About Me

I’m Jess. Full-time ER physician assistant with a knack for uncovering potential in worn out furniture & uninspiring spaces.

I’m all about uncovering potential! I believe any budget can be stretched by pushing creative boundaries to achieve a home you love and enjoy. I recently purchased a very builders-grade home and can’t wait to bring in all the character I’ve envisioned. Here, I’ll show you not only the pretty before and afters, but the messy in-betweens of furniture refinishing and relatable DIY projects. After all, I’m a self-taught refinisher and DIYer just learning as I go.

Quarantine hobby & creative outlet turned little business.

I started refinishing at the height of quarantine, when I was forced to stay home on my off days from the hospital. Working in the ER during a pandemic will leave one in need of a healthy outlet and painting furniture was a welcomed distraction to the stresses of an average day in the ER, only exacerbated by Covid. My childhood dresser was my furniture debut. I quickly realized how much I enjoyed working with my hands, using a completely opposite side of my brain than medicine requires and creating something beautiful. I then started buying pieces on Facebook Market and was shocked how quickly I could sell them once refinished. I was hooked! Initially the sales were just to fund the casual hobby, but quickly turned into a little business, almost unintentionally.

Carolina Furniture Collective was formed.

As I navigated through the Instagram community of furniture refinishers I was lucky enough to come across five local furniture refinishers. Together, we formed the Carolina Furniture Collective as a way to broaden our platforms, share customers and showcase our work as a collective. “Community over Competition” is the tie that binds us. This group of amazing and talented women gave rise to substantial personal and business growth. To learn more about the ladies of the collective, shop available furniture or paint products feel free to visit our website.

New appreciation for classic styles.

Spending more and more time in thrift shops looking for pieces to flip is when I really realized the beauty of the classic styles. The craftsmanship of old furniture is really something to behold, it doesn’t even begin to compare with the newly constructed stuff. With these new appreciations, my style slowly started blending the classics in with what I already owned for a cozy, curated feel.

From picking out paint swatches as a child to carrying on a family trait.

It’s really no surprise that this furniture refinishing and home decorating passion found its way into my life despite a career decision on the total other end of the spectrum.

From a young age, I remember going to the hardware store with my parents and spending the whole time selecting paint swatches for all the rooms of my future home.

I grew up watching my late, handy-man, father constantly fix-up and building things around our early 1900’s home. While I really wish I would have dove into this hobby before his passing, it makes me smile knowing full well where this love of working with my hands came from.

Purchased a builder grade home in need of love & character.

May of 2022 my partner and I purchased our first home. Built in 2002, it’s lacking a sense of charm that makes me feel at home.

I’ll take you along for realistic and achievable home projects to bring character into an uninspiring house. I won’t sacrifice beauty just because of a budget, we’ll just have to get more creative!

Thanks for being here!

I’m so grateful that you’ve joined my community of DIYers, lovers of second hand decor and old furniture thrifters!

I believe that by inspiring one another we can, not only, create uniquely curated homes that we all love, but do so in a way that’s a little more sustainable.