Wai-o-Taiki Furniture Redesign

18/08/2026

My two latest upcycling pieces have come home with me to stage my house which is about to go on sale. The oak desk had pink and white splodged paint all over it, even inside the drawers. The wood was so beautiful, I decided to keep the top natural and make up a sage green for the sides. This was dark waxed to finish. The top was clear waxed to show off its lovely grain. I’ll use coasters for my tea to protect it.

The small oak table/magazine rack was sanded back and waxed.

I’m very happy with how they both turned out. I have two large pieces that came out of my house to refinish and sell.

The gorgeous steampunk lamps were made by Sean from Octalien Creative who uses his amazing imagination to make art from upcycled metal objects.

17/08/2026

It’s lovely to be noticed by WhimsyKel Designs as I use lots of her awesome designs in my work.

Timekeeper is here to remind us that not every hour needs to be rushed. 🦉🕰️ Sundays are good days to slow down, take our time, and enjoy the simple things in life.

Timekeeper takes center stage on this piece by Wai-o-Taiki Furniture Redesign , and we love how beautifully the design flows across the drawers. The moody blending, warm natural wood, and those perfectly chosen cup pulls all work together without taking away from that watchful owl.

A wonderful transformation. ❤️
Find the design at WhimsyKel.com.

09/08/2026

07/08/2026

07/08/2026

As a technically averse person I’ve resisted AI up until now. I’ve noticed other furniture upcyclers using it for staging to help their customers imagine the pieces in their own homes. Here’s my first few attempts with the help of Chat GPT.

06/08/2026

Yesterday I had the pleasure of spending time with Shannon and Issie from Auckland Council. They are looking to run an event upcycling some unused gin bottles.

Tāmaki Zero Waste Hub currently has thousands of these bottles and they are non-recyclable.

We went through chalk painting and decoupage skills. Wouldn’t it be great to find a new use for these. They can be vases, candle holders and maybe soap dispensers if we can find some pumps.

30/07/2026

Hi everyone! Come along to the Design Hub at , 153 Pilkington Rd, Panmure. I have some new pieces in and the op shop is awesome.

18/07/2026

‘Dark academia’ style side table. $345

Here’s my latest solid wood piece in multi layered gloss lacquer with black paint added. IOD Designs butterfly transfers have been aged using multiple layers of brown and black lacquers and the original handles enhanced with gilding wax. The inside has been painted with lacquer with reddy/orange paint added to give a bright pop of colour.

The original piece had an orangey lacquered finish which was looking very tired. See last photo

Measures: 44cm wide, 36cm deep and 84cm tall

Viewing by appointment at the Tamaki Zero Waste Hub, 153 Pilkington Rd and/ or can be delivered in the Auckland area for a fee

Please note that this is a vintage item and has minor imperfections that give character.

15/07/2026

Morena!
After a few years of this social media lark, I’ve finally got 1000 fb followers. My 1000th follower is my lovely daughter, Izzy, who realized she wasn’t following me when I said I had 999. Thank you Izzy and thank you all for being supportive. I’d love to get a few more followers so please spread the word!

Here’s some of my work with lots of before shots

07/07/2026

My lovely customer kindly sent a photo of her new console table in situ’ even though she’s in the middle of a renovation.