Sheridan Riles of Grabben Gullen says she has had an interest in restoring and refurbishing furniture since she was a child.
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As a business I have done this now for only 12 months but I have restored many pieces.
Her business ReFind is rediscovered, repurposed, reloved, redesigned and renewed furniture.
Mrs Riles’ first major project was her year 12 design project, a single bed, made out of only recycled materials.
She still has the bed and her daughter Faith, sometimes sleeps in it when visiting her grandparents.
“I repurpose a lot of furniture and homewares and I have just started to dabble in making recycled jewellery.
“If you put your mind to it, everything has a second use.
“Recycling is very trendy at the moment and a lot of recycle shows are on pay TV.
“People need to realise that it is more than just a trend.
‘Whether you like the modern contemporary styles, the seventies look, traditional or eclectic styling, you can design and refurbish furniture for every style.
‘Don’t be wrapped up in the consumerism of the moment.
“If you are only buying it because of the trend - look a little bit further at what you can do with your styling in your home and even yourself.”
“In a lot of cases trends change too often and in 12 months time you will find what is in fashion at the moment will be found in vinnies or even at the tip.
“That’s a waste of money.”
Mrs Riles has a space in Crookwell Arcadia showcasing a few furniture pieces and homewares she has designed and made.
The paint she uses is from New Zealand, the Voodoo Dolly brand.
It is a vintage paint and is user friendly and lifeproof.
It only needs 14 days curing time. There are 48 colours and other products available.
They supply other products like the vintage wax to help seal your products, making them outdoor proof.
Mrs Riles has learned her trade and techniques by self teaching.
It has been trial and error and I have now found a great product that makes the job easier.
There is about 32 different effects you can achieve with the Voodoo Dolly range.
Mrs Riles will be offering a ‘painting starts here’ class for preparing your piece before painting. The workshop will be on March 4 at the Albion Hotel.
Bring a small piece of furniture and learn the basics to dress up an old piece. If this class is well attended she will run a “Funk your chair” class that will be a fun and arty, creative furniture class.
The time will be 10am to 4pm - $150 pp including lunch and refreshments and painting supplies.
Mrs Riles also extends commission work to help people with ideas and to bring pieces back to life.
Find her on Facebook/ReFind phone 0429015884.
