It was 1943 when the slogan ‘make do and mend’ first entered the British consciousness, thanks to a pamphlet published by the Ministry of Information during the Second World War. Clothes rationing had just been introduced, and the pamphlet provided cheerful advice on patching garments, unravelling old knitwear and reusing the wool, protecting against moths, and altering men’s clothes to suit women. Over the course of the 20th century, as new materials and industrial techniques have made everything from clothing to furniture increasingly cheap and disposable, the idea of making do and mending has gone in and out of fashion, but now, as sustainability becomes an increasingly necessary part of our lives, we think it’s here to stay.
Of course there’s a great deal of pleasure to be had out of buying something new, but this year we’re determined to find the fun in mending what we already have. When we asked some of our Top 100 interior designers to share their decorating resolutions for 2022, upcycling was one of the most frequently mentioned ideas. Sibyl Colefax design director Philip Hooper wrote a column on the subject for House & Garden last year, in which he recommended reupholstering furniture, altering window dressings, and re-using fabrics and trims; all things that he and his fellow decorators do, even in their most luxurious projects. It can be the true test of a designer’s ingenuity, as he remarks: “It’s all too easy to strip out, start again and produce a sterile new design, but it takes patience and tenacity, plus a big dose of imagination, to create something new from something old.” It’s something, of course, that certain interior designers, like Retrouvius, have made their speciality.
- DecorationJamb's dos and don'ts of decorating
We highly recommend watching the BBC show The Repair Shop if you don’t already; seeing clever experts lovingly restore other people’s prized possessions will get you in the right frame of mind for everyday re-use and restoration projects. We’re also very fond of British Standard’s new series of ‘Repair Shop’ videos, in which design professionals give mini-tutorials in simple maintenance and upcycling projects.The charming series of videos looks at easy tasks like using old fabric to recover a chair cushion or make a cabinet curtain; maintaining cast-iron cookware and wicker baskets; and patching worn oven gloves. You can see the first two guides on British Standard's Instagram: cast-iron cookware with Charmain Ponnuthurai of Crane Cookware and reupholstering a kitchen chair with Lonika Chande.
Buy once and maintain forever
Sometimes buying cheap, relatively disposable things is unavoidable; if you’re on a budget, IKEA furniture is totally brilliant and most of us would be lost without it these days. But when something is cheap to start with, there’s less incentive to maintain it, and it can be harder to renovate something made from low-quality materials; repainting a veneered IKEA surface for example, is pretty difficult. As interior designer Brandon Schubert notes on the subject of upcycling, “it always helps if you start with something beautiful and high quality.” It’s interesting that the idea of upcycling, which has its basis in a need for frugality, is often being spearheaded by companies that specialise in high-end, luxury pieces. If you’re going to buy something expensive and well-made, the reasoning goes, why not plan to keep it forever? Lighting and furniture brand Porta Romana is a case in point, with their Upcycling Club, launched in 2020. The initiative encourages people to bring in their existing lamps and furniture – no matter how old – for an overhaul, and also offers a part-exchange programme. Where possible, then, buy once and buy well. And then commit to maintenance. Buy cast-iron cookware rather than non-stick pans, and spend a little time every few months seasoning them. Buy a good sofa and reupholster it when it gets tired; well-made furniture can last for generations.
Trust the experts
If you're not feeling particularly crafty yourself, you can still avoid buying new by going to the many experts out there who specialise in restoring and re-using vintage furniture, decorative objects or even architectural salvage. Interior design companies like Retrouvius make an art out of using salvaged pieces, while some of the many restoration experts we've featured include Original House and Skinflint Lighting, the gilder Jeremy Rothman, and Travers and Katie Nettleton, who source and restore garden antiques at their Barr's Yard centre on the Wiltshire-Berkshire border.
- DecorationJamb's dos and don'ts of decorating
MAY WE SUGGEST: Maria Speake of Retrouvius fills a London house with reclaimed treasures and vintage finds
Embrace housekeeping manuals
Bear with us here… we’re not suggesting a return to the days of the 1950s housewife, but we do love a resource that tells us how to keep our stuff in good condition. If you’ve ever been tempted to throw away a burnt pan or a stained tablecloth, there are books out there to help you remedy the situation. Yes, we know, YouTube and the internet in general are quite helpful in this respect, but there’s something immensely soothing in having a repository of old-fashioned housekeeping wisdom at hand in solid form. Such things remind you to value the things you own, and speak to the general pleasures of having a house in good order. We’d recommend the lovely 1999 book by Cheryl Mendelson, Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House. Mary Berry has also written another pillar of the genre, Mary's Household Tips and Tricks: Your Guide to Happiness in the Home, which is just delightful.
Make use of leftovers
There’s so much you can do with leftover fabric from upholstery projects or curtains, and it’s also super easy to buy vintage fabrics on Ebay quite cheaply in various quantities and configurations. Patchwork is decidedly coming back into fashion (we did a whole feature full of modern patchwork ideas last year), as is quilting. You don’t need to commit to a huge project though; why not get used to the idea of patching some of your more utilitarian textiles, such as oven gloves and tea towels? You might find yourself inclined to move onto tablecloths and sheets before long. Small bits of fabric can also be charming as cushion covers, as well as for cabinet curtains and cafe curtains for small windows; all you need is a tension rod and some rudimentary hemming skills–these are perfect beginner projects.
We all have leftover paint hanging around, and fortunately painting is one of the easiest and most effective ways to give new life to furniture. Informal patterns such as the Bloomsbury artists Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant used at their Sussex farmhouse, Charleston, are all the rage; they don’t require a perfectionist approach and can be used to brighten up chairs, fireplaces, chests of drawers, and much more. Take a tip from decorative artist Tess Newall and use leftover tester pots to decorate plain furniture. Painting can also be a helpful way to rescue tired floorboards, and can totally transform the look of a room. Our guide to quick paint projects is full of other ideas.
Avoid gut renovations where you can
It’s all too tempting, when faced with an unattractive kitchen or bathroom, to just gut the space and start again. Sometimes it has to be done, but where possible, try not to throw out existing fittings that still have life in them. We’re all for painting your kitchen cupboards rather than buying new ones, or finding replacement cabinet doors if the ones you’ve got are just too shabby. We always think of the kitchen interior designer Sarah Peake restored for the tiny London cottage that was her first solo project; the owners couldn’t afford to replace the tired-looking kitchen, so repainting was the order of the day, but you would never know it to look at the room. Think about how much difference it would make to replace the smaller things in a room, rather than starting from scratch. Taps and tiles in a bathroom and worktops in a kitchen can make the world of difference, and avoid substantial waste.
