Jay Blades

Welcome to Season 2 of Circular with Katie Treggiden. We’re kicking things off with Jay Blades, a modern furniture restorer, upcycler and eco designer who is passionate about sustainability and community. In this episode we discuss his history with furniture restoration, the importance of investing in the next generation of creators, why helping people you may never meet truly matters and lots more. As recommended by Metro, The Week, Wallpaper and FastCompany. Jay Blades is now best known for presenting the BBC’s Money for Nothing, The Repair Shop and most recently Jay and Dom's Home Fix.  I’ve known Jay for a long time, so it was lovely to catch up with him for a proper conversation about a subject that is so close to both of our hearts.

Om Podcasten

Welcome to this new iteration of my podcast, which was called Making Design Circular and now has the same name as my Substack, Brackish. Brackish is a term used to describe water that is a mixture of saltwater and freshwater, for example, where a river meets the sea. I first encountered it sitting in a boat in just such water and it immediately became one of my favourite words. I am fascinated by intersections, liminal and littoral spaces, overlaps and interconnections, and I want to use this space to explore all of those things – the ideas that don’t fit into neat boxes. So, I’ll be exploring those things here – the places where craft meets nature, where the rules don’t apply and ‘shoulds’ start to fall away. Which brings me to the second meaning of the word brackish. As well as meaning ‘somewhat salty’ in very neutral terms, it has also come to mean ‘unpalatable’ or ‘repulsive’. I didn’t know this until after I decided upon it as a name, but as a woman in her middle years, who is relearning how to take up space, I am so here for that alternative definition! From occasional ‘salty’ language to refusing to adhere to feminine standards of beauty or behaviour, I am leaning into my brackish era – and I’m doing it here with some brilliant women and non-binary folks who are doing the same. brackishbykatietreggiden.substack.com