This intriguing statement hangs on the tea room wall of the beautiful La Rosa Hotel in Whitby. Go and stay there and you will see that it speaks the truth.

I’ve written a little review of the hotel over at Green Girls Global but I just wanted to show some pictures here too.

If there ever was inspiration to find second hand and pre-loved items and bring them back to life then this place is it. On top of the antique and restored furniture the walls are painted in low odour paint and covered in vintage wallpaper.

More inspiration for me lately has been the beautiful blog Design Sponge and their ‘Before and After‘ feature. So many things pointing me back in the direction of furniture restoration I can’t ignore it.

We couldn’t afford new stuff and although I preferred old furniture we couldn’t afford that in good condition either. So with the help of Nitromors (a very effective but chemical laden paint stripper), varnish, stain and paint I sanded, scraped and brushed various old wooden items back to life.

This writing bureau and one of 4 chairs were total freebies and they had both been coated with a thick black varnish which was flaking away. The chairs were minutes away from going on a bonfire but they were so pretty how could I not have them?

This two drawer chest was just £5 from a lady who had painted it bubble gum pink for her daughter when she was little. I had to get rid of that paint for the poor wood underneath.

The only problem is that as much as I enjoyed this hobby, with the chemicals I was using, it was bad, bad, bad for the environment and I haven’t done it for a few years. So, when I saw a post on my favourite blog, Crafting a Green World, about eco friendly stains and paints for furniture it sparked my imagination again. When working on these pieces of furniture I used to daydream about having my own restoring workshop and maybe even a shop like the lovely Bunny’s in Horncastle (Lincolnshire) to show people that re-loved and upcycled furniture is the nicest.

I’ve done a bit of research to find some eco-friendly paint strippers, varnishes and paints which are kinder to the environment and that perhaps I could use when I get my dream workshop and pick up my hobby again. Here’s what I found:

Home Strip – paint and varnish remover
Auro Paint Stripping Paste
EarthBorn Paints
Ecos Organic Paints
Farrow & Ball Paints

If you search Google there are actually lots and lots of eco paints available now. I’ll let you know if I try any of them.