Mother and daughter interiors team Chrissie Shave and Lucy Howie know a quick way to cheer up your home for spring: paint your dull old furniture in white, pale cream or airy grey.

They say that changing the colour of your furniture will lighten the look of your home – and your mood.

Earlier this month, to celebrate its 10th birthday, they re-launched their Christchurch store, Wisteria, to showcase their latest venture, selling everything from painted dressers to small antique frames.

“I think it’s the upcycling factor,” says Chrissie.

“People love the idea that furniture can be reclaimed in this way. You wouldn’t paint a valuable old antique but this furniture would often just be thrown away.”

They’d noticed how much brighter their store looked with painted white floors, an array of painted tables, mirrors, chairs, and larger pieces although, says Chrissie, they started by painting old picture frames.

“People like to use old, painted frames for weddings to display the seating plans and they became so popular we started doing more vintage items.”

Now they have turned the store’s conservatory room at the back into a display area for the larger items, and somewhere to hold one-off craft classes which will start in the early summer.

“People don’t always have the money or the time to commit to a long craft course,” says Chrissie. “So we’ll be doing one-day, or even one-morning courses that last a couple of hours.”

Clients can learn to make a corsage or a padded photo-frame. “You’ll be able to walk out with a completed project,” says Chrissie.

In addition to their courses they also hire out vintage china although some of that has been transformed into holders for beautiful, scented candles, made by Lucy’s husband.

“People seem to adore buying little things that make their home nicer,” says Lucy.

“So we’ll be making more personalised items, like wall-art made from Scrabble pieces and introducing knitting.”

And the pair are always happy to give advice to their customers. “We’re always sourcing the latest things we can find to help people make their homes beautiful,” says Lucy.

  • wisteriagifts.co.uk