I am so excited to share my latest discovery. One that I did not even know existed until last week, and now it's constantly hovering in the back of my mind - an indicator of a world of the future, one that is both moral, environmentally-friendly, community-building, consciousness-raising, and commercially-viable, besides being CHIC beyond measure!!!! Plus, it represents a REVOLUTION in modern design. I mean, that's a pretty good discovery, no?
And it happened completely by accident. In one single episode I was introduced to a world I had always wished for, and now can't do without.
The first British fix-it show I fell for was "Find it, Fix it, Flog it" (which does not mean to find it, fix it and beat it with a stick as I first thought, but to sell it.) In this cool, fairly-hip and very fun fix it show I found the delightful Henry Cole, the cutest thing in coveralls, and was instantly hooked. I enjoyed watching Henry and Guy his mechanic (and bff since 15) refurbish old petrol pumps, cans, and the COOLEST motorbikes I've ever seen (it's England! They have old Russian bikes, Italian bikes, and English bikes the US doesn't even know exist!) and sell them to all kinds of folks across England. Hip bars in London, modern offices, hotels, etc, it's a new way of using old industrial machinery and parts, make them actually stylish, give them a new life instead of leaving them to molder and rust away in the sheds and barns and fields where they are discovered. It's great and some of the items look AMAZE!!!!!! Missing Henry and his crew when the show finished I stumbled across the one that brought me to Jay Blades. The amazing, eye-opening, innovative, eco-friendly, socially-conscious fix it show of the very cool future - MONEY FOR NOTHING.
The show centers around the host Sarah Moore, who goes to the local "Tip" (that's the dump for my fellow Americans) and tries to intercept the stuff people are dumping before it gets thrown in the pit, because once it's in, it's out of bounds. She has a sharp eye peeled for literally anything old - furniture, old doors, heavy industrial metal of any kind, old sewer pipes, car springs, a leaky canoe, a lump of old wood - she has a vision that I've never seen before!!! I was worried initially that her taste level might not be up to parr, but I needn't have worried. She has far better taste than I do. And skills! She has really upped the bar on this one. Other shows are SO fond of putting really tacky paint on old wood and then sanding it for that super-dated shabby chic "distressed" look. UGH. Or they love to re-upholster things in totally un-ironic chintzes that just read old lady, not vintage cool...it drives me nuts.
But no worries on that score with Money For Nothing"!!!! Sarah herself is a true expert in design and refurbishment. She has prodigious skills and is willing to take on any task. Everything she touches turns into something fantastically inventive, yet in some respect remains true to the original nature of the piece. I can't believe what she and her amazing team of various young artists and designers she uses for the show can DO!!! And - uniquely - it's all luxuriously done. Really, truly world-class talent and craftsmanship here. Not just some slap dap ugly paint job and a few decals - no no no. All deliciously modern and LUXE. No expense spared or attention to detail forgotten. And the ingenuity - is INCREDIBLE. And they are all things from the Tip!!!! Sold again for a profit, which Sara then gives back to the original owners.
Some amazing examples - An electronic engineer named "Horse" takes an old leather case and turns it into a super-cool vintage portable speaker/amplifer, something any musician would be proud to use, complete with USB port and universal jack. He also refurbished an old Bakelite radio and made it a blue-tooth-friendly piece of technology, buffing and polishing the brown bakelite back to life, but adding some seriously fly gold mesh to the speaker in the front. Keeping the original integrity and function of the piece, but bringing it into the 21st century, so that anyone would want to use it NOW.
Sarah turned an old canoe into a luxurious, mid-century desk. Her genius metal workers turned a huge old car spring into a delicate, modern-art-nouveau floor lamp. And they turned actual POO pipes from a houses' sewer system into a super-cool outdoor lounge chair.
My first featured artist of this innovative new movement? JAY BLADES. Furniture-Restorer and Designer Extraordinaire.Truly, his stuff is genius. I love everything about this man, from his creations to his personal style, to his attitude, right down to his name. Jay Blades.
Again, when I first saw him reach for a paint brush I was worried. I had had enough of people painting beautiful wood, putting ugly stickers on it and bad knobs all in the name of "making it new again." I worried that he would be another such designer - and BOY WAS I WRONG. Sure, he does paint old wood. But he does it - right. New. Different. With an eye and a heart tuned to the soul of the piece, and the original designer. He doesn't overshadow or dominate, but he does make it his own. Jay elevates what he touches, so far I haven't seen him do anything not completely charming and respectful, and visionary. He makes old things relevant. I want every single thing he makes! He adds color, with a statement that is both subtle and shocking. He uses stickers of a sort - but he uses incredible wall paper that is like the most perfect, delightful surprise on the bottom of a chair, or inside a cupboard.
and Jay's whole approach to his work is inspiring. I love his space, all the air in his studio, the windows, the things on the walls - I love his style with his cool caps, buttoned-up-all-the-way shirts, and gold teeth. I never thought I'd like gold teeth, but I like Jay's gold teeth so much!!! His creations don't stop with his furniture, this is one of those people that live a work of art, are a work of art.
I can finally let that uptight old purist inside of me go, the one that fusses over painted wood and the integrity of the past. Now i know that in England at least there are young designers out there that understand the history of things, and honor it, yet have the courage and focus to take it further, to re-cycle it, to re-use it, and to re-generate the environment and the economy at the same time.
Hooray!!! Happy weekend all!
Newsflash - in looking for pics of the oh-so-stylish Jay I found out that he is not only an incredible visionary and artist - he helps troubled teenagers too! Jay - YOU ROCK!!! Check out this article about it. :)
xoxox Diane
