I’m Maria, the Wren behind Wren and Co Designs. A couple of years ago, I arrived at one of life’s crossroads and knowing which way to go was difficult. Do I take the well signed road back to a desk job having spent 20 years in HR/Payroll administration and consultancy? Familiar, structured, comfortable but a feeling of clipped wings having also been self-employed running our dairy farming business with my husband? Or do I take the windy, unchartered track and embark on something totally new? Whilst a desk job was the obvious route, my heart just wasn’t there.

I happened upon upholstery by chance but it just felt right. I knew it was for me. I have always loved sewing and I have a keen eye for detail. My farming life, whilst not directly related to upholstery in any way, shape or form, involves physical graft. Using one’s hands. Like farming, upholstery is a process that involves time, care, passion and pride. My existing fabric knowledge and sewing skills, my attention to detail, the desire to “make something” rather than “provide a service”, years of working with my hands resulted in that “this is the one” moment. And so the idea was born and I re-trained as an upholsterer at The Ministry of Upholstery in Manchester.