Cathie Purves of Ruby Rose up cycling is so passionate about her shop and what she achieves that she is going to give up the day job.
She opened the shop two and a half years ago in the former bank building selling UK brand Frenchic paints, and up cycling furniture, with the mantra that she wants “to give second hand furniture a second chance”. There are Harris Tweed lamps and cushions on sale along with a variety of what she refers to as “bits and bobs”. There are workshops on offer for those who want to upcycle their own items, with only two people spending a whole day at Ruby Rose learning the entire process from prepping to painting. Free advice is all part of her personal service.
Cathie also undertakes commissions. Asked to renovate a 100-year-old mahogany piano for a client, which had been painted bottle green in the fifties and white in the seventies with acrylic paint which had turned yellow, she used the water-based paints on sale in the shop which are safe for both animals and children. She managed to remove the paint first and then advised the client on the best shade of white to use to repaint it in a sympathetic restoration.
There are also services to apply decoupage, stencilling and crackle glaze on furniture which clients already own. Cathie particularly likes decoupage, saying: “It adds a bit of character to the piece and gives it a third dimension. But apart from that we save people – including the council – money as we reduce the amount of second hand goods which go to landfill. During lockdown we were allowed to deliver paint so people could undertake projects at home helping their self esteem and their mental health.”
The crafty Cathie is currently working in a law firm as a law accountant, but will be finishing up there to make her hobby into a full-time business.
This article is part of a paid for advertorial feature which first appeared in the April issue of The Edinburgh Reporter.
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