restored to glory

DUMPED & DITCHED FOUNDER BRITTA DE LAAT TURNS ONE PERSON’S TRASH INTO ANOTHER’S TREASURE

Interview Emily Perkins Words Dani Sherring Images Foxtel, Dida Sundet

Founder of local furniture restoration business Dumped & Ditched, Britta De Laat blissfully sources old, unwanted pieces of furniture and turns them into unique, truly beautiful statement objects. Britta’s passion for breathing new life into ‘dumped’ objects has not only seen her recently expand from her Coledale workshop to a shopfront, The Unlikely Item, in Stanwell Park, but also catapulted her to TV fame, when she appeared on Foxtel’s show The Repair Shop earlier this year. Hosted by Dean Ipaviz, the lifestyle show saw a team of highly skilled craftspeople return everyday punters treasured possessions to their former glory. Britta’s immense skill as an upholsterer landed her the role on the show as one of the experts, during which she brought back to life the likes of a century-old chaise lounge and an immigrant steam trunk.

“I am a storyteller and TV is a fabulous medium to reach many viewers,” says Britta of the experience. “I hope that many people feel inspired to invest into repairing and restoring after watching it. For me, handing back a family treasure to the owner and watching their emotions unfold is a precious moment that I would not miss for a minute. In my own business, we are quite specialised, so it was nice to get exposed to items that I normally would not work on, like the trunk and the rocking horse. It was also amazing to talk to the owners about what these pieces meant for them.”

Britta’s foray into furniture restoration came after working for many years in set design in the film and event industry.While she enjoyed the creative process, the short lifespan of the work she created left her unfulfilled.“We would build sets that got torn down shortly after and ended up in the trash,” says Britta. “After the birth of my son, 12 years ago, I decided I wanted to create more lasting designs and retrained as an upholsterer.”

Living in Amsterdam at the time, she completed her upholstery training. The best mode of transportation in Amsterdam is by bike, so with her two young kids in tow, Britta rode her bike across the city – it had an extended front chassis with a timber crate an integrated bench. While cruising around, she would find thrown-away furniture on the curb and chuck them into the crate, “with the kids often slightly compromised in their seats,” she laughs. “You would not believe what people throw out. I have pulled mid-century classics off the side of the street: Danish designs, original Eames chairs, Dutch Van Teeffelen seats and many more.‘One man's trash is another man's treasure’, certainly rings true. I could see the potential that each piece beholds and look past the dents, the dirt and the broken.” After living in many places all over the world, Britta relocated her family to Australia in 2017, and now happily calls the Illawarra home. Her business Dumped & Ditched was established here not long after, and now brings immeasurable joy to this local creative and the team she has amassed around her.

“The metamorphosis of a dilapidated chair into a statement piece is what I love most about my job,” she says.“I have the ability to perceive the potential in something unfinished or broken and enjoy the process of transforming an object

into something else. I also enjoy the slower pace that furniture restoration warrants. There is no automation in restoration. Working for many hours on one piece with your hands can be very meditative.”

Furniture often finds its way to her, she says – from items ditched on the curb, offers from friends and the community, or interesting pieces found online, there is no shortage of material for Britta to work her magic on. An unrestored piece of furniture carries the potential of transformation, and like a blank canvas, provides an opportunity for Britta to express herself through her art.

There are three different ways of working with Britta: you bring your own heirloom piece, purchase an unrestored piece from her, which she and her team will custom reupholster, or you can visit the new retail space in Stanwell Park, The Unlikely Item, to purchase an already restored piece. “Some clients are eager to be a part of this creative process, others prefer simply to purchase something ready-made,” says Britta. “I guide my clients through the process of choosing the right fabric. As we all know the devil lies in the detail: it’s about picking the ideal colourway, and sourcing the matching hardware. I love doing the consultations with my clients, that is where my art and design background comes in handy.”

Despite efforts by many, mainstream massproduced products still reign supreme. But furniture restoration is the ultimate act of recycling – a way to reuse and rethink objects that may have once been destined for the garbage. And, although, these restored pieces certainly don’t come with the lower-end price tag, the longevity and quality of the finished product is incomparable.

“Furniture restoration is very time-consuming. If you are thinking this is a cheap alternative, think again,” says Britta. “Mainstream products are often made cheaply, with corners cut on materials and entire layers in furniture upholstery missing.They might look nice at first, but in reality, often come with a compromised lifespan. We need to consider our buying choices. While

I have the ability to perceive the potential in something unfinished or broken and enjoy the process of transforming an object into something else

I realise that furniture restoration is not for everyone, we are running low on resources on this planet, which has become undeniably clear in the past two years. We simply cannot afford to buy super-cheap products and throw them out a few years later. Buy less, buy better. Furniture should last generations.”

Britta and her team also try to make sustainable ’green choices’ throughout the production process by minimising waste and recycling as much as they can. Fabric off-cuts get recycled into rugs, and foam off-cuts get turned into carpet underlays. Britta uses nasty-free hardwax oil, and avoids polyurethane varnishes, and her cushion fillings are made from recycled PET bottles.

“We are always on the lookout for more environmentally-friendly alternatives,” she says. “Many new materials are emerging in the US and Europe – availability of these in Australia is still a problem, but I keep my fingers crossed that it is only a question of time before we can purchase these here too. We have also seen a big shift in the fabric sector in past years, with more and more brands offering products that are made of recycled wool or ocean plastics. Quite cool really.”

Britta’s style is classic, beautiful and unique. Her European roots shine through in her selection of fabrics and her fondness for postmodern furniture, and her ability to reinvigorate a piece while paying homage to its past is unmatched. But the light in Britta shines brightest when discussing her passion for making old new again, igniting a flame in all those who meet her to reimagine what that ‘trash’ could become if shown a little love.

“Furniture restoration is a beautiful way of reviving pieces while honouring their history,” says Britta.“It’s exciting to design your own furniture that suits you and your house perfectly. My tip is not to settle for something you are not utterly smitten by.”