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The Bowerhaus Contributors Everyone loves getting a little bit of the story behind their Bowerhaus purchase. To that end we've cajoled and pleaded and asked quite nicely that our Bowerhaus contributors share a little bit of their passion here with you.
Furniture Restoration, Found Industria and Replica Signage
Bicycles
Furniture restoration & creation, reuse art Art featuring salvaged materials, ephemera & bric-a-brac Work Benches and Machinery restoration Upholstery and furniture restoration Furniture restoration, Found Industria and Replica Signage "I've never actually had a woodwork lesson in my life, or for that matter worked in any sort of job that involved wood-working. My love of making things began, as it did for many blokes of the baby boomer generation, building Airfix construction kits of model aeroplanes, then it was a natural progression up to dioramas and model rail layouts. My next brush with creativity came when I was at Uni. To relax I started to built a whole wild west town on a 6' x 4' board complete with saloon, bank, livery stables, sheriffs office and jail all scratch built out of bits and pieces....The Bower seed was planted...... When it was finished and I was finished studying, I looked at it and wondered what on earth you do with a scale model of a wild west town, especially when your wife poses the question "what are you going to do with that"? As I thought about it, it occurred to me that if I was to up the scale to full size.....I could actually make furniture in the same way as I was able to make scale models.....Thus it began. That was nearly 20 years ago Firstly I filled our house... then our relatives benefited, then our friends, neighbours and work colleagues....I was on fire! ...but there is only so much you can fit into one house........Then my salvation came at the turn of the Millennium The Bower and I discovered one another!. I love the Bower! I've done all sorts of pieces over the years, I really like industrial art creations best of all, making coffee tables from odd bits of industry that sort of thing, old furniture brought back to life, things from the back of sheds and garages salvaged from the brink of landfill, the bigger the challenge the greater the thrill."
Refurbished Bicycles
"My interest in bicycles began as a teenager… there seemed to a plentiful supply of sorry looking old bikes protruding from council clean up piles that made their way home where they would be gradually re-invigorated and re-released into cycling society. The mechanical simplicity of the bicycle means that many parts can be interchanged regardless of make or model, so that even the un-restorable examples are able to pass on parts to rebuild better examples. It’s a highly efficient form of recycling as very little is discarded… From time to time this allows for ‘custom’ or ‘re-invented’ bikes created with a little artistic flair! As a regular contributor to the Bower, I aim to provide bicycles that are both attractive and reliable, and that encourage ongoing use. It’s always very heartening to see one or more of my old projects waiting in the bicycle rack at the local markets or being ridden along a back street… ‘Re-cycling’ in its best form!"
Work Benches and Machinery restoration Greg fixes up and tinkers with all sorts of forgotten tools, machinery and bits of furniture, he has been a key person in The Bowers history and has always had an emphasis on the workshop, this in turn spills over to his restored industrial consignment items. If you have ever purchased a bench or machine from us then it's a fair bet Greg has repaired it in some way. Art featuring salvaged materials, ephemera & bric-a-brac Furniture restoration & creation, reuse art Upholstery and furniture restoration "My first foray into resurrection was inspired by a gift. My dad made me the most amazing mexican dining table with layers of laminated painty, peely timber of turquoise and blue. My pristine 1980s family dining chair suite looked terrible next to it, so I rubbed them down, painted them up, and rubbed them down again. I took out the woven wicker seat pads and replaced them with foam seats upholstered in hand stenciled Mexican beer labels. For me, what I do is a simple, functional application of my love of collecting, textiles and screen printing. I fall in love with a chair, an image, a piece of fabric - for it's character, dejected and forlorn original and for what I know it can become. And then I look around me for the things that can help me resurrect each piece. The big positive of working in salvage is the inspiration you find and the challenge it brings. Sydney Street banners were an incredible discovery for me. Once fused for strength and durability these graphic odysseys of fabric can be spliced, diced and pieced with other things to create characters, optical illusions and stories on everyday furniture."
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| Last Updated on Tuesday, 06 September 2011 02:15 |
