Former Glory, Bristol

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Former Glory, Bristol

Pre-owned furniture taken from the streets of Bristol and reimagined to a former glory. Private commissions welcome.

Combining design inspiration with upholstery, furniture restoration and decorative finish.

08/03/2023

Pete's charming chair had been dismantled by an upholsterer over 20 ago and had languished in bags ever since. All those years he had missed the chair's comfort when listening to music and called me in to put it back together again.

Anyway, the chair is by the British manufacturer Suparest c1930 and indeed it turns out to be supacomfortable with the sprung metal frame suspended in the wooden frame. This is the first project that's needed metal work and luckily my son Jake turned up at the appropriate weekend to help restore the damage. The wood has been cleaned and fed but I didn't want to go too far on this Art Deco modernist bentwood frame, so the patina remains.

Pete Daintree was very brave when we met at Calico in Bedminster for fabric choosing.... and he made the right choice! I'm wondering what music was chosen for the first outing on the voyage of rediscovery. Enjoy! ❤

01/02/2023

This little arts and crafts sideboard was my first delivery of the new year and I've called her Jennifer after her new owner. She too is expecting a delivery of her own real soon, in the form of a new life to welcome into this world.

I loved this sturdy little oak dresser as soon as I set eyes on her. She came from a house clearance and the son of the previous owner wanted me to restore her and I've kept my word. It would have been such a shame to paint her, so instead I spent many hours and days sanding away the 100 years of use and dirt and I've restored and fed the wood to bring it back to its former glory.

I'm sure my niece Jennifer will enjoy the sideboard greatly but I think I'm going to enjoy her making me a Great Auntie Shona even more. 🥰🥰🥰

05/01/2023

Do you remember Dolly..... she's not a trolley but a fabulous receptacle for showing off plants, ornaments and lighting in your home? Well she was snapped up just before Christmas and I delivered her to a very Christmasey home in North Somerset. Her vibrant orange looked even more so when nestled between the sofas with the twinkling lights of the Christmas tree. I thought I had better get my post in before the twelfth night in the unlikely event that she needs to be packed away with all the other decorations.

Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year from aka Shona 🧡

02/12/2022

I've called this desirable little 1940s chair Little Miss Fe**sh. She is totally at home whichever way you want to position her. In the bo***ir, the salon or even the playroom.
Her theatrical demeanour is at once dark and domineering but she also displays a coy subservience of pink and dusky blush. She looks sweet enough from some angles but she's capable of sooooooo much mischief.
Thanks Sara for letting me play with your family heirloom..... enjoy! If anyone else has an old piece of furniture that needs a makeover just let me know 😊

01/11/2022

Long ago in a faraway land a piece of boring brown furniture was born. Eventually one day a fairy godmother bestowed on it the gift of beauty and light like the dawn, and Sleeping Beauty stirred from the curse of a deep and boring slumber.
Whilst Princess Aurora slept she was adorned with ornate wooden mouldings, soft blended paints of Annie Sloan and Gold and Silver gilding dust.Then, Princess Alison awoke Aurora with a true love's kiss and they lived happily ever after in a beautiful house in Redland!
A true story from Former Glory, Bristol 🧚....... well actually the brief was Recoco shabby chic and this is what Princess Alison had to say: 'Absolutely perfect - exactly what I wanted - it’s perfect Shona - you do a a fantastic job 👏👏 so talented - thank you so much ❤️

04/10/2022

Hello peeps!
This sturdy little chair has been used as a nursing chair in the same family for a couple of generations. In line with my philosophy of repair, reuse and recycle, I kept as much of the original chair as possible and added new layers of padding to what was a tired little relic.

I love the soft tones of the William Morris style fabric which will sit well in the arts and crafts style family room in Bower Ashton. Perhaps the next generation of little ones will enjoy counting the flowers or to trace the flow of the patterns with their small hands.

Thanks Rupert Newman and Lyndsay for the glowing reviews.... I'm pleased you're enjoying your rejuvenated family heirloom.

23/08/2022

I'm back after a short interlude and ready to go.....
It's been great to get out into the garden again to do the messy bits of my projects. This little chest of drawers has come blinking into the sunlight out of my darkened cellar.... and oh what a transformation.
Once a waterlogged wreck languishing in a garden in St Andrews: the rescue involved 6 months in my cellar where the wood dried out and the drawers drew themselves back into shape with a little help from me. All it took was tender loving care, wood filler, generous sanding and a lick of paint and the solid little chest of drawers has come good.
His new home is an attic room destined to become a stylish Airbnb. He's been painted in Lamp Black by Little Greene to tie in with the charcoal sofa and the orange k***s are painted in Charlotte's Locks by Farrow & Ball to complement the rug.
My cellar is full of other rescue furniture..... contact me if you'd like to find out what's available.

07/06/2022

Here I am again with another little chair that's recently been finished!

The little chair was in a sorry state when Louise called me in to give it a new lease of life. Louise was drawn to animal prints and a trip to Braces Interiors in Clifton soon gave us our inspiration.

The Cole & Son Wallpaper fabric was a delight to work with and I had such fun placing all the little scenes which made up the Versailles Grand print. I got really caught up in the 18th century inspired French tableaus and managed to capture each and every scene and miniscule detail without repeating them across the chair.

Thanks Louise for allowing me to revive your family heirloom. I hope you have as much fun as I did spotting all the animals and quirky little details.....

Enjoy!

29/03/2022

Ooooh! I do like to visit my furniture pieces once they have settled into their new home. The Prince of Darkness looks very happy in Nicola's stylish living room.
It seems he's made friends with a very lovely rocking chair which I'm slightly coveting😅

Thanks Nicola Williams for visiting my website and buying one of my creations.

Enjoy!

17/03/2022

I normally don't take selfies.... I was messing around with a mirror in my daughter's bedroom whilst shooting my just completed personal project - the Chairman Mao chair.
You might think that the flame red of the upholstery fabric looks a bit bright but if you look at my skin tones you'll see the colour is quite correct. The fabric is Linoso II, Flame by

Chairman Mao has been designed to fit into my daughter's oriental room and that's where he'll stay. It's been quite a transformation from the original granny chair and I loved every minute of it. 😊

10/03/2022

I've so enjoyed working with Barbara on 'Babs' Bounteous Buffett'. Barbara wanted a sideboard to compliment her stunning gold/tangerine wallpaper with Japanese cranes dancing across the walls. It was a true delight to work with a customer who appreciated my design advice and colour recommendations.

I'm just waiting for Babs to settle in, then I can get a pic of her in her new lushious surroundings. Then you'll see that the gold foil on the top of the sideboard takes on a tangerine glow that compliments the damson eggshell entirely.

I sourced the sideboard to order from Marketplace and picked her up from a chap in Newport. She's been dismantled, sanded to within an inch of her life, filled, primed and painted inside and out. The vintage drawer pulls were sourced from ebay and have been reconditioned and gilded in gold. The top has been lovingly finished in gold foil from Gold Leaf Supplies and coated in Polyvine Ltd to give a hard wearing surface.

Goodbye Babs....
She is sure to enjoy her new, rejuvenated and colourful life with Barbara. 🧡

02/03/2022

It's another great day..... Baba has moved to a new home!

It's wonderful that people seem to be becoming more appreciative of the quality of old furniture and seeing the benefits of sourcing used pieces to support a more sustainable way of living.

I'm also really, really pleased that Babs's new custodians recognise a professionally upcycled piece and the time and effort that goes into restoring a chest of drawers into its reimagined former glory.

Baba....I wish you well with the lovely couple who have returned from Berlin to create a new life in Bristol.

Enjoy! 💚

Address

Bristol

Website

http://www.formerglory-bristol.co.uk/

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