Most farmhouses will have a wicker basket left over from a Christmas hamper, an old dresser or a pine table that could do with a new lease of life or a kitchen chair that would benefit from a lick of paint.
In a new DIY series exclusively with Irish Country Living, upcycler extraordinaire Joanne Condon of Kyle Lane will be sharing her top tips to give these common household items the “wow” factor, with expert techniques including white-washing, stencilling and transferring font.
It has been a busy year for the former art teacher who lives on a dairy farm in Ballinamult, Clonmel, with her husband Vinny Condon. As well as publishing her first book, Furniture Crush, featuring 12 colour-popping projects, she is now focusing on practical upcycling workshops that she brings on tour around the country, as well as online masterclasses in techniques such as advanced wall papering and gold leaf application. Indeed, she beat off stiff competition from the UK to win the “best workshop” award from DIY bible, Mollie Makes magazine.
“I find the workshops the most enjoyable way to share upcycling tips,” says Joanne. “People have one full day of learning, go away with a finished piece and then they can paint anything they want at home.”
For her Irish Country Living series, Joanne has chosen practical projects – but with an arty twist.
“I think every farmhouse has those pieces that you use almost every day, or every farmer has a basket or a chair in the garage that they might not like,” she explains. “When it’s painted, it’s like new.”
Her advice when it comes to upcycling is to pick a piece of furniture that is structurally sound, to check for woodworm (and treat it if found) and most importantly, not to skip the key steps of prepping and priming.
“Prepping is the most important part,” she stresses. “If you skip the prep, all your hard work after will be in vain. It’s definitely worth the time it takes to do it properly.”
Though what is just as important is to enjoy the process and not to be afraid of making a mistake.
“You can always paint over if you don’t like it,” Joanne laughs.
For further information, visit www.kylelane.ie.
We would love to see our readers try these upcycling projects; please share on Instagram or social media using the hashtag #furniturecrush
Upcycling a wicker basket. \ Philip Doyle
Upcycling a wicker basket
Wicker baskets are easily found around the house from old hampers, come in all shapes and sizes and are a great item for storage. Spray painting them will add a new lease of life.
Technique: spraying wicker
Dry brush
Cloth
Mask
Wicker basket
1 x spray can of Montana primer
1 x spray can of Montana white paint
Paint brushes
Hoover brush attachment
1 Start by cleaning your baskets. Firstly remove any dust with a dry brush in the direction of the straw. You can remove all the dust with a brush hoover attachment, hoovering up all the dust.
2 With a slightly damped cloth, clean any area that may have a build-up of grime. 
Removing dust. \ Joanne Condon
3 Priming is a step that is not to be skipped. This will make your work more durable and easy to keep. Shake the can of primer for a full five minutes before you break the seal. Remember to wear a mask. Starting on the inside of the basket, spray with the primer going over and back in fluid motions, slightly overlapping the spray on each line. Work your way around the basket. 
Shaking the paint can. \ Joanne Condon
4 Leave to fully dry, flip over the basket and spray the outside area with the primer. 5 Now to spray with spray paint. Again shake the can of paint for a full five minutes before you break the seal. Spray the inside of the basket in the same method as you used with the primer, working your way around the basket.
Spray painting. \ Joanne Condon
6 Leave to fully dry. I added some grease proof paper for my vegetable baskets. You can also add labels or decorate with wool and pompoms.
Removing dust. \ Joanne Condon
Next week: Transferring font on a farmhouse kitchen chair.
Most farmhouses will have a wicker basket left over from a Christmas hamper, an old dresser or a pine table that could do with a new lease of life or a kitchen chair that would benefit from a lick of paint.
In a new DIY series exclusively with Irish Country Living, upcycler extraordinaire Joanne Condon of Kyle Lane will be sharing her top tips to give these common household items the “wow” factor, with expert techniques including white-washing, stencilling and transferring font.
It has been a busy year for the former art teacher who lives on a dairy farm in Ballinamult, Clonmel, with her husband Vinny Condon. As well as publishing her first book, Furniture Crush, featuring 12 colour-popping projects, she is now focusing on practical upcycling workshops that she brings on tour around the country, as well as online masterclasses in techniques such as advanced wall papering and gold leaf application. Indeed, she beat off stiff competition from the UK to win the “best workshop” award from DIY bible, Mollie Makes magazine.
“I find the workshops the most enjoyable way to share upcycling tips,” says Joanne. “People have one full day of learning, go away with a finished piece and then they can paint anything they want at home.”
For her Irish Country Living series, Joanne has chosen practical projects – but with an arty twist.
“I think every farmhouse has those pieces that you use almost every day, or every farmer has a basket or a chair in the garage that they might not like,” she explains. “When it’s painted, it’s like new.”
Her advice when it comes to upcycling is to pick a piece of furniture that is structurally sound, to check for woodworm (and treat it if found) and most importantly, not to skip the key steps of prepping and priming.
“Prepping is the most important part,” she stresses. “If you skip the prep, all your hard work after will be in vain. It’s definitely worth the time it takes to do it properly.”
Though what is just as important is to enjoy the process and not to be afraid of making a mistake.
“You can always paint over if you don’t like it,” Joanne laughs.
For further information, visit www.kylelane.ie.
We would love to see our readers try these upcycling projects; please share on Instagram or social media using the hashtag #furniturecrush
Upcycling a wicker basket. \ Philip Doyle
Upcycling a wicker basket
Wicker baskets are easily found around the house from old hampers, come in all shapes and sizes and are a great item for storage. Spray painting them will add a new lease of life.
Technique: spraying wicker
Dry brush
Cloth
Mask
Wicker basket
1 x spray can of Montana primer
1 x spray can of Montana white paint
Paint brushes
Hoover brush attachment
1 Start by cleaning your baskets. Firstly remove any dust with a dry brush in the direction of the straw. You can remove all the dust with a brush hoover attachment, hoovering up all the dust.
2 With a slightly damped cloth, clean any area that may have a build-up of grime.
Removing dust. \ Joanne Condon
3 Priming is a step that is not to be skipped. This will make your work more durable and easy to keep. Shake the can of primer for a full five minutes before you break the seal. Remember to wear a mask. Starting on the inside of the basket, spray with the primer going over and back in fluid motions, slightly overlapping the spray on each line. Work your way around the basket.
Shaking the paint can. \ Joanne Condon
4 Leave to fully dry, flip over the basket and spray the outside area with the primer. 5 Now to spray with spray paint. Again shake the can of paint for a full five minutes before you break the seal. Spray the inside of the basket in the same method as you used with the primer, working your way around the basket.
Spray painting. \ Joanne Condon
6 Leave to fully dry. I added some grease proof paper for my vegetable baskets. You can also add labels or decorate with wool and pompoms.
Removing dust. \ Joanne Condon
Next week: Transferring font on a farmhouse kitchen chair.
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