About Us

Reinvented with Friends uses upholstery and upcycling to provide a valuable, safe & creative environment in which to learn new skills, connect with others and share a positive experience. To use hands-on, physical tasks to help promote self-confidence and self-esteem by setting challenges and goals and achieving them.

Upcycling and upholstery promote basic practical skills that are beneficial economically & environmentally and can help improve someone’s personal environment and have wider positive implications. Giving people the confidence to reinvent old or second-hand furniture helps keep tons of waste out of landfill and create a potential revenue source or ongoing hobby. It helps develop creativity, mindfulness, and positive mental health.

We are now located at The Business Innovation Centre, Sunderland. Here we prepare for our community workshops, offer private sessions, complete upholstery commissions whilst also make our own range of recycled furniture and gifts. With free onsite parking this is a friendly and welcoming spot from which to develop our business and welcome our customers.

My name is Ali and I have over 3 years’ experience running my own business developing my upholstery & furniture upcycling skills, completing hundreds of commissions for clients around the NE. I am passionate about recycling and reducing the waste we put into landfill. Often older furniture is not only much higher quality, but they also come with unique stories to tell. I continue to love working with my clients to restore their loved one’s items but also want to give others some of the basic skills and confidence to save those items & their stories for themselves.    

I have over 20 years’ experience teaching and am able to use these skills to make a safe and productive environment. I have enjoyed working in various community-based settings and have the personal skills to make others feel comfortable and at ease. 

My workshop is a small, pleasant space which is easily accessible and promotes creativity- with some of my own upcycled creations on display to purchase.