Bored retiree creates supersized household objects

Retired Engineer’s Giant Household Creations

After retiring from his role at the East of England Ambulance Service in Melbourn, Cambridgeshire, in 2020, Steve Wainwright, 62, from Peterborough, has turned to a unique hobby to stay engaged. With a background in engineering and electrics, he has filled his home with oversized replicas of everyday items, including a giant pencil, a clothes peg, and a 13-amp plug.

From Boredom to Big Ideas

Wainwright described how the monotony of daily routines left him seeking new challenges. “Once retired, you can only cook and clean for so many hours,” he remarked. “Men generally say my stuff is amazing, but women normally ask, ‘Where does your wife keep it all?'”

His fascination with scaling up common objects began as a way to combat idle time. “I just got bored and wanted something to do,” he said. “One day, while thinking of ideas, I decided to make things ten times the size, because I’m not very good at maths.”

Workshop and Costs

The project has cost around £2,500 so far and required up to two weeks of work per item. Wainwright’s self-built garden workshop is the base for all his crafting, where he experiments with materials like wood, metal, and plastic. Some of his creations have been adapted for practical use, such as a giant tape measure transformed into a coffee table.

Although he has sold a few pieces to local residents through word of mouth, Wainwright said his main goal is to keep creating as a personal pursuit. “I just want to keep making my stuff for fun,” he added.

Wife’s Support

His wife, Cat Thompson, 53, has been a vocal supporter of his project. “He puts his stuff mainly on the garage wall and we have a summer room where he keeps more of his stuff – but, it’s manageable. It mostly keeps him out of mischief,” she said. “When I saw the plug, it was just complete joy.”

Public Reception

Wainwright has showcased his work at charity events, where he discovered that blind people especially enjoy touching the large items alongside their regular-sized versions. “The public’s favorite item of the 20 or so things I have made has to be the five-foot long HB 2 pencil,” he shared.

Visitors can see the oversized creations at the Feel the Force Day comic book convention in Peterborough Cathedral this September. The items are designed to make people feel unusually small, offering a whimsical twist on everyday objects.