An Update From Emma
Hello… it’s been a while since I updated you on a little bit about me and the face behind the camera most days! Semper Hopkins Upholstery and Interiors have come a long since we started in 2016 and we have new followers and new changes that have happened! So, for all of my old, new and upcoming followers; welcome and here is a little about me, the business and what has been going on over the past couple of years…
A little about me…
For those of you who don’t know my name is Emma – I run Semper Hopkins Upholstery & Interiors alongside my Dad, Ian, and I live and work in Scholar Green – running my furniture design and custom upholstery business out of a former Methodist chapel. It is located next door to the family home I share with my husband Dave, 40, and our son Alfie, who is six.
Originally from Bedale in North Yorkshire, I completed a university degree in Business and a Masters in Marketing, before entering a career in food retail in 2003. I worked my way up to become a senior commercial manager at the Co-op before leaving in 2017 to persue my love of upholstery…
“I love the creativity of making furniture. Being free to express yourself and do your own thing is a very empowering feeling.”
Choosing a passion as a way of living…
Before realising that upholstery was going to a future passion of mine, I had completed an Interior Design course in 2013 at the National Design Academy. I then started training in Upholstery the following year at the Ministry of Upholstery in Manchester. What initially started out as a hobby became my true calling. From creating my own personal pieces for my home, I set up Semper Hopkins Upholstery & Interiors in 2016 – shortly after becoming a mum to Alfie the previous year.
Getting creative and giving furniture a new lease of life…
Being able to enjoy your job is something I am lucky enough to have. I love being able to use my own creativity to give furniture a new lease of life, and I love teaching others the skill of upholstery too!
One of my favourite things to do is transforming period chairs – especially Bentwood chairs from the turn of the century, with their curved arms – and 1920s art deco pieces. Dad (Ian) restores the wood and we add vibrant fabrics to make something new from the old.
The end goal is to create furniture that our clients will love – interpreting their ideas so that they play a part in the design process, as well as having a piece that is totally unique to them. In my workshop, the bespoke furniture we design is influenced by industrial aesthetics and reclaimed materials, as well as coloured and patterned fabrics that are bright and bold.
Wanting to share my passion with fellow creatives…
Since my own love for upholstery all started out from a night class. I thought starting Upholstery workshops could encourage others to take up a new hobby, or have the experience of a creative day out to learn something different. The one thing everyone has in common is that they enjoy the mental wellbeing benefits of turning materials into something tangibleI love each and every workshop we hold here at the chapel and it is great to see the act of learning in action.
Seeing the sense of fulfilment and joy that clients get from making a piece of furniture from a set of materials is what I love the most about our workshops. They start off the day thinking they don’t have the relevant skills. By the end, they walk away elated with what they have made. There is a huge sense of achievement for them and for me.
So, that is a little about me, and a little about what we do at Semper Hopkins Upholstery & Interiors. I hope this has given you a little inspiration to go out and learn that skill you have always wanted to learn- because you never know where those skills may take you!
If you’d like to experience one of our workshops for yourselves you can book here.
Or alternatively if you would like to start a furniture project call on 01260609021 or email details to hello@shupholstery.co.uk
