Sourcing Furniture for Upcycling - Just for you! • Glasshouse Girl

I spend a couple of hours every day sourcing furniture for upcycling on behalf of my clients. I scour second hand websites, visit local shops, go to markets / antiques fairs and browse auction catalogues. It would be a pleasure to find you your perfect piece. Once found, I’ll give it a delicious makeover. As this is a bespoke project, we can include colours, details and customisations to suit your individual requirements perfectly!

Setting an upcycling budget

The price will entirely depend on what kind of piece and what kind of finish you require.

Things I take into consideration are:

Style
Size
Curves / detailing
Outside only
Inside as well
Number of doors / drawers
Extras like new handles, mirrors, lights, glass racks etc

When you make your initial enquiry, I will give you a rough budget inc. courier costs. This ensures there aren’t any horrendous surprises and neither of us is disappointed.

Sourcing furniture

To start the process, I take a £25-£100 sourcing fee – the variation covers the size / kind of piece. This is not refundable but is redeemable against your final purchase. You’ll give me a full brief on what you would like inc. style and dimensions. I then find your ideal piece. This can take anything from 2 hours up to 12 weeks. It all depends on what comes up in the second hand market. Wherever possible I source locally to further reduce our impact upon the environment.

Kissing frogs

I typically send over options (with finished price budget) via WhatsApp. The best pieces get sold very quickly and we don’t want to miss out! There is no obligation to agree to any of the options that I send over, However, by giving me full and honest feedback on what might not have been right, I can hone in on the right piece quicker.

When you fall in love with a suggestion and say yes, I physically secure the piece from the seller. I write up the formal quote with all the details so there are no surprises. Assuming this is all correct, you pay a 50% deposit (less the sourcing fee already paid).

Makeover time

The makeover will take 2-6 weeks (depending on studio time availability and the complexity of the work). You then get a full set of photos inc. close ups before paying the balance.

Safely delivered

It then takes 1-3 weeks for delivery. It maybe a little longer if you are in a remote location unfortunately. My lovely independent courier companies are specialist small family business or self-employed individuals. They criss-cross the country every week delivering furniture and other antiques so delivery dates and availability can vary but you receive a personalised service.

Ready to get started?

#challengeglasshousegirl so I can start sourcing furniture for upcycling on your behalf and create your perfect piece. Email me to get started. Alternatively, complete my detailed commissioning form which will give you lots of ideas on what you might need to consider.

See what the prestigious Ham & High has to say about Glasshouse Girl!

You can see this sourcing process outlined on the handy flowchart below. Click on the flowchart to download it as a pdf.

Paul Rose

14. June, 2022.

Holy moly Jenny is good! She has totally transformed our kitchen by sanding down and painting every single door and spraying the handles too and it looks utterly fab. She has given this room a whole new lease of life and are so grateful. Friendly, super reliable and with so little mess we can’t recommend enough. Thank you so much!

James

23. May, 2022.

Five stars all the way. Glasshouse Girl delivered an amazing piece that far exceeded my expectations. Will return for more. Highly recommended and thank you!

Helen Wilcox

22. May, 2022.

I purchased an upcyceld table lamp. Jenny was amazingly helpful, from the start of my initial enquiries right through to me placing my order. My table lamp is lovely, exactly what I needed to place shells into, that my family have collected over the years. I would highly recommend 'Glasshouse Girl'.

Sarah Rice

13. February, 2022.

We ordered a matching pair of bedside cabinets in floral blue & white English countryside and are absolutely thrilled with them. Somthing different, recycled, trendy and admired by everyone we show them to. Thank you Jenny, they have made our newly extended bedroom complete!

Colin Jago

11. August, 2021.

Jenny is adept at finding suitable furniture to spec and then converting it to a first rate beautiful product. She is really helpful. And you get something that you won't see in shops! Hassle-free delivery too. Highly recommended.

Amanda Mitchell

5. July, 2021.

Jenny was absolutely fantastic from start to finish . Incredibly responsive , warm but businesslike. The bedside cabinets she sprayed for me look great. Thanks Jenny!

Lizzie Emly

1. July, 2021.

Jenny did an amazing job of upcyling our kitchen/ dining room furniture, she was full of great advice and ideas and we are very happy with the result. I will definitely be asking Glasshouse Girl next time we need furniture/ accesories reimagined. Highly recommend.

Tracie Meisel

6. June, 2021.

I was overjoyed to see a large dresser, bedside table and mirror from my childhood restored after receiving 40 years of abuse, including my own attempt at refurbishing it. Jenny was very good in the initial stages of helping me to define what effect, I wanted to achieve. I sent her examples of a subtle grey lime wash on oak with soft white highlights on a piece I saw in the Cotswolds. She responded with several photos of something similar to clarify the ask, then it was time to send the furniture to her, which was complicated by the fact I was moving house. But we managed to come up with a plan and the movers dropped the furniture at her storage unit the same day. Throughout the process Jenny sent jpeg photos in emails to show me how it was progressing. We were able to make some minor changes after the first piece was almost finished. What I didn’t expect was that the pieces were made of different types of wood and the top of the bedside table was almost destroyed due to water (mostly spilt tea) damage. This was the biggest challenge to overcome because the final look had to be consistent across all three pieces. Jenny rose to the challenge and performed her paint “magic” and the final result is brilliant, better than I could have imagined. The only slight disappointment was due to my own indecisiveness about the brass trim handles and knobs. I wish I had listened to Jenny in the first place when she brightened them up, still - she let me come back with them, conjured up a nice looking sample which she posted to me and soon they will receive the “Glass House Girl” treatment too. Most of all, through all of this, I appreciated the open communication through emails and text, Jenny was on top of it the whole way. Of course, I would highly recommend sending any weary looking furniture to Glass House Girl to brighten up with her magic.

Mikael Nilsson

7. January, 2021.

We have trusted Jenny with two inherited wooden chests of drawers and a complete refurb of a metal desk. For al three pieces, we've been very happy with the service, the communication and the end results. She clearly cares about the furniture she works with and takes care to make sure the brief is agreed and clear in advance. Would absolutely recommend and we will most likely come back for more

Pauline Redpath

12. December, 2020.

Fantastic service from Jenny. I had my mother’s old Singer sewing machine I wanted making into a lamp. Jenny arranged for the machine to be collected and re-delivered back to my house. When I had a slight problem with the lamp, Jenny arranged for it to be collected so she could make it good again and returned it to me herself at no extra cost to me. She did a BRILLIANT job and the lamp is now standing proudly in my front room in memory of my mum. I would highly recommend Glasshouse girl, honest, trustworthy and marvellous craftswomen. You won’t be disappointed.

Sourcing Furniture for Upcycling – Just for you!