BLOG watch Little Mill House Like many bloggers, Natalie Lockwood began upcycling as a way of getting the home looks she wanted at a more affordable price. Some years later, she now runs Little Mill House, a shop and interior design business with an inspirational blog packed with styling ideas, shopping picks and upcycling highlights. It didn’t start that way, however. ‘In the early days I’d publish pretty rubbish posts talking about our products. It was very “salesy” and not many people read it!’ laughs Natalie. ‘I made a decision to write only about things I found inspiring in the upcycling world and it seems to have been the right one. I love what I’m writing about and the blog has become a popular feature of Little Mill House in its own right.’ Little Mill House sells a gorgeous range of upcycled gifts and homewares, including her famous tea towel cushions where it all started. ‘I began upcycling when I bought my first home, as most of the things I liked were way out of my price range,’ Natalie explains. ‘This led me to make my own soft furnishings from vintage advertising tea towels and silk souvenir scarves.’
But it’s not just a store – Natalie now also collaborates with DIY brands and furniture retailers for her blog, and works as an interiors stylist as well as offering an ‘e-design’ service to help people plan out their ideal home. ‘I love the whole journey of working on an interior styling project, from interpreting the brief onto a moodboard to watching the moodboard come to life,’ says Natalie. ‘I specialise in interiors featuring upcycled and recycled elements – this has its challenges but I think those limitations are what drive my designs to push the boundaries. Most interior design styles can be created with upcycled elements, it’s just the sourcing can take a little longer!’ It’s this upcycled element that we love the most, of course, and it’s something that’s particularly important to Natalie. ‘My favourite thing about upcycling is that you generally end up with an entirely unique product – the fact
that it helps the environment is a huge bonus too!’ she says. ‘Upcycled pieces have an effortless feel which is vital for me in our home. I love that everything I’m surrounded by has its own story to tell… if only they could!’ www.littlemillhouse.co.uk
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