Upcycling Hub; a new area for design-conscious and eco-friendly visitors at Grand Designs Live

Supporting Britain’s abundance of exciting eco-design talent, the Upcycling Hub at Grand Designs Live is an all-new feature for May 2019. The show is thrilled to welcome six innovative brands who will showcase their skills and designs and give insight into their process to create unique and beautiful pieces of craft for the home, using found, recycled and repurposed materials.

Focused on the art of upcycling, this platform for talented upcycling designers will allow visitors to purchase or commission artisan pieces as well as gain an insight into their craft through live demonstrations on the Upcycling Hub stage – on each day throughout the show, at 10am and 1pm.

The six chosen designers are:

Albert & Edward – albertandedward.co.uk

Albert & Edward upcycle relics and collectables from a bygone age into amazing quirky, individual and bespoke lighting features designed to enhance any interior space. With a degree in Interior Architecture, and a wealth of experience in the interiors industry, founder Duncan McKean and his team use traditional skills to transform these objects info pieces of art, allowing  the materials to be appreciated by a new owners for years to come.

Upcycling collectable items: Duncan McKean will be upcycling relics and collectables from a bygone age, turning them into amazing lighting features live within the upcycling feature.

Marcie K Designs – marciekdesigns.com

Marcie K uses bright colours, intricate designs and contrasting styles to create unique, draw-dropping furniture from what other would consider ‘rubbish’. Her array of furniture designs range from boldly coloured, statement sideboards, to florally adorned dressers and reupholstered armchair all utilising eclectic fabrics and contrasting textures.

Go wild with leopard print:  Marcie K will show you how to tap into your wild side and learn how to apply the most on trend pattern of the year; leopard print; onto items heading for landfill.

Muck N Brass –  mucknbrass.com

Founder and designer Zoe Pocock is a businesswoman, upcycler, designer, and presenter of the Cbeebies show, Junk Rescue. After working in the fashion industry for 15 years, Zoe turned her love of design and her passion for upcycling into Muck N Brass; which specialises in sustainably reusing household items and furniture by upcycling them without compromising on design and style.

Luxe up your life: Zoe will give tips on the art of gilding, explaining how to prepare surfaces of various unloved items and apply gold, sliver and copper leaf by using high-performance and finishing.

New Vintage – newvintage.co.uk

New Vintage specialises in new, antique, vintage, retro and refurbished furniture and accessories, producing reworked and customised pre-loved items into original bespoke pieces. Their team of dedicated makers create everything from vintage-look restored drawers, to farmhouse style cabinets and beautiful pottery, and everything in between.

Representing New Vintage, Nick Spencer & Jonathan Marc Mendes will take to the Upcycling Hub stage:

Upcycling with Rust, Marble & Verdigris Painted Patinas: Learn to create standout chalk painted patinas to upcycle furniture and create bespoke wall art with live demos by international furniture artist Jonathon Marc Mendes.

Furniture upcycling with chalk paint: Watch as pro furniture painter Nick Spencer takes his upcycling modern industrial style to the next level with Jonathon Marc Mendes’ signature Faded Grandeur technique.

Ray Clarke Upholstery Studio – rayclarkeupholstery.com

An upholsterer and soft furnisher based in East London, Ray Clarke provides a range of upholstery services, creating bespoke upholstery, re-upholstery and soft furnishings using a range of traditional and modern techniques and materials. Clarke’s one-of-a-kind furniture is made with an artist’s eye for design, and with the highest craftsman standards, making the piece durable, but stunning.

Take a Seat: Ray Clarke will demonstrate the craftsmanship that goes into upholstering, from fabric selection, to application and finishing touches, during his footstool transformation workshop.

Touchwood Vintage Designs – touchwoodvintagedesigns.co.uk

Lynda Robinson Founder of Touchwood Vintage Designs offers a commission service to transform preloved furniture into unique pieces of functional art for the home. These passionate professional furniture designers specialise in decoupage and the restoration, reinvention or repurposing of vintage and historical furniture. They also collect unwanted antique and retro furniture from the 1930’s all the way up to the 1970’s, to be lovingly restored, reworked and resold.

Upcycling Vintage Furniture with paint and decoupage: Founder of Touchwood Vintage Designs, Lynda Robinson will be demonstrating how to restore and redesign a chest of drawers using paint and decoupage

For the full Upcyling Hub stage timetable visit – https://www.granddesignslive.com/whats-on/the-up-cycling-hub

The six designers of the Upcycling Hub will be telling their stories and selling their wares at Grand Designs Live, at London’s ExCeL, from 4 – 12 May 2019. For more information visit Grand Designs Live –www.granddesignslive.com