Discover A Short History of DIY and Other Amusing Anecdotes In the Ideal Home Show’s “How To” Theatre
Self-confessed tool aficionado and DIY history geek, Alison Winfield-Chislett will dazzle weary visitors to The Ideal Home Show at Christmas with a display of old vs. new tools and an amusing trip down DIY memory lane in the Ideal Home Show’s “How To” Theatre at London’s Earls Court on Friday 16th November at 11am and 1pm.
Visitors will discover how simple DIY tasks used to be done with a demonstration of old-fashioned hand tools such as a Bit and Brace drill. They will then see how new tools stack up as they are invited up to try and out-perform the traditional tools using modern cordless drills etc, whilst getting tips on which are the most useful for DIY tasks at home.
The Ghost of DIY Past
The popularity of DIY grew in the fifties, as handymen were put to work rebuilding after the war and homeowners shook off the years of austerity and began working to make their houses modern and colourful. Publishers founded magazines that included aspirational ideas as well as HOW TO instructions. Manufacturers of new home décor items competed to be the ‘New Best Thing’ and used newly formed advertising agencies to get the message across.
‘Safe’ Fluorescent lighting was considered the height of interior ambiance and anything other than a gift-wrapped hand tool under the Christmas tree simply wouldn’t do.
There’s no tool, like an old tool
Taking a tongue-in-cheek trip through DIY Magazine history Winfield-Chislett also ponders the wisdom of vintage advertising campaigns. Household names such as Stanley Tools, Black & Decker and Rawlplugs used such powerful headlines such as “Good to the last inch” and “Ever thought of buying Stanley Tools for Christmas?” Classic copy writing – straight out of Mad Men.
Tooled-up for a hand-made revolution
Traditional crafts using hand tools are certainly experiencing a renaissance. The Goodlife Centre in central London, founded by Winfield-Chislett, has seen a huge increase in sales of workshops that involve these timeless skills and tools of yester-year. Traditional carpentry, woodcarving and upholstery courses are frequently oversubscribed.
Even their best-selling DIY classes are taught using a combination of modern power tools, for speed and power, alongside historic but sturdy predecessors, that provide a satisfying hand finished result.
Winfield-Chislett explains why she feels traditional skills are having resurgence:
“Many of our course members have successful but stressful careers in a corporate environment. Breaking free of the commercial world, however temporary, to learn a traditional hand-craft or practical skill is incredibly fulfilling and can lead to a lifelong passion. We offer many traditional workshops that will offer this sense of accomplishment, of actually making something real, using a combination of new and traditional tools.”
ENDS
Contact:
Website: www.thegoodlifecentre.co.uk
Address: 122 Webber Street, London, SE1 0QL.
Call: Alison on 0207 760 7613 / Email: media@thegoodlifecentre.co.uk
For high editorial images, please visit: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/rj0do4bv99jvo7q/lYZsezb9yV
