroom wallpaper print. I was really impressed with the quality of them, they are so solid, well made and so shiny! I also love how unique they are. They have helped to modernise a dated piece of furniture and make it look super stylish!I pierced holes into the drilled sections, firmly pushed the handles through, attached the fastenings and screwed them in position."Top 3 bedroom trends for 2023 📈
“For 2023, I think we’ll see more of the following trends in bedrooms:”Mixing patterns
"More and more homeowners are looking at ways to make a space theirs and put their own stamp on it – and combining stripes and checks is a great way to do just that! This can help to add personality, and give your interior a fun and eclectic vibe!"Fabric layering and drapery
"Forget about your standard blinds and wooden headboards, it’s all about creating a statement in the bedroom now – lots of homeowners are opting for the “layered” look because it helps to adds lots of character and warmth to this space – long floaty curtains and large fabric headboards are making a huge comeback!"Soft blush tones
"There’s lots more homeowners moving away from white and grey décor now, but they’re too afraid to go too 'bold' with their schemes. We’ll see these people opting for pastel tones, such as blush pinks and soft lilacs, which is a great way to subtly introduce colour into your home that's more monochromatic.”
Rachel’s bedroom isn’t short of trends, featuring FOLD 🌟
Rachel’s D.I.Why 💪
“Reviving furniture is a great way to put your own stamp on your home – one-of-a-kind items that you have made yourself can help to inject lots of personality and character into your interior spaces!”Inspiration from the ‘gram 📸
“My favourite social media platform for inspiration has to be Instagram! My top 3 favourite accounts to follow for inspo are:”Sophia of @sophierobinsoninteriors
Dani of @danidazey
Melanie of @__duundich__
Upbeat bangers 🥁
“I’m a big fan of the band ‘Jungle’, I listened to their new album ‘Loving in Stereo’ whilst working on this project. Their upbeat tunes keep me motivated and give me energy to keep painting and decorating! 😊”A big thanks to Rachel for joining us for a TEA BREAK ☕ Why not follow her DIY journey over at @therachelhendersonstudios?
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