ACT 1
About a year ago, a curious email arrived in my inbox. It said that some curtains were being removed as part of a refurbishment project and asked if we (ReFAB Studio) would be interested in taking them. Attached were some uninspiring, unclear photos. I was about to say, no thank you when I saw the site location. It wasn’t far from our studio, so I thought, we’d go and take a look.
Hard hats on, weaving through corridors and stairs of a stately building, nothing prepared me for what lay ahead: The curtains were fit for a king, literally. Sumptuous, tall drapes, beautifully lined and with luxurious pelmets and tasselled ties. Floral patterns and shimmering weaves danced across vivid shades of blue, butter yellows, burgundy and pink. All surprisingly fresh-looking after nearly 70 years of use.
The contractor at site, bless him, simply could not bear to put them in the tip and hence the emails to charities like ours. And so there we were, thrilled with the opportunity to save this stunning textile heritage, exploding with ideas about their re-use, and terrified at the sheer volume of the fabric. The strict construction site schedule and regulations did not permit an accurate inventory. The contractor just needed the curtains gone. So we took a deep breath and said yes, we will take them, thinking we will figure out a way to reuse them.
ACT 2
Having said yes, the enormity of the challenge ahead began to take shape. Who will move these impossibly heavy curtains and where will we store them? How do we get them cleaned? How do we cover the significant expenditure of all of the previous challenges?
The contractor offered to box and move the curtains to a location of our choice. We found a kind drycleaner in the North of London who agreed to clean them at a reasonable price. The boxes reached safely and before I could celebrate, I received a furious call. The volume of curtains sent was far greater than expected and his shop was so inundated by boxes that he could barely move. Multiple apologies later, I reached out to John, our builder friend, who stepped in to help out with a van and a team of strong men to move the over 800 kg stock into his own office and another storage space near him.
Storage sort-of solved, we started to reach out to people who knew people with manors, stately homes who could potentially re-use the curtains. A few curtain resellers responded but without a clear inventory, interest waned. Another fundamental challenge- we were not permitted to share the provenance of the curtains nor the history attached to it. Which meant we couldn’t market them as effectively.
The impulsive decision to rescue the mountain of heritage was beginning to look like a voluminous error of judgement. And yet each time I thought of the fabric ending in landfill, I felt we had done the right thing. Something will work out, I hoped. Maybe the V and A will take them? The Livery Companies? Maybe some Lord or Earl of somewhere will want them. Surely, someone must want to restore this British textile heritage? Alas, my several emails and calls led nowhere.
Finally, a brainwave at 2 am. Our charity had been working with the National Theater on a different initiative. Maybe they could use these for props? I wrote to them, and they said YES! A majority of the 800 Kg stock has gone to a great cause and I’m hoping to see the curtains reborn in a production soon.
ACT 3
The entry of Rupert Grey led to another interesting turn. A highly original character, a barrister, a photographer, world traveller, designer- builder, Rupert, who is a family friend, took a great liking to our curtains and the story behind them. He took a couple and transformed them into a handsome chair for his wonderfully eclectic library in his thatched cottage in South Downs.
“These glorious historic curtains are sturdy enough to upholster a chair but few chairs have the stature to wear them to advantage. Delighted to have played a part in giving them a new life in our home.”
- Rupert Grey
The Curtain that became a Chair, which, frankly deserves a whole separate blog, won admiration in Rupert’s circles and is slowly stirring interest in our remaining stock. As 2025 unfolds, we hope our curtain-drama has a happy ending.
For anyone interested, there’s still a stash of these gorgeous curtains, waiting to be reborn into stylish cushions, runners or perhaps rehung as curtains. If you or someone you know, would like to have a piece of this glorious textile heritage. Do email us at hello@refabstudio.org.
P. S. Lessons learned
Upcycling is an uphill task. The logistics can destroy you. Lots of agencies need to be lined up for moving, storing, cleaning, sorting, making, marketing and selling.
Always inventory the material before moving it, all subsequent actions depend on this. And make sure you can use the credentials, the history of the fabric.
It takes a village and a few extraordinary people, plus a bit of luck to get anything upcycled, let alone upcycled beautifully. But when it happens, it’s an utter joy!