If you’re looking for bespoke garden furniture that won’t break the bank, then look no further.
An East Lothian couple have started up a lockdown business venture called Would You Knot, creating stunning pieces of garden furniture from upcycled wood pallets.
Like many households across the country, Hayley Duncan, 31, and her partner Gary Haynes, 35, found themselves stuck at home looking for a project to pass the time during lockdown.
But what started out as a bit of back garden DIY, when Gary’s work as a plumber dried up, has turned into a brand new start-up from their back garden in Musselburgh.
Hayley explains: “My partner and I had been doing up our garden and we had some pallets that had been lying about gathering dust, so he just made a couple of benches with them.
“We took a few photos and put them on Instagram and within a few days our neighbours on the estate were asking if we could make them some furniture, too.
“Then it just grew from there and I came up with ‘Would You Knot’, within a week or two we’d launched on Facebook and I just went hell for leather and the orders started coming in.”
The couple’s handiwork will now be featured in the Edinburgh Corn Exchange’s brand new beer garden when it opens next month, in a picture-perfect set up called the WYKi Garden – an acronym for Would You Knot.
Hayley reveals she reached out to owner Paul Demarco and have supplied upcycled furniture and bright summer décor for the beer garden, as well as coming up with the idea for a huge flower wall, made with the help of a local florist.
“A lot of what we do is sourced locally”, Hayley says.
“For the first six or seven weeks, we just drove about to building sites, local industrial estates and just asked local business if they had any spare pallets they could spare as it was a hobby.
“But, since we have begun getting more orders, I found a local supplier in Bathgate who we’ve begun ordering in bulk from.”
The couple’s core products are benches, seats, tables and stools, they also take bespoke requests and have made everything from planters to dog beds for customers. You can even rent out one of their bars for an event, which is perfect for summer garden parties.
While prices will vary, benches are £65 – which is a huge bargain considering pallet furniture can set you back hundreds online, like this Wayfair set for over £500. And, the best part is, your reclaimed furniture is environmentally-friendly and helps to support local businesses.
You can find Would You Knot on Facebook here.
