The World of Interiors with Marnee Fox
Our relationship with our possessions has changed dramatically over the last half century. Furniture was once of a high quality and made to last so it was passed down through generations.
These days, demand for the latest style trends combined with big business offering up cheap mass produced and often poor quality furniture, means that collectively we are buying far more, though needing to replace things more often. It seems that the value we once placed on craftmanship has been replaced with a need to get more for less.
This consumer society that we have created has led to mass resource depletion and a crazy amount of waste. While fast furniture attracts consumers with low prices, these pieces tend to last only a few years. The production process uses resources such as petroleum, water and often unsustainable wood. Growing, extracting and sourcing these raw materials creates a huge environmental impact. Furniture is often treated with harsh chemicals and different materials are stuck together with toxic glue, making the recycling process at the end of the product’s life, near impossible. Recycling, in itself, is an industrial process, though one that can potentially be eliminated.
If we upcycle what we already have, purchase second hand or well-crafted pieces, and decline anything ‘fast’ or plastic, then we could remove the recycling process altogether. Woohoo to that!
Now perhaps my suggestion to eliminate cheap furniture has you rolling your eyes and lamenting the exorbitant cost of living most of us have to contend with these days, but, filling your home with well made, built to last AND stylish furnishings doesn’t have to cost a fortune, (or the earth). In fact, it can be far more cost effective, and if you follow a few of my simple design tips you can transform your home into a space that is far more personal and stylish.
Use what you have.
Perhaps you’ve ended up with your nannas dressing table or a credenza that’s a great shape but has ugly drawer knobs? Is there an old lamp with a daggy shade, or a dated timber mirror in a corner of your garage? You may just have the bones of a great addition to your home right under your nose. It just needs a little TLC. Googling ‘Up-cycled furniture’ or typing in key words such as ‘Painted wardrobe’ or ‘Re-cycled lamp’, can open up a rabbit hole of inspiration. Simply replacing old and ugly handles with new ones can totally transform a cupboard, and a lick of paint in a great colour can refresh even the drabbest of drawers. Check out my much loved but dated sideboard, given a sensational second life with a coat or two of Kleins blue. Now it adds a vibrant pop of colour to my home which never fails to make me smile.
Unexpected re-use.
I confess I’m a bit obsessed with re-using things in unexpected ways. Vintage telephones as desk lamps, baskets as pendant lights, timber snow sleds as shelving. My latest up-cycled creation, a table lamp utilizing my husband’s child hood Euphonium, which is a type of brass instrument that he tooted as a kid however is no longer playable. It’s one of those pieces that makes you look twice, a scene stealer or as we like to say in the industry ‘The hero piece’.
It also holds memories and has become a precious sentimental, albeit quirky, addition to our space. It proudly sits atop preloved Ikea drawers given a new life with a coat of paint matching the walls and simple brass drawer knobs.
Second hand havens
Where to find furniture and lighting for repurposing
• Buy-Sell-Trade Groups on Facebook and Facebook marketplace (some offer freebies)
• Thrift Stores – Salvos, Vinnies, Anglicare etc
• Flea Markets and garage sales
• Salvage shops like ‘The Junktion’ in Bathurst and Lithgow’s ‘Tip shop’
• Antique stores or your gran’s garage
• The side of the road, especially council furniture cleanup days in affluent areas
Re-upholstering, painting, cleaning or just giving a little time and love to that diamond in the rough. When we choose pre-loved or up-cycled pieces, we are not only contributing to a more sustainable world, we are filling our homes with stories, sentimentality, character and putting our own unique personal style stamp on the places we inhabit.
Who is Marnee Fox?
Marnee is an interior stylist, event designer, and multi disciplined creative based in beautiful Lithgow. She has over 20 years of experience crafting soulful, sustainable spaces. Her work reflects a deep love for the planet, art, and intentional living. She also has a talent for making boozy jams which are currently only available at ‘The Pottery’ in Lithgow and runs seasonal wild food events at The Gang Gang Gallery with husband ‘The Weedy One’, Diego Bonetto.
For more info or to get in touch check out www.marneefox.com or email Marnee at marnee@marneefox.com
Style over fashion, always!
