Check out The Official Website of ME! www.chariswilliams.co.uk

Reuse, recycling, up-cycling & down-cycling

What does it all mean?! We all hear these terms bandied about in the press constantly, and the government have convinced the majority of the public the buck stops with us, the most important thing we can do as a nation is recycle. We are all drowning in empty tins, cans and milk containers, making sure we peel the wrappers off our tins and wash them out for the fortnightly collection. The government have gone into over drive pushing household recycling, so it stands to reason you believe recycling is the best way we can help stop global warming and save the environment... wrong. Although every little helps, so don’t stop... but there is something much more effective against pollution you could & should all be doing. In fact reuse is the best way to combat the massive ecological impact human beings are having on the planet. For instance; imagine you are going to purchase a chest of draws, you can either buy a brand new item or a second hand one. If you buy second hand, say from a reuse centre, charity shop or boot sale you are not creating the use of any more carbon. Everything we manufacture has embodied carbon, you’ve all heard of your carbon foot print, well this is how it is worked out for each item we use: Embodied carbon is defined as the amount of energy (fuels/power, materials, human resources etc) that was used in the manufacture of any product, from the point of extraction and refining materials, transportation, and disposal / re-purposing of it. Basically put it is the total amount of energy necessary for an entire product lifecycle. By reusing an item of furniture (or anything for that matter) you stop the need for re-manufacture of that particular item and save the carbon that would have been used to make a new one. The reason that reuse is better at combating pollution and more environmentally friendly than recycling is because; when an item is recycled it is turned into something else, for instance a piece of wooden furniture is chipped to make kitchen worktops. Although the raw material is being used again it is going through a process which uses more carbon to be made into the new useable item. It is much more ecologically sound to use the item in its original form than using more energy to turn it into something else. Most recycling is actually down-cycling, which is the process of converting unwanted or waste materials into new materials or products of lesser quality and reduced functionality. Upcycling on the other hand is the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of better quality or a higher environmental value. It is also the term I use most often for my refurbishment of old & unwanted furniture when I bring it back to life with a lick of paint and reupholster the fabric as you can see from my other blog posts! There are furniture reuse centres all over the UK, I’m sure there are boot sales and reclamation yards near most of you and you can definitely all access internet auction sites where ever you are! So I set you a challenge Britain, next time you feel the urge to splurge on a piece of new furniture invest a little time in looking for that item second hand, I guarantee you, you will be surprised what you find and even more surprised at the cash saving... plus you have just saved a little piece of our planet! What could be better?! Please get in touch with your finds too xx

Argus feature Saturday 4th Feb 2012

My Sunday Mirror article

I just found out I am now a columnist for the Sunday Mirror! Whoop whoop... here's the feature they ran on my home from back in November

My YouTube Channel : TheCharis777

Check out my YouTube channel people! 

http://www.youtube.com/user/TheCharis777

Here you will find videos with step by step processes for painting your own artwork & up-cycling your own furniture, including info on sanding and paints to use...
Please leave some comments and subscribe as more vids will be added!

Thanx, Charis x

TINY BUDGETS!

How much do you think you would have to spend to own a contemporary furniture set like this?

And now... (knowing how thrifty I am)... how much do you think it cost me?!

This little project cost me exactly £13.. for the furniture and materials...

and here's how I did it:

The chair and the chest of draws were free, I grabbed them as they were on the way to the dump,

and the gorgeous little stool was £3 from a boot sale! 

I spent £10 on fabric and used paint I had left over from previous projects.

Although fantastic now... they didn't always look like this...

 As you can see all three items where looking rather tired and in need of lots of TLC!
I wanted the furniture to match but still each have a character of their own, I went through my paint cupboard and decided I had enough leftover paint for the project so there was an instant saving!

I wanted a bold striped fabric for the seats, I have never been one for girly ditsy prints. I love a pattern that is bold and striking not fussy... I am obsessed with stripes and when I tracked down this gorgeous good quality ticking with these unusually bold lines I fell in love! Thank You Ebay!

All three pieces needed to be sanded prior to painting. I used own brand water based acrylic wood paints from B&Q, although most DIY stores run their own lines of paints now in some really cool colours.

I matched in the three pieces by using the yellow of the stool and red of the chair on one of the draws and obviously the fabric matched the chair and the stool together.

Check out my other blog posts for more info on sanding, painting and up-cycling your furniture.

And watch my video below for more tips and tricks of the trade!

Good luck with your own budget busting refurbs... and let me know how you get on!

Charis xx

My Reclaimed Home

I have skimmed the walls throughout the house, chased lighting wires into the plaster, repaired problem areas and designed the rooms, decorated and tiled it myself. I thank my dad for passing on his knowledge and teaching me the DIY skills I use daily. I then came up with a design for each room that was functional for my needs, made good use of the space and kept a young and funky vibe throughout. I took time to find pieces of furniture and furnishings that fit with the look I was going for and at the right price. Re-using and up-cycling is always paramount to me,  when I am finished with an item I either sell it or give it away to make sure it is used again. My sister and I were taught not to waste from an early age, my Dad grew up during World War 2 when food and textiles where rationed. This stayed with him and he cannot abide waste of any kind, he drove us mad as teenagers... we would only be allowed one toilet roll a week between us, he always used to say ‘one sheet for a wee and two for a poo’. You can imagine being a teenager and having friends over, it was so embarrassing when Dad would come out with this line, and we would be like ‘No, he ACTUALLY means it!’ We took to having to bring home rolls from school to last out the week. And if we accidentally dropped a roll down the toilet it was like the end of the world! We were also scared to open the fridge or turn on a tap in front of him! I still get nervous of opening my own fridge when he’s around!

My mother started up the first vintage shop in Brighton’s North Laine 26 years ago, we travelled the UK and Europe looking for 50’s, 60’s and 70’s outfits, platforms and accessories. Being a young girl this was a lot of fun, and I didn’t realise at the time but I was learning valuable lessons in bargain hunting and bartering which I now use every day in my line of work. I also grew a real love for second hand and vintage clothing and this is another area which I have become a savvy shopper and keen up-cycler.

I’m glad my parents instilled these values in me, and I wish more people where so waste conscious, maybe the environment wouldn’t be in such a state if they were. I am passing these values onto my children and teaching them about the environment, reusing, recycling and reclaiming. Children are like sponges at this age and they’re never too young to start teaching them about the world and where their waste goes and the effect it has. They see their mum always working hard every day to make their home beautiful and earn a living, I am going to teach them everything I know. I believe if as a Nation we had never stopped teaching our children the skills we have and passing our trades on we wouldn’t have so many uneducated hopeless young people who feel they have nothing to do but riot and behave antisocially, learning a trade also teaches respect and responsibility.

Kitchen

Known in my family as the £11.50 kitchen! I did indeed pay £11.50 for most of this kitchen on Ebay. That included cabinets, extractor fan and doors inc handles and some worktop (which I later changed).

Once I had the cabinets in place, put the doors on and worked out what else I needed to fill gaps, I bought the wine rack on Ebay for £1, although when a man eventually dropped it round he gave it to me!  I bought two 300mm cabinets new online for £16 ea (bear in mind these are £60 in shops!)

I popped down to B&Q to order a few more doors (£8.50 – £15 ea), 2 lengths of plinth (15ea) and 2 of their £40 three meter Inari Granite worktops (the cheapest I could find). I have a friend who’s a carpenter that I asked round to help me with the worktop joint because I could not bear a chrome joint strip ruining my new look kitchen!  We agreed I would paint him a picture in return for his help. And my old friend who is a plumber put the sink in for me. I tiled the kitchen myself, I bought the tiles on discount for £15 per pack, usually £20.

The sink was given to me by my friend the plumber, I had been talking about doing the kitchen and a few days later he dropped a brand new double bowl sink around. Apparently it came free when he bought kitchen taps for a client and they didn’t need the sink so it would have been dumped! That saved me around £60. And the art deco taps I bought new on Ebay for £18.99 inc delivery and they are fantastic! There are also two second hand glass shelves on the kitchen wall free, from the same man as the lounge glass shelf.

Bathroom

Bathroom wall cabinet: £5 Brighton boot sale, I up-cycled this item.

Large wall mirror :(next to toilet) £free – out of a skip!

Tiles: £15 a pack rrp £20

Flooring : £20 a pack x2 , rrp £35 (End of line discount)

Toilet and sink vanity unit, bought together £174 (came with the sink taps and a toilet seat, but I bought a better quality loo seat) vanity unit RRp£129 toilet RRp£129.98

Handmade resin Black glitter toilet seat £30 (inc postage)

Material for curtains: 2 meters £10 RRP£6.75 a meter, I knocked him down! Discount Fabric, Brighton.

Walnut veneer bath panel £35 RRP £79

Bath w/shower attachment taps £35

Paint: water based, DIY own brand, Cocoa bean, Ocean blue and cotton white wood paint.

Seagulls: made out of reclaimed driftwood £11 the pair. I used a pair of these on the Glasgow makeover and fell in love so I went back for my own pair!

Dining Room

Designer Glass Table & 6 Chairs bought second hand for £100 RRP £1200

(I re-covered the chairs with a faux leather material x2m @ £10 inclusive.)

Bamboo table mats, there are 4 on the table, I paid £5 for 15 – bulk buy on Ebay and sold the other 11!

SMEG fridge freezer: I was so pleased with this, I had wanted one for ages and had been keeping an eye out for a second hand one in my area, got this for £260, absolute bargain RRP £1300

Vintage flower design curtains: £21.00

Mirror: £10 Ebay.

Pew: Handed down from a family member

Lampshade: Vintage, present from my folks

Vintage plant pot on the window cill, £free

Louvre doors: These where in a right state, they where here when we moved in. I washed them with sugar soap, sanded them and painted with cotton white paint. I also took the handles off and sprayed them with black enamel paint.

Lounge

Real leather sofa bed, bought S/H £160, RRP £1000

Real slate reclaimed roof tile flooring: most of the slates I reclaimed, for free of different sites. I laid all the floor myself. Not for the faint hearted to put it mildly, although now it’s finished it looks fantastic and runs through the whole of the downstairs. The materials for this job probably cost around £550 to do myself. RRP?! Thousands and thousands! (Inc slate, delivery, labour, grout, adhesive, PVA, plywood, screws and finishing sealants.)

Large vintage wicker laundry trunk: I use this as a toy trunk, it is so useful for clearing toys out of eyesight once the kids are in bed! £15 Bought at Emmaus, charity reuse centre in Portslade Old Village.

Glass shelf:  £Free (a man was chucking it out when I spied it)

Red Arm Chair: £Free, from Nan’s house, I painted it and recovered it for £10

Colour chest of draws: £free. This looked awful when I took it in and up cycled it.

Curtains: Boot sale, were £2 ea, I took three and knocked him down to £5!

Wooden Curtain rails: £5 (£4 for the large, £1 for the small one) Boot sale.

Old joist Reclaimed wooden shelves £free from a building site

New reclaimed wood: A neighbour had unwanted brand new wood and knowing how I love to reclaim she popped round to see if I could give it a home.

Hardwood Moroccan table: £30 boot sale. (he was asking £50) RRP £199

Hallway                         

When I moved in this hallway was scabby, lumps missing out of the walls, woodchip on one side... really ugly and depressing. At first I painted it all a bright yellow to cheer it up, although with my brood going up and down the stairs with grubby fingers and furniture constantly being moved around the hallway soon became marked up to waist level. I then decided I wanted a change, although didn’t want to completely rid myself of the yellow. I came up with an idea which would make the hallway more hardwearing and more striking. I bought a gorgeous light grey paint and painted to just above where the marks stopped,  which looked good but it needed finishing off. I knew if I used masking tape it would peel off the yellow paint in patches and I couldn’t get the paint anymore. I really didn’t want to damage the yellow and end up having to paint all the way up to the ceiling in the stairwell again. I went through my art cupboard and found one of Tigers little craft paint rollers and thought it would be perfect for the effect I wanted. I painted a dado rail just above my grey to finish the walls off. The wooden staircase was a complete mess when I moved in as well and badly needed doing. I sanded the whole staircase myself and used masking tape to plan my red stripe. I painted white up to my tape and when I had finished two coats of white I took the tape off and painted the red by eye. With my artwork on the walls and two tone design I thing the hall looks striking and sets the pace for the rest of the house. Your hallway is the first thing visitors see so I believe it needs to set a certain standard.

Up the stairs all the picture frames are from boot sales for £1 ea. You can also see my St.Christopher hand painted statue, available from my website www.brightonwallart.co.uk.

                  (Even the cowgirl boots are Vintage, £7 from Brighton boot sale, Brazilian leather!)

 Bedroom

Antique chairs: Out of a skip in Glasgow when I was on holiday! £free

Victorian wardrobe, £50 Ebay

Bed: Old Divan from mums spare room £free

Reclaimed wood shelves : £free (off cuts from  lounge shelves painted white)

Photo Wall paper: £50 found online, I thought I’d splash out on this after I fell in love with it.

Real feather Angel wings: Wedding shop, £15 per pair, I bought 5 and knocked them down to £45

Cushions: high street £5 ea

Red Voile curtains: Online discount £6.75

Antique Mahogany candle stick: £8 boot sale. (knocked her down from £10)

Vases and plant pot: £1 ea

Small draw unit: £free family hand-me-down

Vintage vanity case: poached off mum for my room design. She bought it at a market, £3

Floor: All of the bedrooms and landing upstairs are old original floorboards, I hired an industrial sander and worked them right back and repaired any damage. I then bought a hardwearing ‘dark oak’ floor varnish and sealed them.

Garden

Rockery rocks: Free from different building sites. I kept collecting them until I had enough to work with.

Beach Pebbles: bought by the tonne, £40 x2 (I moved these with a wheel barrow up 5 stairs at the front of my property, through the house and out to the back garden, again, not for the faint hearted!)

Flowers: A little tip for anyone buying flowers:  I usually buy the half price flowers that are half dead, I find they come back to life once planted, however if I buy the ‘alive’ ones they tend to die on me! And I have spoken to quite a lot of people that this has happened to. Apparently plants that are ‘stressed’ by being moved around can make a miraculous recovery once placed in your garden.

Garden furniture and pots: Mostly second hand and reclaimed, even the shed is second hand.

Ronald Macdonald Vs statue of David: A garden ornament I painted with a contemporary design. I like to inject humour into my work, this is an ironic piece, a classical iconic design statue wrapped in a modern materialistic brand icon. Available from my website www.brightonwallart.co.uk £650 

Photos by Stewart Grant, get in touch for amazing pics at http://www.sgrant.co.uk/

Check out my YouTube channel for loads on hints, tips & tricks of the trade: http://www.youtube.com/user/TheCharis777

Restoring a Victorian property

I would definitely say a beautiful cast iron fireplace in a Victorian property would be the first thing I would start on when restoring a Victorian property to it's former glory, it is a major feature and focal point which instantly adds character and value to a property. I would advise anyone wanting to restore a working fireplace (rather than just cosmetic) where one had previously been ripped out to have their chimney swept and if needed, a new flue installed. Before doing this it may be worth enquiring for a quote as flue is charged by the meter, plus labour. It could get expensive before you even start on the actual fireplace.

Once you start knocking a hole in the fireplace wall through to where the original fireplace was you should find the brick edges of the original and it is best to work to this for the correct dimensions and to save yourself work.
Cast iron fireplaces are extremely heavy, they need to be fitted properly with bolts. You must have a fireproof area in front of your fireplace. This is the constructional rather than the decorative hearth.

Check the floor is level in front of the fireplace, in many older houses this may not be the case. Fitting a fireplace level and plumb on a chimney breast that is not looks dreadful. Now on to the fun bit, looking for the perfect fireplace... I would definitely start looking at reclamation yards in your area, take your measurements with you. Cast iron fireplaces will vary dramatically in size and condition and thus price. You will probably find some are original and some will be reproductions. Most repro mantelpieces will be good quality and work as part of your vintage look, although some have been known to bend or twist, crack or even melt. I would always prefer to buy an original for it quality and history plus reuse is more environmentally friendly.

How do you know whether it's repro or original? There are a few ways to tell:

Check the back of the fireplace, if the screws are new that's a tell tale sign that the fireplace is new or some of it may have been replaced.
Check the detail: On an original the detail should be crisp and clear. Repro's are made from moulds and some detail can be lost.
Can you see a name or brand on the back? On an original cast iron fireplace the name will be indented, on reproductions it will stand out.


SALVO.co.uk is a great place to start looking for your reclaimed items from the comfort of your own home and to start researching reclamation yards in your area. I would also have a peek on Ebay as you can get some fantastic deals.

To remove old dirt from a cast iron fireplace use methylated spirits, not water as it will encourage more rust to form. You can also remove old paint with paint stripper, always follow the manufacturers instructions. You can buy high temperature stove paint if a good clean hasn't brought the fireplace up as well as you had hoped.

Original Victorian tiles

These can be hard to come by in the exact colour/design and quantity you require. If you are on a budget you may find putting together a patchwork design of original tiles would work well for you. Buying a whole set of matching tiles will be expensive as sets are rarer and thus worth more. Also matching the tiles you have could be difficult, although if you are ready to put in some time and effort you might be lucky. I would take a photo of the tiles I am trying to match and email reclamation yards with it. Keep an eye out for Delft or hand painted Victorian tiles. Personally I would always try to find original features and tiles rather than buying repo, although if you really get stuck you have repro to fall back on. And don't forget original fireplace accessories which all add to the character of your fireplace; brushes, fenders, metal coal baskets, bellows, tongs, shovels etc and you can even find Victorian fire guards which are a must if you have young children.


My favourite reclamation yard is MASCO, Minchinghampton Architectural Salvage Company in the Cotswolds, it is run by a reclamation expert and good friend of mine, Steve Tomlin. His yard is beautiful and can take almost a day to get around. Steve has people coming from all over the world to visit his architectural salvage yard, he has even sold a band stand to the Sultan of Brunai! Steve is the Chairman of RITA (Reclamation industry Trade Association) and you can read more about that here: http://mascosalvage.wordpress.com/category/rita/ Obviously MASCO is a bit far for me to go unless I'm on a project in the area, nearer to home is http://www.dortonreclaim.com/ in Burgess Hill which I visit regulary. SALVO.co.uk is an excellent way to find out about reclamation and architectural salvage yards in your area and you can also buy from the listings on the website.

Victorian Radiators

I have used these in my interior designs before, in fact I used one in The New Reclaimers series Glasgow episode. These are chunky and extremely heavy cast iron radiators, most have been reclaimed out of schools and churches as central heating didn't become widespread until well into the twentieth century . You can often pick these up at very reasonable prices at reclamation yards, you can buy them unrestored and do any repairs yourself or buy one which has already been pressure tested and fully restored. You will find the cost difference is significant, although how much is it going to cost to restore your cheaper untested radiator yourself? The problem is, you don't know the answer to that until you've done it! It can be almost impossible to tell what work needs to be done just by looking at the radiator. It may have hairline cracks that are virtually invisible to the naked eye... until they leak!

I would recommend buying a pressure tested radiator and having the old paint sandblasted off, as layer upon layer of old paint can effect the heat radiation. It will then need repainting, which you could do yourself if you want to feel you have done your bit but always listen to the experts advice. Get a qualified plumber to fit your rad and mention you are fitting a cast iron rad when you enquire for a quote to make sure they will bring the right equipment and not waste time and more importantly your money when they arrive to fit it.

Where else can you reclaim?
Being a habitual reclaimer I never stop looking for items to reclaim, up-cycle, reuse and save from landfill. I look in charity shops, boot sales, markets, reuse centres (check out http://www.frn.org.uk/) building sites (always ask permission) neighbours and friends and family, when people know you love old things it is surprising the amount of furniture and homewares you will be offered! I have even been known to do a bit of skip diving (again, always ask permission first) which is where I found two gorgeous antique pub chairs which now reside in my bedroom and my massive bathroom mirror! The answer to this question is everywhere, keep your eyes peeled at all times and use your imagination!

Good luck with your reclaiming, leave a comment to let me know how your own projects are going and ask any questions you have!

Charis xx

Boot sales

I'd been looking for a bathroom cupboard for a little while now, when I stumbled across this:

Now, it wan't looking too amazing, although it was the size and style for my bathroom... and more importantly I managed to purchase it for £5! 

And being a keen up-cycler I knew I could make it look fantastic with a little elbow grease!

I took it home, gave it a little sanding, just enough to create a key for my paint to stick to.

I had some 'B&Q - Antique Grey' wood paint left over from my bedroom and I knew it would contrast perfectly with the colours in my bathroom.

I wiped off the dust from sanding with a wet cloth and painted the bathroom cupboard.

It took two coats to turn it into this:

Not bad for a fiver! How much would you pay for it now?

Then there is the Moroccan style hardwood table I bought for £30!

I've seen tables like this in the shops for £199 and up, what a bargain! 

The guy was asking £50, but with a little charm I struck a deal with him.

It just goes to show what you can buy with your money if you are willing to shop around and put a little effort in. Both of these items I bought within the last couple of weeks, I love a good boot sale, you never know what you are going to find. But you can be sure, it will cheap as chips!

The New Reclaimers!

My show The New Reclaimers was a resounding success, Thank you to everybody who got in touch, I'm really glad you enjoyed it. If you can't wait for the next series you can click on this link:
http://uktv.co.uk/home/item/aid/646438  for tips and techniques on how to shop at reclamation yards.
UKTVHome (Virgin 265 and Sky 246) will be repeating the series and they are going to be adding my 'How to DIY' videos to the website soon too! As soon as I have a link to watch the series online and my DIY vids I will let you all know! In the meantime... keep up-cycling, reusing and bargain hunting my little Eco Warriors!
Charis xx

Here's my showreel!