Furniture ̶̶ The New Currency?

This Thursday Petit Miracle Interiors, a unique retail and workshop space, will be giving Bushers a chance to take part in workshops on upcycling, as opposed to recycling, and their curated and upcycled furniture in the former McDonalds in the West12 Shopping Centre.

Petit Miracle Interiors, a registered charity (http://www.petitmiracles.org.uk) provides accredited design training, DIY & upcycling workshops to vulnerable adults in local community. They divert items from landfill, occupy vacant property all whilst creating social value. A tall order.

The Petit Miracles approach is unique and simple, they use the principles of regular banking, but with a twist: up-cycled items of furniture and the time people put into the project are the currency. So when people sign up for workshops they learn the art of up-cycling and also build credits towards their time-bank account. Time credits or cash can then be used to offset the price of items from the project.

They highlight the use of empty shops, bringing a project, like Petit Miracles, that engages with local community, offering unique collaborative workshops helps rejuvenate our high streets where so many empty shops blight the area. In partnership with Healthy Planet and the West12 Shopping Centre, they occupy a former McDonalds Restaurant bringing vibrancy to an unused shop. You can follow them on twitter #petitmiracles for news and updates. For workshop information and venue details check out: http://londondesignbank.wordpress.com/

Here's their CEO Elisicia Moore:

“Homelessness is an endlessly complex problem. Some might assume that when a homeless person receives housing, the problem is fixed, but for many, new problems arise; isolation and depression are common.We need more than just bricks and mortar to combat the symptoms and causes of homelessness. For many of the people we support creating a little bit of beauty is a rare opportunity.”

In the first quarter of 2011, 60,000 British households were living in temporary accommodation. 75% of these precarious lives are being lived in London.

"This collaboration means we can provide our services to those who need it most and offer a great space to create something beautiful. We have a workshop or class to suit most; furniture restoration, basic DIY, arts and crafts, interior design taster sessions and much more".

The launch party on 4th July is an opportunity for those people who have been learning the craft of restoration to showcase their work and to celebrate the opening of the store. The project relies on the sale of furniture to keep the project going, and they gratefully accept financial donations as well as tools and materials for training. Visit their website for more information.