Libby wins Young Upholsterer of the Year Award 2024
2nd December 2024 | ANNOUNCEMENTS | OUR STORIES
London upholsterer Libby Payne has won the 2024 Young Upholsterer of the Year Award, supported by House of Sonnaz, including a £1,000 prize awarded at a special presentation at Eltham Palace on Tuesday 26 November 2024.
The award, now in its second year, celebrates a young upholsterer who has made an outstanding start to their craft career. The winner is highly skilled amongst their peers, whilst raising the perceived value of their craft through sharing and awareness raising. They have given themselves a fantastic chance of achieving long-term success, perhaps overcoming disadvantage or setbacks along the way.
Libby Payne sought employment within the upholstery trade early in her studies, and her enthusiasm quickly led her to secure a position at a commercial workshop. Where others may have paused their formal education, Libby recognised the value of combining her studies with hands-on experience, dedicating all her time and energy to both. Her work rivals that of upholsterers with decades of experience, and she consistently produces results of the highest quality.
The two other finalists for the award were Maya Bennett, who has been studying with the Association of Master Upholsterers and Soft Furnishers (AMUSF) Diploma syllabus part-time at the Bristol Upholstery Collective for two years, and Maisie Fox, who had previously worked for an interiors company, making upholstered furniture to clients’ specifications, before dedicating herself to gaining her AMUSF diploma at London Metropolitan University.
House of Sonnaz is a sustainability-led luxury lifestyle and homeware brand from Sonnaz Nooranvary (BBC The Repair Shop). Its furniture range features innovative ways of designing, making and supplying, with a mission to create incredible furniture and furnishings, bringing fabulousness and craftsmanship into every space it possibly can.
Photo: Libby Payne, winner of the 2024 Young Upholsterer of the Year Award, and Sonnaz Nooranvary, Founder of House of Sonnaz. Photo by Robert Wade.