What we’re about
The Goodlife Centre provides interesting practical ‘hands on’ workshops where everyone can gain new skills and enjoy expanding their confidence and abilities. All classes are open to men and women and are intended to teach skills to beginners and are not intended as trade training courses. We do not test or evaluate – so you can relax while you learn.
Our workshop leaders are all experts in their field and enjoy passing on their knowledge in an informal and safe environment. In any course, you will learn by practice and enjoy the support of fellow classmates. The classes are small, which makes plenty of time for one on one learning.
Some of the evening workshops incorporate on going learning. You can return to increase your level of understanding.
If you are frustrated by your own inability to tackle a task, or resentful of having to pay someone to take care of simple home maintenance – welcome. We know how annoying it is to have to wait till some handy side kick can get round to the tasks you wish would just get done.
For many who spend their days typing at a keyboard or in a job with abstract goals, the level of satisfaction from learning a practical skill is a wonderful stress buster after an unfulfilled day.
If you are a DIY phobic, a bit wary or a Gung Ho ‘Let me at it’ type, our small practical classes aim to fast track you through the basics, guided by professionals who will share their expertise to instill you with the confidence to go it alone.
If you hanker for more knowledge about maintaining your property or would just love to learn more skills – Come on down.
Please contact us via our website to ask any questions.
* Listings for our events on Meet Up is for information only. *
* Booking is ONLY possible via https://www.thegoodlifecentre.co.uk*
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- HAND CANING FURNITUREThe Goodlife Centre, London£165.00
Bookable via our website ➡️ https://www.thegoodlifecentre.co.uk/events/hand-caning-furniture-86/?datetime=10638
⋆⋆⋆Also known as Hand, Strand or Hole-to-Hole Caning.
KEY PROJECT: HAND CANED WOOD FRAME.
Suitable for beginners. Enjoyable for all.
One-day weekend workshop. 10am – 5pm.Ever seen a great chair in a junk shop but noticed that the caning that spans the seat is sadly coming away at the edges? Sometimes a chair that had been caned has had an unsightly slab of plywood tacked onto the broken seat. This is an opportunity to increase your upholstery know-how and bring a ‘once pretty’ seat up to scratch.
Now you will be able to snap up a bargain and re-cane the seat yourself. The task is not as daunting as you think and can be done easily in a domestic setting with no specialist equipment- unless a washing-up bowl and some golf tees could be defined as such.
This is a very old traditional craft, sometimes known as hand, strand or hole-to-hole caning. Specialist split cane is woven from side to side and fixed in place.
During the one-day workshop, upholstery expert Netty Erw will inspire confidence while guiding you through the stages of intertwining the fine split canes. At the end of the day, you will have completed a square panel of traditional caning to take home with pride. The skills learnt during the day will enable you to embark on your own project at home. Netty has learned her skills from her clever aunt Rachael South, who in turn learned from her grandfather. We are thrilled to share in this generation's cascade of talent.
All use of tools and materials supplied. We have a cane to buy after the course if you want to get started as soon as you get home.
Beginners welcome. No previous experience in upholstery is required.
If your chair is wobbly or scuffed – or even repainted, you can come to our ‘Intro to Furniture Restoration‘ day course and learn how to make it look loved and valued again.
- INTRO TO WOODTURNINGThe Goodlife Centre, London£195.00
Bookable via our website ➡️ http://thegoodlifecentre.co.uk/events/intro-to-woodturning-103
⋆⋆⋆If you have ever seen wood turned on a lathe and been intrigued by the bowls and forms made on it, this one-day workshop will demystify the technique and teach you basic techniques to make a simple bowl and a hardwood barreled pen.
You will be led by expert, Nathan Cardwell who is a passionate woodworker and a patient tutor. When not with us, he teaches woodwork in a London boy’s school. Nathan will introduce the parts of the lathe and explain how to safely secure your work, the methods to use with each chisel and how to sand and finish your projects.
During the day you will learn the ’Headstock method’ to make a small bowl in hardwood and ‘Spindle turning’ to make a wooden tube that fits into a metal pen mechanism.
We will supply everything so come with curiosity and enthusiasm and leave with satisfaction, a bowl and a ready-to-use rollerball pen.
We will also advise you on how to continue this fascinating hobby with guidance on buying your own lathe, tools and timber.
- POM POM TASSELSThe Goodlife Centre, London£145.00
Bookable via our website ➡️ https://www.thegoodlifecentre.co.uk/events/pom-pom-tassels-34/
⋆⋆⋆Suitable for absolute beginners. Enjoyable for all.
One-day workshop. 10am – 5pm.
Tassels are the ultimate statement in interior decoration, and making tassels especially to decorate your own interior is not only tremendous fun but also fascinating. They also make superb presents for friends.
In this one-day course, you will be using a contemporary and rich colour palate of high-quality rayon, cotton and wool yarns, and learning basic tassel-making techniques, such as how to roll a wooden tassel mould with gimp, make a set of colourful pompoms (using a cunning and quick technique) and assemble the whole tassel with a ruff at the waist. The tassel is finished off with a 3 or 4 strand suspension cord and you will learn the fascinating craft of how to make twisted cord using a special four-hook cord-twisting tool.
All materials for the course are supplied, and by the end of the course, you will have completed one tassel. You will also have a complete set of technical notes and suppliers lists of readily available materials, to take home for further work. Extra materials and the Anna Crutchley Cordtwister will be available for students to buy.
Anna Crutchley is a designer-maker of passementerie (tassels, cords braids and fringes) which she makes to order for interior decorators, furniture restorers, soft furnishers and upholsterers. She researches into techniques and styles of trimmings that have been used in interiors since the 17th century but also has an eye for a contemporary look. She is a trained teacher and author of books on tassel making – her latest edition Decorative Tassels and How to Make Them is available at the centre.
The course is suitable for beginners, and Anna will guide you carefully through a fascinating set of skills that have been developed over the centuries for this specialised craft. The use of all tools and materials included.
- PREPARE & PAINTThe Goodlife Centre, London£210.00
Bookable via our website ➡️ https://www.thegoodlifecentre.co.uk/events/prepare-paint-193/
⋆⋆⋆Learn to decorate in one day, 10am – 5pm.
All set to decorate one room… or perhaps your entire home? Brush up your decorating techniques by messing up our workshop, instead of your living room!
Painting a room is a great way to transform your home interior, without it costing the earth. But it can be a daunting task and everyone wants to have that professional-looking finish. What’s the secret to decorating success? Preparation and practice.
Our Prepare & Paint workshop is a very practical class. From clearing the space to cleaning up brushes, we will take you methodically through the whole process.
We will guide you through the importance and process of preparation: How to fill gaps and blemishes to make the surfaces smooth and ready for paint. You will practice using different tools and materials, experiment with different qualities of brushes, and finally learn how to apply paint to where you want and not all over yourself.
In the morning, each student will have a panel of ‘wall’ and woodwork to work on. You will learn how to select the correct tools and materials and prepare a room for painting, from cleaning the paintwork to filling small and large holes in the walls and woodwork. Learn what materials to use and how to apply the filler and how to sand the surfaces in preparation for painting. We will even show you how to prepare areas that have been damaged by water stains, flaky plaster, and lost areas of wood.
In the afternoon, you will learn how to select the correct paint and judge the correct situation to use primer and undercoat and how to paint ceilings, walls, and woodwork.
Get to grips with how to paint edge lines that are crisp and sharp.Delight in painting without drips or masking tape and learn how to select and care for a paintbrush. We will even show you how to clean a brush and a roller so that they will give you years of service.
Brush up your decorating techniques by practising under the guidance of an experienced decorator, who can answer your decorating problems as well, so bring photos of the snags in your home and take away lots of confidence to tackle the tasks at hand.
All personal protection, tools, and materials are included. Suitable for absolute beginners. Enjoyable for everyone.
This workshop takes place over one day.
