What is Peagreen Furniture?
Peagreen is a small business which I have been running from home in Devon since 2009. It is environmentally responsible as everything I use is upcycled. My philosophy is to breathe new life and purpose into old vintage objects by filling them with gorgeously scented, 100% natural soya candles. The candle remains wash out easily and can be refilled again and again (see candle refilling service).
I specialise in vintage jelly moulds. whether they be pressed glass, aluminium or ceramic as they look so lovely in any part of the home with a beautiful candle flickering away inside. They are also easy to find another use for as they look great filled with tomatoes, soap, jelly, cotton wool….whatever!
To keep up to date with what I’m up to (events, etc.) have a look at my blog or contact me via the contact page to have a candle party at home if you live within a thirty mile radius of Torquay.
History
A long long time ago in the far away distant land of……………………London, I was a window dresser for TopShop. Trained under the formidable eye of Mary Portas (AKA Mary Queen of Shops) this career lasted a few years but unfortunately didn’t pay, so I turned my back on the multi-million pound fashion industry and went to work for a homeless charity, which enabled me to buy my first little flat in Stoke Newington in 1996 – how ironic!
Ten years, four homes and two daughters later we decided to move to Devon, where we had some family and friends who seemed to inhabit a very different world to ours (more fun, less stress, alternative values and goals). As the years passed and the girls settled I decided it was time to get creative again and earn some cash so I started a business with my friend Ben doing up and selling old furniture, hence the name. However our homes soon filled up with the furniture that we were working on and we ran out of space. With neither of us in a position to fund a workshop we put that idea on hold.
As a collector of vintage bits and bobs I wanted to stay with the ethos of bringing old things back to life. I love the look, feel and quality of things from the past. They often have a story to tell and evoke certain memories from a less disposable age when things were more valued by their owners.
After some research I taught myself to make natural soya wax candles, using vintage items to pour them into. The wax can be washed out and the item reused. Great news for the environment. Also great news for me as I get to indulge my passion for trawling charity shops! Keep your eyes peeled on the streets of Teignmouth, Torquay, Topsham, Exeter and Newton Abbot and you may see me laden with bags of clunking china…
The popularity of the candles has meant doing less furniture but I do still dabble and am happy to source things and take orders. You can contact me via the website and I regularly post what I’m up to on my blog.