Funky Vintage

19/11/2025

Meet Edith 💙

A lovely lady asked for me to upcycle this vintage cabinet, which had belonged to her grandma Edith. She had many fond memories of it in her family (albeit looking a lot less fun!).

With the recent passing of a very special family member, it was an opportunity to give the cabinet a new lease of life so that it could be enjoyed in their stunning open plan living space.

I think it’s awesome when people choose to restore/upcycle older pieces. (I’m not saying this for more business btw!!).

Memories are not wiped away with a sander or covered up with paint. Modernising dated furniture allows special pieces to be used and enjoyed, keeping memories very much alive, and new memories formed around it.

I would love to inspire others to think twice before banishing furniture to places they are not seen or moving them on because they fail to work in modern homes. They absolutely can ✨.

What do you think about the real gold leaf wallpaper? 💛

10/11/2025

Sorry for the lack of posts/updates.. It’s been awhile but I’m still here 👋, working on commissions and living the dream 🙌🪑🏖️ . I can’t wait to share my recent projects with you (soon!!).

I’m booked up with projects until March next year 🙏🤎. I just wanted to say a huge thank you for your continued support, whether it’s choosing me to work on your furniture, buying pieces from my website, or simply liking and engaging with my posts. Every bit of it helps keep me in business, and I truly appreciate it.

2026 is going to be wild!

Last week I was back at the breathtaking Gartmore House, tutoring a lovely group in furniture upcycling. Over four days, they transformed their treasured pieces from home or charity shop rescues, into works of art 🎨. They learned how to refinish wood, add decorative touches, and achieve that high-end modern finish… all while saving furniture from landfill 💚. Awesome 🙌.

I managed to complete my own little project called ‘Marilyn’. Can you spot her? 💋

There’s always surprise by how much work goes into prepping furniture and how much consideration (and a bit of experimentation!) happens before any paint / stain etc hits the wood… and probably something I don’t show enough of. I will 😊

Our wee group done so well!!!!!

How cool is that Art Deco drinks trolley?!!! 👀🍸

Not my creation sadly, but I do love a bit of Art Deco. I’ll need to keep my eye on this lady! 👀😅

And the chest of drawers? Another brilliant upcycle! It arrived covered in uneven, orange tinged varnish (with drips!) but underneath was gorgeous quarter-sawn oak. After fully stripping and refinishing with a walnut stain, plus a smooth painted finish and decoupage detail… it turned out stunning! A very proud owner!

I’ve included some photos of the workshop. If you manage to get to the last photo you’ll see just how I transport my stuff 😊.

Kelley x

29/09/2025

Last week I had the pleasure of visiting Material Source Glasgow for the MacMillan Cancer Support coffee morning, beautifully hosted by Benholm Group 💚.

It was such a lovely event supporting a charity very close to my heart ♥️ Thank you very much for having us 🙏.

It was also the perfect opportunity to indulge my passion for interiors 🤩 I’m a total texture addict (I can’t resist touching stuff 😅) and the showroom was a real feast for the senses.

Some of the highlights:-

🪑 The world’s most sustainable chair, made from 100% plant-based materials including locally sourced h**p and natural resin.

🌊 The softest carpet I’ve ever touched from Sedna®, made using recycled waste such as old carpets and abandoned fishing nets. Even better, this helps save sea life like turtles, dolphins and seals from deadly entanglement

🎨 Parkside Architectural Tiles which were absolutely breathtaking.

✨ Orac mouldings - fantastic products for adding depth, texture and charm to flat walls.

🪴 Benholm Group - their Nordik Moss wall are so cool! Who knew you could create a picture, a whole wall, or even add this into furniture?! In a spectrum of different colours - mind blowing!! 🤯

🐑 A chair crafted entirely from solid wool.

I went along with my friend Karyn from KMabe Home, who I first met when she came to my first upcycling workshop 💕. We share a passion for beautiful bold interiors, natural materials, texture and upcycled vintage furniture (of course 😃🙌).

Here are a few photos from the day 📸.

If you’re planning a home renovation or decorating a room, I’d highly recommend checking out these suppliers for inspiration 🥰.

Kelley x

11/09/2025

You have options!!🪵✨

09/09/2025

From Dark & Dated to Light, Airy & Rustic.

I’m so pleased how this piece turned out. The soft, weathered greys highlight the grain beautifully, while the new geometric door panels add a striking detail 🤍🪵.

My customer asked me to modernise this music cabinet as a gift for her parents. A piece of furniture which has been in the family for a long time. She was delighted with the transformation (so am I!).

Staining wood is incredibly effective, but like anything, it takes practise. The key is opening up the wood pores so the stain can absorb evenly and create a consistent look.

This particular piece was a bit of a challenge due to the fact it is up of 6 different woods, all with different porosities, grain patterns, and colour tones.

Thankfully after the second coat of stain, the shades started to blend beautifully.

🌟I put that down to the quality of the product Fusion Mineral SFO, an all-in-one oil-based stain with built-in conditioner and topcoat (and yes, I do stock it if you’re interested, it comes in various shades😉).

I hope this makeover inspires someone to take a second look at any dark, dated furniture before replacing it.

There’s usually lots of hidden potential ✨. What do you think of the transformation?

Kelley x

02/09/2025

🔥 Tuesday Top Tips – Woodgrain Series

If you get excited by wood grain as much as I do 🤤🪵 here are a few handy tips to help your wood look its absolute best 🙌

Perfect for any furniture project you’ve got in mind. If you find these tips useful, give me a 👍 and I’ll keep sharing more. I’ve tested so many products and techniques over the years, and I love passing them on 🤩.

🪵 Check your wood
Solid wood has random and unique grain patterns.
Veneer has a perfect repeated pattern but is only 0.3–0.6mm thick, so you need to be gentle.

🪵 Sand smart
Veneer sands through quickly. I always start with an eco-friendly low VOC stripper to remove as much varnish as possible. Clean away all residue and let it dry fully before sanding lightly with a fine grit. Flexible papers like Mirka Goldflex give brilliant control.

💡 Extra tip: worn sandpaper works like a higher grit, so don’t throw it away too soon.

🪵 Finishing choices
Do you want to pop the grain, keep it natural, or go for maximum durability? Oils, waxes and varnishes each give different results so first think about the look you want and how durable it needs to be.

👉 On these pieces I wanted to pop the grain and used my favourite oil. The transformation was incredible ✨

Comment ‘oil’ if you’d like to know which one I always reach for 🧴

💪 And remember, if you’d rather skip the hard work, I’m always happy to take on commissions. Or, if you’d love to learn more about wood refinishing, come along to one of our workshops.

✨ Out of curiosity have you ever tried to strip / refinish a piece of furniture? How did it go?

🥰

Kelley x

25/08/2025

✨🪑✨

22/08/2025

And today Matthew, I’m going to be a Gold Ostrich 😄

How beautiful is this Golf Leaf wallpaper ?? Here’s me holding it up for my customer.

It’s the most expensive wallpaper I’ve worked with. Let’s hope I cut it right first time ✔️ and decopauge it without any hiccups ✔️.

Have a great day everyone 🥰

Kelley xx

20/08/2025

Should Florence the Flamingo make a comeback? ✨ 🦩🌴💚

Three years ago, she strutted her way onto this chest of drawers. Before I could say strike a pose, she flew off to a new home 🌅.

Now I can’t help thinking it might be time for a sister piece 👀.

✨ Why? Because I adore… ✨

🪵 The warmth of tiger oak grain
🎨 The colour Coral - the drawer bases were painted in coral with a crisp white pattern
🦩 Bold colours. The soft mint background on the topical panel really made the pinks and greens pop.

If you’ve followed me for a while, you’ll know I love reimagining vintage furniture with colour and pattern, while keeping its original character (and celebrating the warmth of wood 🪵).

For anyone new here thanks for following 👋 hi, I’m Kelley! I’m a trained interior designer as well as a furniture upcycler. Every piece I work on goes through a creative process. I’m never too rigid with a plan because I like to stay open to change.

The best results often come when I adjust along the way.

If I was on a desert island and had to choose just one colour, it would be coral
🏝️💗. It represents warmth, energy, and positivity 🙌.

So what do you think, should Florence return with a new twist? 🤔🦩

16/08/2025

I had the most wonderful week teaching the craft of upcycling furniture at the beautiful Gartmore House ✨. It was a rare chance to step out of the workshop, enjoy the most spectacular setting, and share what I love most 💓.

Upcycling isn’t just a sustainable choice. It’s a canvas for creativity, it feeds the soul, and it’s even more rewarding when shared with like-minded people 🪑✨. This week reminded me of that more than ever!

I had the loveliest group, with one lady even travelling all the way from Philadelphia 🇺🇸.

Together we gave old furniture a fresh start, transforming pieces that might have been skipped into treasures, while learning the processes, products, and techniques to add that personal touch ✨.

And of course, we even squeezed in a trip to the local pub (for research purposes, naturally 😉).

The views were breathtaking, but it was the laughter, learning, and friendships that made it unforgettable 💓.

I’ll be back at Gartmore House in October and I can’t wait 💫.

If you can’t make the five-night retreat at Gartmore House, I also run daytime workshops in Stirling. (Upcoming dates on my website).

Do you have a favourite project from the group?

Kelley x

12/08/2025

A big thank you to my lovely customer from Glasgow who recently took these beauties home and kindly sent me photos. I might be biased, but they look incredible!

And can we take a moment to appreciate her beautiful bedroom? The wall colour 🫶🏻, the scalloped headboard 🫶🏻… absolute perfection. ✨

As a small business owner, when a customer purchases a piece I’ve carefully and lovingly reimagined and upcycled (to perfection ✨🔍), it means so much to know they appreciate its beauty.

It makes me love my work even more! 🫶🏻

07/08/2025

🚨 Our Upcycling Workshops Are LIVE 🚨

We’ve got something seriously exciting to share…

👋 Hey lovely people! We’ve been busy behind the scenes, and we’re so excited to finally welcome you into our new creative studio in Stirling 🎉🔧🪑🎨

🎨 Our upcycling workshops are officially open for booking 🪑✨. { Book via website }

Yvonne and I can’t wait to help you transform dated furniture into something that reflects your style and fits beautifully in your space. Whether it’s a bold design, a modern twist, beautifully restored wood or all of the above (you know I love mixing wood with modern design 🪵🎨) you’ll learn how to bring old pieces back to life with confidence and creativity.

We believe old furniture deserves a second chance. Just because it looks dated doesn’t mean it’s done. Older pieces were made to last with real craftsmanship and quality materials. With the right techniques, you can turn them into something fresh, personal and full of character.

We’ll walk you through the products, processes and creative techniques that save you time, money and frustration so you can stop second-guessing and finally start that project you’ve been putting off.

✨ No experience? No problem
✨ Small, friendly groups with plenty of one-to-one support

You’ll learn how to:
✔️ Prep properly for long-lasting results
✔️ Paint like a pro!
✔️ Restore or tone wood beautifully
✔️ Add creative design details
✔️ Finish and seal your piece to perfection

💡 Perfect for:
→ Tired or dated furniture
→ Inherited pieces that don’t suit your space
→ That “one day” project you've been meaning to tackle

🌟 All tools, paints and materials included
🌟 Learn in a relaxed, inspiring space
🌟 Take home the piece you’ve transformed and the confidence to keep going

📍 Held in our Stirling studio with parking available
🗓️ Spaces are limited so book early if you're interested

💫 Choose from 3 class options:
🔹 Morning Classes
🔹 One Day Workshops
🔹 Two Day Advanced Workshops

🛠️ Ready to create something amazing??

👉 Visit www.funkyvintage.shop to book your spot

Some workshops require a deposit to secure your place

✨ Warning: Upcycling is seriously addictive ✨

www.funkyvintage.shop/products/furniture-upcycling-2-day-workshop-deposit

Master the Art of Upcycled Furniture Learn all the skills you need to transform a piece of furniture from start to finish and add your own creative flair through decorative finishes.Our intensive two‑day workshop is a fully hands‑on experience where you’ll master every stage of the process fro...