Meet the Batley artist making a business out of upcycling furniture

For Georgina the emphasis has always been on recycling and upcycling and, combined with her love of art, she has turned her pastime into a hugely satisfying profession.

Georgina’s artistic eye enables her to take furniture that has become unloved and give it a new lease of life, transforming them into statement pieces and creating the ‘wow’ factor.

Georgina said: “I have always been interested in art. I loved art at school and I went on to do a Fine Art degree at Leeds University”

In the proceeding years Georgina worked for British Gas and Asda, but it was working in a furniture shop in Canada that opened her eyes to the ‘funky’ potential of furniture.

After marrying and becoming a mum, she settled into a new routine of life – until her sister sparked an idea that would lead to her current career.

“My sister gave me a chest of drawers in 2016 and I transformed it,” says Georgina, who still has the drawers which brought her so much enjoyment.

She added: “I absolutely fell in love with the process of completely transforming something brown and boring nobody really wanted into something that looks great.

“I started doing it as a hobby, pieces around my home and started selling them on Marketplace.”

Redundancy from the company where she was working at that time gave Georgina the opportunity to focus on making a business out of furniture upcycling. And so Gracie’s Attic was born.

Gerogina said: “I had a chat with my husband, he was really supportive, and I started my own business. And I am amazingly happy with what I do.”

Transforming charity shop finds or unwanted furniture from online marketplaces and selling them on online platforms such as Facebook Marketplace and Instagram expanded Georgina’s audience.

Eventually she opened her own shop on Etsy, the online marketplace for all things creative.

Georgina says her styling is inspired by the piece of furniture she is working with. “I get a feel from the piece. I think what that piece of furniture needs and wants to bring it up to date. I also look at what is trending.”

While conscious of the trends, Georgina also likes to create her own styling and works closely with clients to incorporate their ideas into the design.

“If somebody contacts me for a commission where they need me to find a piece for them I will find one. I offer them a free design consultation, talking through ideas, colour samples and giving them ideas of what I can do with onlays and stencils. The process of the design is pretty much a combination of myself and my clients.

“The main buzz is making people happy. There is so much job satisfaction”

Georgina sources unusual and eye-catching knobs and handles to create statement furniture pieces. She also likes to recycle things that people throw out

She added: “It’s stopping things going to landfill, and it’s about sustainability at the moment and people want to be doing their bit.”

Georgina is also a member of the House of Upcycling – an organisation which supports and promotes the work of its member artisans.

For more information, visit wwwthehouseofupcycling.com or www.graciesattic.co.uk.