One flat, one magazine and one blue chair

I’ve figured out where it all began, this love I have for interiors, revamping and upcycling.

It began when I bought my first home 17 years ago, (I must have only been around 10 at the time as I’m definitely not that old 😝).

A new magazine came out at the same time we were buying our first flat. Livingetc was like a breath of fresh air compared to all the other homes mags out there. It was definitely written with me in mind. I have bought every issue ever since, much to my husbands dismay as I refuse to throw them out! In fact, this magazine is responsible for my blog altogether. It inspired my love of writing about interiors.

However, all the beautiful interiors were just out of my reach on my meagre first job wage. So I became inventive. Skips, junk shops and hand-me-downs were my lifesavers!

The very first thing I restored was this chair. I rescued it from a skip with my dad and gave it a new lease of life.

Stripped it back, sanded it, filled in any holes and it became ‘the blue chair’.

It was pristine and a lovely solid colour. It has been a part of almost every room in the house. Bathroom for towels, bedroom for spare clothes, my office chair and then became my son’s ‘blue chair’.

It didn’t start out as shabby chic and I’m not sure 17 years ago shabby chic even existed. YouTube hadn’t been invented then either, so no how-to videos, I learned my skills on the job.

This chair is now the prime example of what people imitate and aim to achieve with layers of paint, sand paper, chalk paint and wax. The blue chair has stood the test of time, been distressed naturally, scuffed in all the right places through genuine wear, tear and life.