BRAND NEW DIRECTIONS UPCYCLING is our passion
‘My designs are inspired by nature’
Heidi Roper, 42, lives in Lancaster with her partner Steve and their two children. In 2019 she channelled her love of painting into a furniture upcycling business.
THE IDEA
I bought my first house aged 18 and paying the mortgage left me with no extra cash for furniture. So I began upcycling items that people gave me – inspired by Changing Rooms – and it soon turned into a passion. I’ve always done my own DIY and decorating, and I also took an interior design course.
When I had my children (Keon, now 12, and Marley, nine), I took a break from my job in the civil service, and when I went back, I found it less rewarding. In my spare time I’d been painting and selling upcycled furniture on Etsy. The idea grew that I could do this as a business.
WHAT HAPPENED NEXT
I left my job in 2018 and worked as a part- time nursery nurse. This helped me manage
