In the heart of Berlin, artist Tini is giving second-hand treasures a whole new life, one tuft at a time. Known for her curiosity and hands-on approach, she’s always exploring new materials and techniques.
Her latest creation is part textile art, part furniture revival: a tufted upcycled chair that started with a street find and ended with a whole lot of wool, color, and lessons learned along the way.
Tufting first came into Tini’s life back in fall 2022, through a workshop that quickly sparked a lasting love for the craft. It wasn’t until two years later, though, that she got her own equipment and really began experimenting in her own time and space.
What drew her in was the physicality of tufting, the satisfaction of making something by hand—and how it simply made everything else fade into the background. “It makes me forget my worries and problems for a little pocket of time”
♻️ A tufted upcycled chair
She spotted it on the street and decided to give it another chance. Instead of overthinking the design, she let herself go with the flow, drawing freehand and working with colors that simply felt good together. The idea wasn’t to aim for perfection, but to try something new and enjoy the process.
Still, the process wasn’t without hiccups. She tried using jute as a backing material for the first time, but it kept tearing for reasons she couldn’t quite figure out. After some frustrating trial and error, she switched back to cotton and started over. Other lessons came from the upholstery side of things: cutting corners on material ended up making the whole process harder.
“I should’ve made the backrest on a new frame instead of trying to squeeze everything onto one,” she admits. In the end, there was just enough tufted surface to cover the seat and backrest, but she’s already noted what she’d do differently next time: be more generous with materials, and maybe even give jute another go—after figuring out what went wrong.
Beyond the yarn and fabric, there was a surprising amount of detail work involved in reviving the chair. Cleaning out dirt from inside the legs, polishing the frame, replacing screws—each small task added up to a piece that feels personal and complete.
What’s most beautiful about this project isn’t just the final result, but what it represents. Tini has found in tufting not just a craft, but a playful escape—and a way to soften her perfectionist tendencies. “I’m so glad I got to know tufting a few years ago,” she says. “It’s helped me let go and realize my ideas in a more joyful, intuitive way.”
You can follow Tini’s colorful, ever-evolving journey on Instagram at @tinituft. Whether it’s old furniture or fresh wool, she’s got a knack for turning the overlooked into something truly special.
