Smart Living Expo Kiama

A quick post to let you know about a great event happening in Kiama this coming Sunday (June 3rd).
The SMART LIVING EXPO celebrates World Environment Day with a range of activities, stalls, talks, workshops and a massive car-boot sale - all promoting sustainable living.

Rapt! is taking part as an exhibitor - our very first ever 'show'. Miss Snupeson and I are very excited and more than a little nervous!  
We're promoting the message "DON'T JUNK IT - FUNK IT", with the aim of encouraging people to upcycle their outdated or unwanted furniture rather than add it to landfill. 
We're taking a number of items along to display (and sell) including 

• upcycled chairs, 
• a colourful clutch of brand-new POUFFOTTS (see last post)
• a new range of DRAFT-DODGERS (for under doors) made from colourful upholstery remnants
• FRAMED FABRIC (if there's room) - a beautiful piece of cloth fabric (currawongs on hemp). See the SHOP page for details.

If you're in the area it'd would be fantastic to see you - and if so - please do come and say g'day.

POUFFOTTS

While the blog may have been quiet of late, Bottom's End has not been. Miss Snupeson and I have been flat-out working on a few new products ranges - here's the first - a pouffie-cum-ottoman with the working-name of Pouffott.
Poufotts surely rate 10/10 on the "upcycle scale", being made from empty cable spools, remnant upholstery fabrics and high density foam offcuts.
Please go across to the SHOP page for more details.
Here's Miss Snupeson (Quality Control Officer) inspecting the first batch:

Wing-chair #2

Following the sale of Rapt!'s first wing-chair, SANTA FE, (now living happily in its new home on the south coast of NSW), Rapt! is delighted to offer for sale wing-chair #2 - 'Patch'.
Please go to the SHOP page for details.

 

Miss Snupeson gives 'Patch' her lick of approval!

Butt work-out chair

The subject this time is a little old chair the client calls a nursing chair. Why any woman in her right mind would want to sit on this while holding a baby I've no idea... it's quite a squat to get down to it (hence the post name). However, whatever its name or design-intention, it's a little charmer.  This has been in the client's family for generations, and will one day be passed on to one of the 3 daughters, so it's very special.

The original fabric was a green watered silk, however judging by the gazillions of tacks in the frame, (previous upholsters had left them ALL in,) it has been recovered many times. The client chose this velvet-like pile fabric (from Wortley) because of the colour, along with ochre-coloured buttons, and piping in an orange and green stripe.


The job was bigger than anticipated, (aren't they all?,) because when the upholstery was removed the frame nearly fell apart... so the joints had to be knocked apart and re-glued.  The finish on the legs was pretty cruddy, but I didn't want to over-restore it, so it got a light re-finish which I hope maintains that lovely patina. 

I reckon it's ideal as a shoe-putting on seat, in a hallway (perfect height).