Make and Reuse Creative Workshops: Street Finds (furniture modification) with Andy Healy

Make and Reuse Creative Workshops is ACAVA’s programme of free creative courses to inspire us to reuse materials, contribute to the circular economy and make our everyday more sustainable, running from ACAVA’s community makerspace Maxilla Men’s Shed. In 2024, the Shed will be hosting four new courses on furniture modification, contemporary marquetry, leatherwork and circular carpentry.

Register now for the first free course in the new series of this year’s Make and Reuse Creative Workshops. Register your interest here.

Over four days, learn how to restore and modify a discarded piece of furniture into a new functional object.

• Get a brief overview of how furniture is made, what makes a good candidate for restoration and how to best undertake the job;
• Learn about the types of glues used for furniture repair, and why/how to use them;
• Learn how to remove old finishes and reapply finishes;
• Learn how to repair mortise and tenon joinery, and make new components for missing or unfixable elements.

Participants are invited to bring old, out-of-fashion, damaged, broken, disused or discarded pieces of furniture to the first session.

There will be opportunities to consider how to disrupt or intervene in the original design of the piece of furniture to create something unusual, humorous or simply more to your own taste.

Please note, priority spaces for the Make and Reuse programme will be offered to the North Kensington community. There are a limited number of spaces on this course, and we will notify you if you have been given a place.

About Andy Healy

Andy is an artist working across the visual arts and furniture design in a blended practice. He considers each piece of furniture as a sculptural object with the added complexity of functionality. Andy has over 15 years of experience designing bespoke pieces for clients in the UK and internationally.

Learn more about Make and Reuse Creative Workshops here.