Restoring and Reinventing Vintage Items
I love a project. I love to decorate. I love to paint things. I love to make my surroundings reflect who I am. I want my house to be a home, to be the place where we truly live, where we can be comfortable and happy. I want everyone who walks in my door to sense that same feeling. Put your drink down without a coaster, put your feet up on the coffee table, grab a pillow and sprawl on the floor and curl up with a dog. Be comfortable and relax.
I have always loved vintage pieces handed down to me by family and while I cherish them, I also use them. They serve as loving reminders of the person to whom it belonged and what they mean to me. But they are allowed to be used and appreciated up close. I see charm and quality that often doesn't come with a newer piece of furniture. I see character and history in these pieces and they make me happy. I look at an old bureau or other item in an antique store or garage sale and I envision the life it lived and the people it served. Was it a cherished family heirloom passed on for generations? Was it a grandmother's favorite table or reading lamp? Was it once brimming with tiny articles of clothing belonging to a couple's first baby? Was this steamer trunk once packed full of everything near and dear to someone, as they left their country of origin to cross the sea in search of a better life?
As piece after piece of neglected, discarded and unused furniture began to fill my home, transforming it into the place I love, I came to a realization: I cannot possibly keep everything I salvage and restore. I may love it and admire it, but I do not have room to keep it. Enter realization #2: There is someone out there who will also love and admire it and they DO have room for it! In fact, they have the perfect spot in their home to showcase a unique treasure.
Every piece has a story to tell and I may never know what that story is, but I can envision it and I can promise it that the story is not over. It has not outgrown its usefulness and it will make someone happy again and be a part of someone's home.
My story is simple. My vision is to pass on pieces I have restored and refreshed and present someone with "exactly what they were looking for". I want someone to purchase a piece because they love it and will cherish it for years to come. I want someone to give it a new story.
