The art of upcycling

ReFound in Belfast is bringing artists and old furniture together to create one-off pieces with impeccable eco-credentials. ALANNA GALLAGHERreports

IN MANY CIRCLES upcycling has become a dirty word conjuring up images of bad paint jobs on not-very-beautiful-to-begin-with furniture. No so for ReFound in Belfast’s shopping district. The brainchild of this art meets interiors project is Jill O’Neill, who cut her teeth working in marketing and events. It was while living in Williamsburg, the borough of choice for New York hipsters, that she first encountered upcycling.

When not working in marketing she spent her spare time at markets. “I’ve always loved second-hand furniture,” she explains. “I want the things in my house to say something, to tell the story of my life.”

When she moved back to her native Belfast she found a burgeoning vintage scene. She also met a lot of creatives who weren’t selling their work. Crucially, she had noted that a lot of people weren’t engaging with art all. “There was a total disconnect,” she explains.

But how to break out of the arts community and into business without compromising core values? Along came the idea of ReFound, where O’Neill invited artists to consider the green agenda by recycling old furniture to create innovative interior designs.

There have been numerous success stories. Chris Cunningham is a visual artist whose street art style uses decoupage and spray paint. His work is selling well and has featured at Whisper, Rolling Stone Ron Woods’ London gallery.

Actor Jamie Dornan recently bought a lampshade by Nuala Maguire. She creates tattoo details using stitch work. Dornan, originally from Holywood, Co Down, was in the North shooting The Fall, a new psychological thriller television series starring Gillian Andersen and made by the production company behind the successful Danish series The Killing. The shade bought by Dornan featured a delicate hummingbird motif.

“Some of the artists agree to do a piece for us in between working on their own shows,” O’Neill says. The painter Neil Shawcross, best known for his portraiture of objects, designed a chair that was auctioned for charity last year. It sold for £400 (€496). “A Shawcross painting of a similar size would sell for 10 times that,” O’Neill says.

ReFound started life as a pop-up shop in collaboration with Mourne Seafood. The venture was called Home and saw them kitting out a temporary restaurant. ReFound has now found a home in a 200-year-old building, Wellington Place, and also plans to open a pop-up shop in Dublin later this year. Home has also moved to the same street to become a fully-fledged restaurant (see Eating Out, page 24).

O’Neill’s approach is working. The gallery cum retail space hybrid is attracting interioristas on the hunt for something out of the ordinary. At the nexus of where art meets design, ReFound makes the experience less daunting for those who haven’t bought art before.

“When you buy a ReFound piece you get to know the artist and their process,” she explains. “Each piece becomes a talking point within a room.”

ReFound's showroom at 7, Wellington Place is open to the public today, 10am-6pm and tomorrow, 1pm-5pm. Otherwise it is open by appointment. Tel: 0044-78113 42444; see ReFoundonline.com, Facebook.com/therefoundshop. All the artists featured will work to commission.

WILD SIDE

Phil Egner has taken a leaf out of Roberto Cavelli's book and gone for an OTT look. A bland nest of tables has been injected with animal magnetism using paint and soldering tools to engrave and burn. His tables, now sold, cost £100 (€125). Facebook.com/philegner

VINTAGE LOCKER

Ryan O'Reilly's vintage bedside locker now has strong looks as well as a sharp shape thanks to his typography as decoration. This bedside table sold for £225 (€280). cargocollective.com/rinky

COOL STOOLS

David McClelland is a visual artist who works as a freelance illustrator. His work has appeared in The Irish Times. He believes any object can be a canvas. The stools' original brown seats become a base colour for his animals. They cost £65 (€81) each. davidcreative.co.uk

BEFORE AND AFTER

Textile artist Rachel Hutchinson transformed a 1950s Parker Knoll beech frame chair (original right) with doweled joints by covering it with handmade upholstery. This chair costs £450 (€560). rachelhutchinson.com

WISH YOU WERE HERE

Like a magician, Lucy Turner decided to saw a very ordinary table in half to create two side tables. Then she used tourist postcards of Ireland on the top to create an evocative look. The tables, now sold, cost £180 (€225) for the pair. lucyturner.com

TABLE AND BODY ADORNMENTS

RMcK aka Rachel McKnight works with perspex to create tableware and jewellery. She started her label in her parent's garage after graduation. Her placemats (right) will enliven the dullest of tables. A set of four costs €25. For stockists sees Rachelmcknight.com

ADD DESIGN ACCENTS

Ronan Lowery's best-known work for his furniture brand Design Onion is a seat called Cubes, made for Lifestyle Sports' Waterford premises. He also makes very nice tables that act as accents in any room. Visit him by appointment at Unit 6, The Craft Village, Belleek, Co Fermanagh, tel: 0044-795569 2608, designonion.net

SUPER SOUVENIRS

Stephen Wolfe and Stuart McIlwaine are RedEd, a design duo that creates contemporary souvenirs for visitors to Northern Ireland. They include a Titanic doorstop (above), hexagonal Causeway crayons and a Europa hotel that you can demolish with the press of a finger. Buy online at rededdesign.bigcartel.com

GLASS ACT

Catherine Keenan's glass jewellery and objects marry intensely pigmented colours with patterning in a style reminiscent of Brazilian artist Romero Britto. She is based in Flowerfield Arts Centre in Portstewart (10am-5pm Monday-Friday; Saturday 10am-2pm). For full list of stockists see catherinekeenanglass.com

MUG’S GAME

Belfast-born Renee Mullen runs Placed, a collection of small buys like mugs, tea towels and wrapping paper that celebrate what she calls “pigeon Irish”. Stockists include An Culturlann, Falls Road, Belfast and Article in Dublin.

FASH PACK FAVOURITE

JW Anderson is the biggest thing to come out of NI since George Best. Originally from Co Derry but London-based, he is lauded by the fashion press and buyers. Find him at Please Don't Tell, 675 Lisburn Road, Belfast. shoppleasedonttell.com

BEAUTY IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER

Matthew Knight is an urban slash lowbrow artist who also loves to dabble in illustration. His work (right) is about transforming what is perceived to be rubbish into something of value and meaning. Buy his work at the Frame of Mind Gallery, Ormeau Road in Belfast. frameofminebelfast.co.uk