Being poor brought me to making. On my council estate, you had to make do and mend in order to make your living space more comfortable. When I was younger I couldn’t afford to buy certain things, so I just got wood, bricks or anything I found out on the street and made shelving units, wardrobes – even a bed, which I made from wooden pallets. It was about being resourceful.
I came to furniture restoration through my work with young people. I was running a conflict resolution charity called Street Dreams, which was employed by local councils, police and social services – but funding dried up. While I was helping a young person restore a desk that he had been given, it dawned on me: learning how to revamp old furniture was a whole project in itself. So I set up a new charity, Out of the Dark, to focus on gaining furniture skills.
Because I got into the restoration game late, I had no formal training. But luckily I was in High Wycombe, which used to be the furniture capital of England, and I asked some retired professionals if they could teach young people and me their skills. The community came through and taught us. Our oldest teacher, Ken, was 92 – he showed us how to cane and rush a chair. I learned my craft on the job, the old-fashioned way.
I love mid-century furniture design. My furniture restoration company Jay & Co pays homage to what was classified as ‘modern’ back then, bringing those designs into the 21st century: whether that’s by painting a chair leg or adding a different flavour with a fabric that wasn't around at the time.