The Flippin’ Lull When I started Samsara Redesigns in 2021, furniture pieces were flying off my garage floor. I’d post a piece and it would be gone in a week. Today, I’m holding onto pieces a little longer. It’s not a bad thing as it gives me time to reflect and evaluate why this might be happening. Here is but just another stop on my flippin’ journey: The Flipping Lull! When I first started, the housing market was not ideal but definitely better than today. The market was saturated, everyone was selling and interest rates were super low. I remember buying in that market and I’m counting my blessings that I bought when I did. Today, with interest rates nearing or at 7%, less people are selling and buying houses. If people are not selling or buying houses, then people naturally are not buying new furniture to adorn their new spaces. This would explain why my custom projects increased this past summer. People are not looking for new pieces but rather looking to update pieces they currently have. Two years ago, the art of refinishing furniture was already an existing trend but I wouldn’t venture to say that the market was saturated with people refinishing furniture. Today, however, it continues to grow. More people are refinishing furniture and the market is becoming saturated with painted pieces. As a result, I find myself exploring the furniture world and coming up with more creative pieces that are unique to reach a wider audience. I’d be remiss not to acknowledge the fact that my personal life has also made a dynamic shift. My family of 3 is growing into a family of 8 as my significant other and I work on blending our families and our homes. With such a big shift, my focus has been diverted to supporting him in getting his house ready to sell and making changes to my own home to provide plenty of room for 6 children. So not only is there a lull in the furniture world, there is a temporary lull in my furniture refinishing as I fully embrace the direction my life is taking me. Everything happens for a reason and this lull couldn’t have come at a better time.
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When I started flipping furniture, I picked up one piece at a time and focused my time and attention on that one piece. When I started, that was perfect for me as I was working on myself as well. It was far too difficult for me to juggle multiple items at once much like trying to solve all the problems placed in front of me during my life at the time I decided to start Samsara Redesigns.
Being three years into the process, I often have multiple pieces going at one time - each piece at a various stage in the process. Try to imagine my garage...it's chaos. Years ago, the chaos would have overwhelmed me but today I embrace it knowing eventually it will all get done. What I've come to realize over the past few years is that you have to trust the process. Early on, I found myself rushing, wanting to get to the final product so I could admire the work. It's human nature to want to reach that goal. However, rushing and not trusting the process ultimately leads to undesired outcomes. Thus, I have embraced the idea that my goal is actually finding enjoyment in the process. Staying focused on the here and now and completing only what time allows me to. Sanding might be the only thing I do not enjoy. I despise sanding! I'd rather be folding laundry or cleaning toilets than sanding a piece of furniture. Sanding, however, is a necessity. I equate sanding to self-reflection. It's hard, it's tedious, its frustrating but in the end, if you are not starting from a cleaner surface how can growth happen. Like self-reflection, the paint will not adhere and eventually the piece of furniture will end up looking like it did before you even started working on it. You must do the work. Trust the process! Below, you'll see several photos. The top three reveal the importance of trusting the flippin' process. Look at what the sanding from photo 1 to photo 2 revealed. Weathered and beaten in #1, the tabletop's true beauty is revealed in photo #2. And all it needed was some attention. Picture 3 shows the table top and a protective coating of rubio monocoat allowing the table to take a beating and still shine. The last three pictures are images of other projects in various stages. You can see the chaos in my garage...stuff everywhere, but this is my flippin' process. It may not be pretty every step of the way but I promise the outcome is worth it. Hey All,
You flippin' came to visit! Thank you! I won't go into detail here since other pages on this site cover my backstory. In short, back in 2019, I started my journey with flipping furniture. Within the first year, I set a goal to sell my flipped furniture at a cute gift/home decor shop called Junction 71 located in Merrimack NH. I achieved that goal. Such a huge accomplishment! From there, I began getting more and more request for custom pieces. My days lately are more packed with completing custom jobs and less time on independent pieces. Samsara Redesigns continues to grow and I hope to expand some of the projects completed at Samsara. I enjoy taking on new challenges and finding new projects to complete. As I continue to grow, I'm thinking about my next steps. It seems to make sense to start a blog and begin talking about the process I use for other furniture flipping enthusiasts. I plan to use this blog to capture the trials and tribulations faced while giving old furniture new life. As I explain the process I use, I'll be sure to share with you the products I've used that brought success and the products that I struggled using. Thank you for taking the chance on reading my first blog of my "flippin' journey." |
AuthorI'm a 20 year educator who loves to flip furniture on the side. I love bringing out the beauty of beat up pieces in creative ways. Archives
January 2024
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