I’ve always hated the term up cycling, as more often than
not is down cycling in my eyes. The obsession we have in giving, natural stone,
brick and all manner of fine wooden furniture a coat of white paint is
depressing. Maybe it is yet another sign of our disconnection with nature, or
are we now that depressed that we have to have everything light and bright. My
own home is a drab grey rough harling, while inside there is no white paint
apart from bedroom ceilings. My idea of up cycling is to turn the ordinary into
the extra ordinary, and that certainly does not include slapping a coat of
white paint over good honey coloured or richly figured hardwoods. One of the
most successful ways of adding interest to what may well be a dull piece of
furniture is in the art or craft of decorating with paper cut outs, or
decoupage. This is a useful method of covering damage as well as enhancing the
dull with a little decorative quality. Twenty years ago I bought a box full of
old book and amongst them was one very tatty volume containing masses of
engravings. This worthless book has been cannibalised time and again for
decoupage. I covered the rather uninteresting back face of a fourfold draught
screen in the parlour, while out in the hall a small brown painted table purchased
from the local charity shop was transformed.
An old trunk found in the barn
took on a new lease of life, while the damaged surface of an 18th
century mahogany tray was covered with a period map of the world including discoveries
by Captain Cook and encircled with soldiers.
I was given an old wash stand
minus its top that also received the treatment on the new top and paneled
sides. Most recently I rescued an old pine box from a Tolsta croft house built
in 1909. The box was the only piece of furniture that didn’t end up in the
skip.
The house was demolished back in October and apart from some sound
salvaged v lining timber, the entire stone built house ended up in the local
quarry dump. A tragedy in this day and age. I felt particularly disheartened
after my own croft house had be nominated BBC Scotland’s home of the year, and
I had assumed this sort of vandalism was over.
