Zero Waste Interiors

I love supporting other local, female led businesses, especially ones that so deeply align with my own values. Next up in the interior series is a shoot I did at The Secret Cabin at Seacliff using my latest cushion collection. To browse my latest cushion collection click here.  Tucked away in the wild woodland at Seacliff, nestled amongst Scottish Elm trees, roaming pheasants and climbing ivy, sits The Secret Cabin. A lot of people say East Lothian is full of magic and Seacliff has to be one of the hot spots.

The cabin itself is very compact and cosy and is full of beautiful features and thoughtful touches. The bed is bespoke made, it’s made from wood that was washed up on the shore after a storm (literally the coolest thing ever), there are repurposed stained glass panels in the garden and you can sit and watch all the birds feed from bed. It’s the total dream. There is also a tiny stove called “The Hobbit” which gets the place nice and toasty. Being a Lord of The Rings nerd this really was the icing on the cake for me! My partner and I were lucky to spend a weekend here pre lockdown and we both came away feeling so refreshed. From the beach at Seacliff you can look straight out to the infamous Bass Rock, which over the warmer months of the year is home to the worlds largest gannet colony. If you look to your left on the beach you’ll see Tantallon Castle, a 600 year old castle set upon the cliffs. Beautiful, mysterious and otherworldly.

I have been brought up in the countryside and have been living in the country for pretty much most of my life. I love raw wood, wild woodland and salty sea air (it’s a wonder I ever left the cabin to be honest.) It’s my dream home, and Jules absolutely loved it too (it’s dog friendly!)  This shoot was all about the country vibes, I imagined my perfect weekend, cosying up by the fire with some fizz after having a long walk with my dog through the wild woods and a dip in the sea. So grab a cuppa, get comfortable and enjoy some laid back, cosy country styling. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Oh, and if you want to experience the Secret Cabin at Seacliff for yourself, check out their website here.

And a big shout out to all the local businesses I featured in this shoot in order of appearance

The Secret Cabin at Seacliff www.thesecretcabin.co.uk

Edinburgh Castle Photo Print by local photographer folkenrose www.folkenrose.co.uk

NB Samphire Gin from local distiller NB Gin www.nbdistillery.com

Vintage champagne glasses from local vintage and antique shop Lovage and Lace www.lovageandlace.com

Fresh flowers from local florist The Petal Shoppe www.thepetalshoppe.co.uk

Handmade firebellows by local bellow maker Devlin Jones www.firebellows.co.uk

I have recently launched a small collection of cushions which were all made using a range of recycled vintage fur and sumptuous fabric remnants. This was my first cushion collection, so I wanted to make a range of sizes as well as include different colours and luxurious textures, to get a feel for what people were after. Check out my latest cushion collection here and let me know what you think. If you love vintage styling and colourful, quirky interiors, then read on.

This is the first part of a small series of styled photoshoots I have arranged using my latest cushions, all covid safe of course. First up in the series is a home that is bursting full of colour and texture and is definitely one for the maximalist lovers. Nestled in the East Lothian countryside, about 5 miles away from my studio, is the home of Allanna Alexander. Allanna owns Madame Butterfly which is a gorgeous boutique in North Berwick. She sells candles, vintage clothing, homewares and all sorts of quirky, gorgeous items. It’s a total treasure trove, to see more of her shop, head over to her Facebook page using this link here.

Back to the photoshoot.. An avid DIY-er, collector of all things vintage including vintage gondolas and an all round style Queen, Allanna has worked magic in her house. She recently redecorated her spare bedroom herself using a bold art deco style feature wallpaper on the back wall. She made two wall lamps herself, respraying old black curly brackets gold to match gold lanterns. Genius idea. She is currently redecorating her bedroom with a tented ceiling, I will definitely be back for another photoshoot when it’s complete!

Adding some new cushions to a room can really give it a refresh and it is usually more cost effective than redecorating the entire room. We are all guilty of consuming more than what we need. Upcycling your vintage fur jacket/coat (or any garment for that matter) into luxurious homewares is a really eco friendly way to repurpose preloved fur. By using what we already have, we can dramatically reduce our waste output, which in turn will mean we don’t need to purchase as many new materials, which conserves Earths precious resources. Here are my favourite images from this gloriously OTT, utterly fabulous photoshoot. Let me know what you think in the comments below!

One of the most eco friendly things we can do as a collective is to re-use pre-existing material. This reduces the need to create new raw materials, it reduces energy usage, air and water pollution and even greenhouse gas emissions. It also gives us an opportunity to be far more creative and resourceful with what we make by using what we already have. Over production and over consumption are, quite literally, killing this planet. There’s a great quote by Orsola De Castro, one of Fashion Revolutions co-founders, which comes to mind “the most sustainable garment is the one you already own.”

Whilst some people may not feel comfortable wearing vintage fur but don’t want to get rid of it, there is an alternative.  Turn your vintage fur into a decorative accessory for your home, like pillows or a throw. One of the most popular remodelling options I have been doing for people is turning old, precious vintage fur coats and jackets into throws and cushions. If you have been lucky enough to inherit one, it’s a really lovely way to repurpose a vintage fur garment especially if it sits unused and unloved in a wardrobe, gathering dust.

If looked after properly, fur as a material will last for a really long time. It can also be repaired, cleaned and revamped if needed, the longer we keep our textiles in circulation, the better for the environment.  The average high street garment has a life span of just 7 wears before it is chucked out and left to rot in the ground. I could go off on a tangent here about the global issues with fast fashion and the mainstream fashion industry, but that’s another blog post for another day.

The original shape and construction of the fur garment will depend on what you can recreate. Fur is a very tactile and luxurious material, so it really adds a cosy, hygge vibe to any room. Also if you have pets, I guarantee they will love it! My wee dog Jules is always curling up on my vintage fur gilet, I think she loves it because it is so soft. Just make sure your pet is clean before they coorie in! I prefer to line the throws and pillows with velvet as it fits with the plush, luxuriousness of the fur. Velvet also helps the fur throw cling to sofas /beds better and prevents it from sliding around. You can also add a big pop of colour using a contrast velvet colour.

Here are some vintage fur transformations I have done for clients.

From an unloved and unworn vintage fur jacket belonging to my clients grandmother in law..

..To a beautiful, velvet lined fur throw, which can be admired, treasured and most importantly used everyday. I also made pillows to match, being a zero waste designer I make sure I put all the material I am working with to good use.

A client came to me with a bunch of vintage fox fur offcuts she had that she wanted made into a fur throw..

This was the final layout I chose as I liked the symmetrical aesthetic.

I lined the fur throw in a pale grey velvet that my client chose, it paired beautifully with the silvery tones of the vintage fox fur offcuts.

I also made two cushions using vintage mink stoles that had been sitting in a box in the attic. I had some left over cream velvet from a previous job which my client was delighted to have.

If you have been lucky enough to inherit a fur coat, and you don’t wear it but want to keep it, upcycling your vintage fur heirloom into homewares is a really lovely way of keeping those precious memories alive. One thing that I love when doing commissions for people is hearing the stories of times gone by of memories of grannies/aunties/mums/pals wearing fur or of mischievous tales of loved ones up to no good. I hope this has given you some inspiration for reinvigorating some old piece of clothing you may have! I’d love to hear if you have upcycled something, what was it? Let me know in the comments below!

I was lucky enough to work with the amazing photographer, Tina Sorensen, on a collaborative photoshoot for show casing the latest pillows I had created. The pillows are made using a combination of recycled, vintage fur and luxurious velvet remnants purchased from local interior shops.

The local interior shops I buy my remnants from are run by badass female babes and are within 18 miles of my workshop which keeps my fabric miles low and fabric out of landfill.

Now, back to the photoshoot….. I brought along a car full of props to Tina’s cosy studio in Dalkeith, where we worked together to style different lifestyle shots for each of the pillows. Tina had her own stash of eclectic props but my favourite has to be her antique tan leather sofa, which she bought in the Highlands a few years ago. All I had in mind were a couple of pins from Pinterest of old, dilapidated grand mansion houses with super boujee (is that how you spell that?!) furniture and furnishings. The shoot really was just a natural progression of us trying different props and textures to capture different moods with my collection of recycled fur & velvet pillows. We wanted to capture both a soft and a bold aesthetic with the images to show how versatile these recycled fur & velvet pillows can be.

Tina has such a brilliant eye for detail, she’s also a complete BABE with an amazing sense of humour and I’m very lucky that she has become one of my good friends. (Tina, love ya gal!) Check out more of her work on her website here www.tinasorensenphotography.co.uk and follow her on Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/tinasorensenphotography/

It’s such a joy to be able to transform something that’s been unloved and forgotten in a wardrobe into a beautiful, tactile, comforting piece that can be treasured daily. I’ll be adding more velvet and fur pillows to my online shop on 14th November 2020, keep an eye on my Instagram stories in the next week for sneak peaks of what’s to come. www.instagram.com/milliescottstudio.

If you would like to find out more about remodelling your vintage fur, please get in touch with me.

I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing how we styled my recycled fur & velvet pillows. Let me know what you think in the comments below!