Something new from something old: from the curb into the home

Arkles Bay resident Vicki Pickles wants to encourage others to reduce their environmental impact as well as updating family items that have seen better days.

She is always on the lookout for things left on the curb, free to take away, and her home features several such items, made fresh with the creative use of paint or wallpaper.

There are many reasons that people remake items, including saving money and enjoying the creative process. For Vicki, sustainability is at the top of that list.

“Keeping things out of landfill is important to me – when I see things being thrown out, I rescue them if I have a vision of how they could look. It can be a bit addictive,” she says.

She says it all started when a friend was faced with getting rid of her great great grandmother’s bedside table, now dated and in poor repair.

“I could see the potential and fixed it up into what is now a valued family piece,” Vicki says. “It was very satisfying.”

Her garage is a workshop filled with shelves of fabric and space to work on refurbishing pieces. 

An upholstery course has been invaluable, with the rest of Vicki’s skills self-taught.

“Many families have things that have been passed down and are falling into disrepair and unloved. If you can find a way to bring them back to a state where they are modern and usable, it keeps those things alive.”

Pop up now a work of pop art
Just before the first lockdown, Vicki found a 1979 pop up caravan called ‘Daffodil’ that was a bargain, in need of a new home. She could instantly see the potential, and once her husband had checked it was structurally sound, restoring the caravan became a major lockdown project. “While everyone else was lining up at the supermarket before lockdown, we stocked up at the local hardware store,” Vicki says The interior was transformed, with new cabinetry and soft furnishings, which Vicki says were chosen with a modern take on the 1970s in mind. Bedsheets were turned into curtains, squabs were recovered and the brown formica table was painted with benchtop paint that Vicki was given by a local during lockdown. Finishing touches included artworks made from the original fabric, and retro kitchenware sourced from op shops. The caravan has been taken on family trips, and the children use it as a sleepout when friends stay over. “It was our biggest project, and well worth the effort,” Vicki says. Daffodil has her own Facebook page and Vicki also has an Instagram page called curbside_picks.