(Picture provided courtesy of ReVamped Furnishings)

While some people spend their free time watching television or shopping, Andrew and Deanna Cauthen, owners of ReVamped Furnishings, spend a large amount of their free time driving around looking for discarded furniture to upcycle.

“We both have an eye for the potential in a piece that someone else may have discarded, but it’s not the same eye,” Deanna said. “Often he sees something I don’t see and other times I see what he doesn’t see.”

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, to upcycle means “to reuse (discarded objects or material) in such a way as to create a product of a higher quality or value than the original”.

“Everyday is a quest and no two days are alike,” said Deanna Cauthen. “Most of the stuff we find is sitting at the curb, so it’s not exactly dumpster diving, but it’s close. As they say, ’One man’s trash is another man’s treasure”, said Deanna.  “We like to consider ourselves urban conservationists,” said Andrew. “We give new life to trash and keep it out of a landfill. So what we do is good for the environment.”

Andrew shared that sometimes upcycling an item can be as simple as adding a few basic elements to the piece. “I recently added casters and a few hooks to a large antique dresser that I refinished and made it into a kitchen island. It ended up being one of our most popular pieces,” said Andrew.

Although they primarily focus on refinishing and selling antiques, and restoring heirloom pieces of furniture for clients, the owners enjoy the creative side of finding items to upcycle and using them to make original, organic pieces such as the bistro table in their home that Andrew made from a packing crate and washtub.

“I originally had a much larger table in that area, but I wanted to streamline things, so we came up with the idea of a bistro table,” said Deanna.

Andrew also designs and sells rustic headboards, custom wall art, and raised flower beds and boxes, out of reclaimed wood. 

“The beautiful thing about an upcycled item is that you have a one-of-a-kind piece. It’s not mass produced, so you know that no one else will have exactly what you have. So if you’re looking for something special for your space, ReVamped Furnishings can make that happen for you,” said Deanna.

For more information about ReVamped Furnishings, visit their website at www.revampedfurnishings.com.