Improving your home … the circular way

January is a great time to spruce up your home, but not all of us can afford expensive makeovers.

So instead, take inspiration from Series Two of Virgin Media’s The Salvage Squad, whose design teams transform stale and tired spaces on a budget of €1,000.

Peter Irvine and Cathy Angelini are the interior designers who help homeowners refresh their kitchens, living rooms and bedrooms - all without breaking the bank. Each designer has an on-site carpenter who leads the project, with the help of homeowners themselves, their friends and family. 

In a recent episode of The Salvage Squad, Angelini (alongside Trevor Goulden) led the transformation of a pine kitchen to a chic new-look space (below). Cabinets were painted an earthenware colour, a new pale wood stain was put on an old pine table and kitchen chairs were refreshed with a subtle sage green paint.

The family was thrilled with their new kitchen, which was enhanced with a second-hand sink bought on Facebook Marketplace for €80, a funky gold tap bought on Adverts.ie for €46, and end-of-line new worktops.

In the same episode, Irvine transformed a cluttered living room. The series’ on-site carpenter, Julia Millar-Osborn made a desk which could be folded out into a dining table when required, Irvine had the homeowner’s treasured sofa reupholstered with a velvet green fabric, and a wall of framed pieces of art was put in place to add character to the room. 

Do it yourself?

So, how can you go about such clever sustainable transformations yourself? Irvine believes that buying vintage or second-hand furniture is now “to the forefront of conversations” in sustainable makeovers.  “Replacing old furniture with new pieces is the easy route, but we’re here to say that the alternative route isn’t that difficult,” says Irvine.

Keeping a close eye on Facebook Marketplace, donedeal.ie and adverts.ie is also worthwhile. And salvage yards often throw up quirky pieces to upcycle or repurpose. For example, a Google search can throw up places to buy end-of-line rolls of fabric suitable for re-upholstering a sturdy and much-loved sofa, rather than buying a new one. Similarly, independent upholsters do exist once you seek them out. “It’s also about keeping these skills alive by giving them business,” adds Irvine.

Designers agree that sustainable home improvement is best when you think outside the box.  So, for example, use a vintage trunk as a coffee table or an old wooden dresser as a display cabinet.  Carpet shops will also bind a remnant of carpet for use as a rug for a nominal fee. 

Keeping a close eye on stuff that comes up for sale on Facebook Marketplace, donedeal.ie and adverts.ie is also worthwhile. And Salvage yards (eg wastelandssalvage.com in East Clare is a good one) are other great places to look for quirky pieces to upcycle or repurpose.

A simple clean

Nessa Doran O’Reilly, the programme manager at Rediscover Furniture in the Rediscovery Centre, Ballymun runs daylong introductory courses in furniture restoration and reupholstery.   

According to Doran O’Reilly (below), washing furniture is a great way to clean it up. “People think you can’t wet brown furniture but if you wash it with Fairy liquid using a sponge with a scour pad on the back and then dry it immediately with paper towels, you’ll be amazed how good it looks,” she says.

She says the number one tip for anyone embarking on or commissioning someone to re-upholster a chair or sofa is to keep the original fabric as a template.  “If you are removing the fabric yourself, take the staples out first before taking it off. Don’t cut it off,” she advises. 

Angelini adds that the key to sustainable home improvements is to consider the function of the room before you start. “Think about whether you entertain a lot or not or whether you need durable furniture because your children often have playdates. 

She believes that it’s not about doing something trendy.  “It’s about what suits the house and the family. The most sustainable design is the one that lasts for years,” she says. 

Splash of paint

And when it comes to refreshing a space, you can’t beat a splash of paint.  “Paint is the best tool to transform a room,” says Angelini. 

Irvine adds that throwing out the rule book on what can and can’t be done is a good idea. “For example, we were always told the ceiling has to be painted white, but the ceiling is the fifth wall and it can be painted any colour, or even wallpapered,” says Irvine.     

He also argues that dark colours don’t always make a space look smaller. In one episode of the last series of The Salvage Squad, he transformed the living room of an old cottage by painting walls, ceiling and radiators black to allow the beautiful red brickwork to stand out.  

Using remixed water-based paints is an inexpensive way to refresh a room. Dave Kavanagh heads up Rediscover Paints at the Rediscovery Centre in Ballymun where water-based paints are collected from civic amenity centres and remixed for sale at the centre.  Those living far from the capital can access good value remixed water-based paints through the countrywide network of social enterprises in the Paint Reuse Network.

Customers can choose from a palette of 20 colours a third of the price of new. If you want a bespoke colour made up for you, that can be done too. Rediscover Paints recommend the paint is used within a month of purchase. And, that a water-based acrylic varnish is painted over the remixed paint to make it waterproof for areas of heavy usage such as stairs and hallways. 

And for those keen to refresh rather than replace kitchen cabinets, Kavanagh runs public workshops teaching people the skills to prepare and paint kitchen cabinets in a careful step-by-step process. He also runs DIY workshops on the correct approach to painting ceilings, walls and furniture without making a mess. 

Elsewhere, Marianne Heaphy (The Revamp Tramp) runs DIY workshops for beginners. Her advice to anyone about to embark on home improvements for the first time is to sign up for a DIY for beginners workshop.

Heaphy's home is full of upcycled solutions to home decor questions, but understanding what you can, and can't do, is key. “It’s important to know the basic ten tools you need and how to use them,” says Heaphy. 

So, is it time to start reimagining your own living space now?