Windsor upcycling business gives 'same furniture, different faces'

A Windsor upcycling business is giving old furniture a new lease of life with colourful, exotic artwork.

Partners, Fernando Donadel and Saurabh Kalra wanted to combine their love of travelling with their passion for sustainability, and founded RetroEnterior in 2018.

Saurabh said: “When you purchase furniture, you like its usability, the size and the storage space, but over time, you feel tired of the same look.

“That’s where we jump in. So over time, the same furniture can have different faces.”

He said the ‘E’ in their name ‘RetroEnterior’ refers to the ‘eco-friendly’ nature of their business specialising in ‘retro’ interior furniture.

RetroEnterior sources furniture from public donations as well as charity shops, and works with Ampuri Interiors in Windsor and the Eco Action Hub in Maidenhead.

Fernando, who is originally from Brazil, is an expert in machinery while Saurabh, from India, handles design.

Saurabh said: “We, in India, like to use a lot of colour. When we travel, we visit home décor and art shops because in many European countries, such as Italy, Spain and Portugal, very vibrant colours are chosen for interior decoration, so we take inspiration from that and if possible, we source materials from there.”

Their signature tropical, floral and animal print designs are popular with clients.

RetroEnterior operates from a workshop built in their home extension on evenings and weekends, and the pair hope to eventually run the business full-time.

Fernando said: “We have plans to open our own store, which would promote sustainability and help people to revive their used furniture and turn them into bespoke furniture pieces. We might club it together with vegan cafe, but that’s not certain yet.”

Talking about the process, Saurabh said: “When we get a commission, and acquire the furniture, Fernando checks if the wood needs treatment, and makes sure it’s free of any woodworms.

"Then he ensures it’s thoroughly cleaned and sands it down. We discuss with the customer what design they want. Then we prime, and paint before sealing it with a topcoat. A bedside table, for example, can be done in three to four days.

“When we started, we did what we liked. But it took us time to understand how, without changing our own character, to adapt to other people’s needs. Over time we learned what kind of furniture is most sought after.”

The self-taught ‘furniture artists’ said they started upcycling through trial and error, and read books, take courses and learn from experts on Facebook groups to ‘keep on top of the techniques’.

Fernando said the best part of the process is seeing the customer’s reaction to the final look.

“We take pictures before and after so that helps us to understand what we started from and what we have achieved – and when we share this with the customers and clients, seeing their smiles really makes us feel happy,” he added.

“We work well as a team.”