Turner shops charity stores rather than auctions, because she likes to think that the money she spends for furniture is going to good use. She admits that auctions are distracting, since she sees too many things she wants for her own home.
She has well-known clients such as John Lewis, The Old Cinema and Lane Crawford and has created pieces for hotels, cafes and private homes around the world. She sees her career moving in the direction of interior design.
While I lean strongly toward restoring rather than upcycling unless a pieces is beyond saving, I must say that her work is beautifully done. One of her pieces would look great in a kid's room or could provide a nice little note of whimsy in other parts of the house, if your taste ran in that direction. What do you think?
From midcenturymagazine.com
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| Bermuda Flower sideboard homegirllondon.com |
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| White Bird chest thekidsroomdecor.com |
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| Two-ti-frutti sideboard lucyturner.co |
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| Pineapple sideboard and hutch midcenturymagazine.com |
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| Disco console lucyturner.co |
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| Flamingo chest formica.eu |
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| Dogstooth sideboard moorbi.com |
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| Lovebirds sideboard lucyturner.co |
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| Palm Energy sideboard lucyturner.co |
I'm just glad someone's found new and creative use for formica.
ReplyDeleteShe is creative. There's no doubt about that. And the Formica people love her. I've seen all kinds of press about her work from their camp.
DeleteI wouldn't have called myself a purist but unfortunately I find myself mourning for what these pieces might have been. The portions of the original wood look solid and workable. they may not have had the potential for high-end auction quality, but to me the original design intent will always reign supreme over someone's redesign. I'm also skeptical based on personal experience, the quality of the "upcycled" pieces I have seen has not been good.
ReplyDeleteMost people would call me a purist, I suppose. I've seen magic worked by professional refinishers, so it almost always pains me to see painted wood (except on very inexpensive pieces to be used in a child's room, where color often seem more age-appropriate). I'll confess that I wouldn't choose Turner's work for my own home, for the same reason I'd never have an Eames lounge chair and ottoman upholstered in a patterned Pendleton wool. (Those truly seem blasphemous to me.) The designer's intent is important to me too. However, from what I've read about Turner's work, the marquetry is very skillfully done, and there must be a bunch of people out there who value novelty over authenticity, because her pieces (and those damned Pendleton-covered lounge chairs) appear to be selling like hotcakes. So, at the end of the day, to each his own...I'm sure the other camp would consider me stodgy and totally unimaginative. :)
DeleteAn apt post for me Dana considering I am currently working my own ahem, magic on a pair of little laminate-topped (same as formica) end tables. Mine will be of a much more amateurish nature than Lucy's though ;)
ReplyDeleteI like the second piece.
I can't wait to see what you're doing. Be sure and post! There's a DIY table project I want to do. It has nothing whatsoever to do with Formica, but I wanted to share it anyway. I may do it on an end table and shorten the legs to make a little snack table for the grandkids. I know, I know...I just went on such a rant about altering vintage furniture. I'm such a hypocrite! :)
DeleteMaybe I'll redeem myself and just paint triangles on a couple of those folding breakfast trays and not even have to shorten any legs.
DeleteAh-ha! Great minds, Snap!, etc. The tops of my little laminate tables are going to have triangles on them!!!
ReplyDeletep.s. will post on blog (if they turn out like I want 'em to!) I am trying to keep up the blogging. I am starting to think of it as a dying art, like letter writing. Hardly any of my favourites write blog posts regularly if at all, anymore...I'm determined to pull my socks up in that regard...we'll see...
I'm glad that you've decided to keep up the blogging. I'm don't plan to stop either. Even though a lot of my blogging friends have left for Instagram, I'm getting more page hits every day than ever before, so people are still reading. Instagram just isn't enough for me. I'd rather read more text than just look at images with short captions, and what I post about requires more text than Instagram. It will be interesting to see if Instagram kills blogging or if the novelty wears off eventually.
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