Flip it: We have a go at furniture upcycling. See what happened

We roadtest Irish upcycling queen Joanne Condon's book aimed at everyone from beginners to advanced furniture flippers 

Joanne takes an old brown dressing table and converts it into a desk by removing the mirror, giving it a paint makeover and adding some fabulous drawer handles.

The idea of upcycling really appeals — although my enthusiasm nose-dives at the thought of producing something I wouldn’t want on show as I do a sweep round the local second-hand shop in pursuit of a target.

I’m thinking paint drips, rogue brush hairs painted in permanently and shabby chic chips, an interior style that just doesn’t do it for me. You can either be shabby or chic but not both.