It’s 2pm on a Wednesday and our furniture upcycling session is in full-swing. The atmosphere is relaxed with the early autumn sun shining through the windows and cheerful tunes from the radio filling the room. The upcyclers are certainly busy but take a moment to greet us enthusiastically as we enter! 🙂
During the session, we took a few minutes to have a chat with Trainee Support Worker Angela to get to know a bit more about the upcycling process in general as well as how this session benefits our trainees – the adults with learning disabilities whom we support. They do a tremendous job transforming old (but good quality) donated pieces of furniture into stunning masterpieces – ready to sell in our shop at Interestingly Different.
What is the best thing about the upcycling studio?
There are so many positives to talk about within upcycling! As well as keeping our trainees busy and giving them a sense of purpose, they are also getting the opportunity to both unleash their creativity and concentrate on a task… upcycling can be rather mindful at times. The feeling of fulfilment and achievement when a furniture piece is completed after weeks (or sometimes months) of hard work is second-to-none! In addition, the physical activity is positive for our trainees, not to mention the social interaction working alongside others.
How many trainees do you have at one time in upcycling?
8 is the maximum that we’ll have in the session along with two support workers who are there to train, guide, organise and supervise.
Where do you get the furniture from?
All of our furniture is good quality, solid furniture that has stood the test of time. It is kindly donated to us by our local community and given a new lease of life by our trainees. We hugely appreciate these donations! They help to give our trainees purpose and they are also sold once upcycled, with the profits going back to help adults with learning disabilities at Nickel Support.
What is the upcycling process?
First, we will receive instructions in a visual format from Dave, our shop manager. These instructions will show us in a simple format his vision for the piece including the varnishes needed, requirement for sanding, paint colours and any additional last minute embellishments that need to be added such as handles. Prior to the session, the support workers will organise the trainees around the room ensuring that they are working on tasks suited to their skills and character. Some of our trainees are fantastic at sanding and love working together as a team, whereas others are more suited to independent, detailed work.
What is the most challenging aspect of working within upcycling?
Sometimes the work can be quite detailed which does not suit everybody. Patience and resilience are required with the larger pieces to take a furniture project from donation to completion.
Do you encourage teamwork?
Yes, at times definitely! Certain pieces are suited more to individual work whereby each trainee takes a piece of the whole to work on, but at other times we might have a particularly large furniture item that’s great for 3 or 4 trainees to work on together, helping to foster a sense of community and encourage friendships.
How do you decide on the names?
The trainees decide on the names for the furniture. Sometimes these are named after the trainees themselves, their relatives, or the support workers with whom they work in the studio!
