“I’ve always had a passion for being creative,” upholsterer Rebecca Schmid says, and this has guided her throughout her studies and career. After moving into interiors, Rebecca made the decision to focus on upholstery and launched her own business, A Bit Shady, earlier this year.
Based in Berwick-upon-Tweed, our local agent Corrin Williamson caught up with Rebecca recently to chat about her business and her love of interiors – and why upholstery can be a great way to transform a space without breaking your budget.
Firstly, thanks for chatting with us Rebecca. Can you tell us a bit about yourself and what you do?
I am a 50 year old single mum with a 7 year old daughter, and I grew up in Spittal in Berwick-upon-Tweed. I’ve always had a passion for being creative and I attended Columbia State University in Georgia in the US to study Fine Art. However, my course was cut short due to 9/11.
I returned to the UK and opened a surf shop in Cornwall for a year, and I also attended KLC School of Design. I moved home, back to Spittal– across the road from the house I grew up in – and started my upholstery career nearly seven years ago. I worked in a local shop called Castlegate Interiors. It was amazing to work in there as we had incredible fabrics and were constantly busy. Most of my experience and design knowledge came from Cheryl Owen, who owned the business.
At the start of the year the owner moved away and unfortunately the store closed. At this point I made the courageous decision to start up my own business, A Bit Shady. I do a range of items but I mainly focus on small furnishings, headboards, window/bench seating and, of course, lampshades.
Guessing you can do your job from anywhere, what led you to live in this area?
I think because I am local and I grew up in Spittal, I like being home near friends and family. My mum and dad now live across the road from me too! Plus, one thing I’ve learnt is that most of my business comes via word of mouth in Berwick. The town is exceptional for that.
Your work is beautiful and highly skilled – do you get involved with what fabric to select or do your clients usually decide?
When I started out I assumed that my clients would provide the fabric; however, this is not the case and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It means I can advise on what materials are best for the items they would like covered. I like to ask my clients about where their item is going to be positioned within the home, and I like to find out the colour schemes they currently have in that room to ensure the colours and materials are in keeping with the rest of the space. While I’m not an interior designer, I can visualise and I’m confident in my ability when designing.
It must be amazing when you see the before and after of a project, and seeing clients’ faces when they collect a piece?
Yes, there’s no better feeling than seeing my clients happy at the end of a project.
Do you have a favourite type of furniture to upholster or do you enjoy the variation?
I enjoy a variation. It’s no secret that my favourite item to cover is lampshades, hence the name of my business, although I also do headboards and chairs etc. I do work for home most of the time so I need to factor that in when it comes to furniture. I’m happy to travel to people’s houses and work on bigger pieces. I am also into scooters and I have recently taken up the challenge to try and cover a scooter seat, which is proving tricky but I’m determined to do it.
I think people need to realise that you don’t need to buy a new piece of furniture to redecorate. You can save so much money. Take a headboard, for example: you can cover a headboard with whatever pattern/colour you like and that can instantly change the feel of a room.
What does a working day look like for you?
It’s about work-life balance. I am up at the crack of dawn with my daughter as she’s an early riser. I take her to the local first school and drop her off, and then return home, make myself a coffee, turn on the radio and begin my day’s work. I stop for a quick bite to eat at lunchtime (maybe have another cup of coffee…) and work through to about 3:10pm before collecting my daughter from school. I like how flexible I can be now that I’m self-employed as I get to spend time with my daughter and family.
Once home and once my daughter is settled doing her homework, reading or colouring, I sometimes work for a few more hours in the evening, then I’ll make some tea and that’s me done for the day. I tend to spend the evenings unwinding by watching TV or catching up with friends.
Where do you most enjoy escaping to when you are not working?
I like music and I go Edinburgh a lot to listen to live bands. Barrells Ale House in Berwick also has live music so I’m sometimes there. I also really like Atelier on Bridge Street as they have a lovely selection of alcohol and do really tasty food.
As I live in Spittal I have the beach practically on my doorstep and tend to walk along the prom. We are very lucky where we live.
Are there any local businesses that you’d like to highlight in your area?
As mentioned I like Atelier and Barrells Ale House. I also like Northern Edge Coffee Shop . It’s a nice local shop to Berwick with a quirky interior, so I sometimes meet friends there for coffee.
I would also like to mention my friend and old colleague from Castlegate Interiors, Fiona McIntosh. She specialises in curtains and we often work together on projects now. Like me, she went self-employed following the closure of the shop.
What are you working on at the moment and what’s next for you and your business?
At the moment I’m working on covering sofa cushions and some scatter cushions – another easy way to change or update a room that costs less than buying new furniture or cushions. I tend to order most of my materials and fabrics online. Unfortunately there aren’t any local shops where you can buy fabrics in Berwick. I look online and try and find my client the best deal for what they want as that is part of the goal: making it cheaper.
My aim at the moment is to continue what I’m doing. I would like to grow my business one day. That’s ultimately the goal, but I’m enjoying the way things are at the moment.
Finally, if you were to describe your dream home, what would it look like?
If I could have my dream home, it would have floods of natural light from big windows. I’d want it to be minimalist, which would be a total contrast from my own home – my current bedroom has bottle green walls with red velvet curtains! High ceilings would be nice too, and an open plan layout, maybe with some bold colours and quirky pieces. A must for me is a log-burning stove. I currently have one and think it’s amazing, so that would have to come with me. I’d like a garden as long as it comes with a gardener!
See more of Rebecca’s upholstery on Facebook.
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