You could say that my drug of choice is transformation. Transforming a client’s room or home and knowing that I helped take something less than desirable and make it stylish and/or functional–that is one of the most satisfying parts of being an interior designer. The drive to change something ugly into something pretty is what led me to buy a nearly-condemned old house and fix it up. It was so gratifying to step back and say, “I saved it from ruin.”

Add to this a sense of creativity, an interest in engineering, and a lineage heavily influenced by Depression-era waste-not-want-not, and you can well imagine that when I see something broken, I have an urge to fix it.

In my efforts to style homes on a budget, I often go to thrift stores and see if I can bag some inexpensive funky stuff to mix in with the new. Old tennis racquets become art, vintage wood water skis become sculpture, and interesting-looking toys become stylish accessories. This kind of mix gives you a sense of history and makes your home feel less like a too-new furniture showroom.

While I’m trolling thrift stores and antique markets, I sometimes come across things that just need an extra push to take them from average into interesting. So last year (or maybe the year before that), I just started buying them, thinking I would embellish them somehow and sell them on Etsy.

Except I’m not a crafter. So there were some missteps, and now it’s years that these little treasures have been taking up space in my laundry room and garage.

Well, enough of that. From out of nowhere, I got a burst of energy yesterday and decided to get these babies out of my house and got to work. Here’s what I did yesterday:

Room Fu painted mid-century wood bowl, available soon on Etsy.

Embellished two-tone wood candle holders with gold accents, coming soon to Room Fu's Etsy store.

Striped mid-century wood vase, coming soon to Room Fu's Etsy store.

Although I loathed the sanding stage, I was ready to head out to the Antique Mall to look for more objects before the paint was dry. Gawd help me…I may end up a crafter yet.

These items (and more!) will be available through Room Fu’s Etsy shop after they’ve had a chance to cure for 21 days…stay tuned!