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Eamonn McCarthy of Drab to Fab Furniture, Kildorrery working on a diningroom chair and beside it is a finished product, which has been sanded, primed, painted and reupholstered with material from Munster Interiors in Doneraile. Photo: Sandra Quinn

Eleven years ago, Eamonn McCarthy from Kildorrery started his business as a painter and decorator and in May of this year, he saw an opportunity to grow and expand, by upstyling and restoring furniture.

Gone are the days of throwing something out if it doesn't fit in with a colour scheme, now people are looking at old pieces of furniture and considering how they can be given new leases of life and this is where Eamonn's idea for 'Drab to Fab' came in.

Eamonn told The Avondhu he was painting The PC Clinic in Fermoy one day when he saw that someone was throwing out four chairs and he decided that there must be a better fate in store for those chairs than meeting the skip yard.

After some discussions with Kevin Moloney in Colours, the idea of Drab to Fab was born and while there is a lot of work involved in each piece, Eamonn says 'it is worth it'.

Explaining what's involved in each piece, Eamonn said that the work is quite time consuming, as each piece would be sanded down, washed with white spirits, primed, four coats of paint would be applied to give it full body and then varnished to give it another layer of protection.

Being a painter and decorator by trade, Eamonn said that Drab to Fab complements what he does already.

He also does Christmas logs and cribs that are sold locally and at markets, but Drab to Fab is something which he hopes will grow and expand as the years go on.

Eamonn has been displaying some of his pieces with his contact information in a shop window on the corner of Lower Cork Street and Baldwin Street in Mitchelstown and he said that the amount of feedback and business from this display has been phenomenal and he thanks Ger Condon for this opportunity.

"The business is going well so far, but a lot of that is down to word of mouth and recommendations from people who I've done jobs for already," Eamonn explains, adding that he's already had clients from places like Portlaoise, Cahir and Cape Clear, as well as clients in the immediate locality.

He also did a number of pieces for Joanne McEldowney in the Thatch & Thyme restaurant and a lot of business has come from people who have seen his work there.

As well as restoring and upstyling individual pieces for customers, Eamonn also has a store of items, which have already been worked on and are ready for purchase.

Since he started, Eamonn has found that a lot of people have required upholstering services and while he was relying on others to do this for him at the start, he is currently doing a course in Mallow on upholstery and French polishing so that he will be able to provide this as well.

Eamonn explained that any piece of furniture can be changed or adapted to fit in with a different style or colour scheme and his work is also a great way of bringing life back into a piece, which would be of sentimental value - something that would otherwise spend its days cooped up in the attic.

"It's amazing the amount of stuff that people pull out of garages and attics," Eamonn said. "The recession has taught us the value of things - I find now that people aren't as quick to throw things out," he added.

Speaking about how much money people can save, Eamonn gave the example of a woman who wanted a table and chairs that would cost her €1,500 if they were new. He was in a position to revamp her old table and chairs, make the table water and heat resistant and this was all done for a fraction of what she was expecting to spend.

He also does a collection and delivery service within ten miles, free of charge, and for a small fee if it's further away, which is a great advantage to customers who wouldn't have the facilities to transport furniture.

Looking forward, Eamonn is hoping to develop his own workshop at his home and he hopes that in ten years time, he might be in a position to do this work full time, instead of combining it with his painting/decorating business, adding that there are 'huge expansion opportunities for Drab to Fab'.

Drab to Fab Furniture Upcycling Kildorrery, drabtofabkildorrery@hotmail.com 087-9267156

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