It’s amazing what can happen in a year.
This time last year, the western world believed it was on the brink of another Great Depression. So many people lost their homes and jobs, and it’s only now that we are starting to see a recovery. But for some, a terrifying thing like losing your job turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
Meet Melanie Porter, who recently invited BitchBuzz over to her fabulous flat to talk with us about her amazing furniture.
Porter is a St Martin’s College graduate who had been working in Women’s fashion up until November 2008. Melanie had been commuting from London to Harrogate, working for a women’s wear catalogue, when she received the news she was being made redundant.
Rather than rejoin the gruelling world of Women’s Fashion, Melanie decided to turn her love of knitting and upholstery into her day job. What resulted were her stunning chairs - a mix of traditional craftsmanship, bold individuality, a just a little bit of cheek.
Melanie first became interested in knit ware when she was studying at St Martin’s – not being ‘cool enough’ for the Fashion parties, she was drawn to knit ware and the more technical side of fashion. Amongst her fellow ‘nerds’ Melanie fell in love with knitting, but it wasn’t until years later when she found herself with hours of commuting every week that she chose to keep death by boredom at bay by knitting a cover for an old chair.
Happy with the result and wanting to learn more, Melanie enrolled in an upholstery course to learn the real tricks of the trade. Armed with her new skills and suddenly being out of a job, the next step was becoming obvious to Melanie. After giving a friend a chair for a wedding present, interest picked up amongst friends and family and after a few pieces of press, the business was born.
The process that turns a smelly old chair into one of Melanie’s stunning pieces is an intense labour of love. Depending on the chair/s size and the amount of knitting involved (3am bedtime is not unusual for Melanie) a chair takes between three to four weeks to be completed.
Usually, a client will either have an old chair they want re-upholstered or they have a particular style they want, in which case Melanie goes to the auctions to source one out. Dining chairs, chaise lounges, armchairs and even sofas can be re-covered giving them a new lease on life and a new personality.
The re-upholstering can sometimes be an interesting experience. Items like knives, forks and even jewellery have turned up inside the old chairs, “But unfortunately” says Melanie “nothing of any value!” Using traditional techniques, the chairs are re-covered and stuffed in her parent’s house in Woking and then it’s back to her flat in Kensington to knit the cover.
The most popular is Melanie’s ‘Albert” chair (the first chair pictured), which has around 20 metres of red yarn alone! The wool of choice is 100% Italian Wool Yarn, which to touch is so soft but incredibly hard wearing.
To see these chairs in the flesh blew my mind. They have so much character and personality, but it’s the craftsman-ship that really impressed me. These days it’s all too easy for us to buy furniture that is badly made and basically disposable. How often does anyone keep something from Ikea for longer than a year?
Melanie is creating new from old with her pieces. They are made to last not only day to day wear but also stay stylish regardless of the current trends. I imagine these chairs would become part of the family and stay in the home for many years. It’s uplifting to see awesome women like Melanie kicking arse in what was typically a male-dominated field and proving that knitting doesn’t have to be ugly or unsophisticated.
All Images © Melanie Porter