CONDOVER FURNITURE SETS THE UPCYCLING STANDARD
Upcycling furniture has become a trend in recent years, with consumers, interior designers and skilled craftsman all looking at ways to reuse furniture to make them statement pieces in their homes.
In November 2018, Vanessa Dee turned her upcycling hobby into a job as she launched Condover Furniture, a Shrewsbury-based furniture company that creates bespoke, hand painted environmentally friendly upcycled furniture – everything from farmhouse tables and drop leaf tables to chest of drawers and umbrella stands.
“When I was moving into a new home a few years ago, I found that I had an excess of furniture that didn’t complement the new property. I didn’t want to throw it away and buy new furniture as it was in decent condition, so would’ve been an unnecessary waste. Friends joked with me saying, upcycled furniture can never be as good as buying new, so like a red rag to a bull, I took on the challenge and worked to prove them wrong. I researched, bought and used the best environmentally friendly products available at the time, added individually handmade glass embellishments to make the pieces I upcycled even more unique and, in the process, discovered I enjoy it and wanted to do more.”
Vanessa Dee, Condover Furniture.
Vanessa created Condover Furniture in November 2018 and started selling furniture out of her garage via a website, until she moved into retail premises in the village of Condover, 4 miles south of Shrewsbury in Shropshire in October 2019.
She has a workshop there where she waxes, paints and embellishes the furniture and a showroom where the furniture is available for sale, along with gifts, all of a sustainable, fair trade or eco-friendly nature, or gifts made in the UK. She also has a website where she sells online and has been shipping her upcycled products all over the UK.
Vanessa’s aim is to get more people considering and buying sustainable furniture solutions and to reduce waste. Prolonging the life of existing furniture is a great option that everyone can have a go at, but if time is the issue, there are a lot of professional upcyclers to buy from.
When upcycling wooden furniture, a high-quality wood finish is vital to protect and enhance the surface. When it comes to picking a finish, it really depends on what the customer is looking for or the effect that Vanessa is trying to achieve.
“I absolutely love the fact that people can use what already exists – furniture that a craftsman has taken the time to make and has a history – to create something unique that they in turn love.
I want to exceed people’s expectations of upcycling in all my work and at the same time, help them to help the environment, so I have chosen to only use sustainable waxes and oils that look visually appealing and feel great to the touch. I look to work with companies that have longevity, have an excellent reputation and who will support me in my work. Osmo UK has been an integral part of my journey. The company offers a great product that leaves an environmentally friendly finish, as well as an excellent customer service department and technical team who are readily accessible to speak to. All these elements help me to achieve my goals and to exceed customer expectations.”
Vanessa Dee, Condover Furniture.
Osmo UK offers a range of options according to wood type, whether it’s an exterior or interior piece of furniture and whether you are looking for a coloured finish or a particular sheen.
The environmentally friendly finish that results after curing is key to Vanessa. The whole philosophy of her company is reusing and upcycling; helping the environment, zero waste, sustainable furniture, so Osmo fits into this perfectly.
“My favourite Osmo product to work with is Osmo TopOil, as it produces such a great finish, is smooth to the touch, resilient and stain resistant. Customers often ask what I use when they feel the surface as they are amazed at the smoothness and matt sheen. Osmo TopOil is also available in tinted versions, which is great if you are looking to change the look of an existing piece of furniture. I have used Polyx-Oil too and even experimented by starting with one finish and then layering or creating stripes of colour with others. This worked well on a veneer that I wanted to enhance; the piece was a solid wood carcass with plain brown veneer top surface and veneer drawer fronts.
The end result that Osmo finishes provides is wonderful – a smooth hard finish that my customers love, and one that is also environmentally friendly, food safe and stain resistant. It’s all about helping the customer to help the environment, what’s not to love!”
Vanessa Dee, Condover Furniture.
