By Karen Parr-Moody
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – You may have heard of “upcycling” furniture. It’s when a crafter takes a piece of old furniture finished in a standard wood stain, then re-paints it in a chic, new shade. Sometimes they will use special techniques to make the furniture look as though its finish has aged over time.
At You Never Know, a shop that sells handmade crafts and antiques, owner Sara Minor organizes a class each month through which students can learn how to paint such furniture. The next one is from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 12 at the store, which is located at 1218 College Street. Call to pre-register at 931-809-8234. The class is $135 and includes a catered lunch.
“We have had a very positive response about our classes,” Minor said. “A lot of the participants come back to buy the paint and to show us pictures of other stuff they have painted. It’s really fun.”
To participate, students are asked to bring in a piece of furniture and the store provides all of the paint and supplies. The paints used in the class are from the Caromel Colours line, but students will also be introduced to the alternative paints sold at the store, including Reclaim, Country Living, Miss Lillian’s and Websters.
The stores carries a variety of paint products so that customers can achieve different looks. What people who have used such paints like is that they save time over traditional paints and allow for a variety of special effects. They are also easy to use and have no odor.
For those who can’t make the class, the paints are available during store hours, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.
Sara Minor, owner of You Never Know, has been renewing furniture through paint for almost three years, including this chair she made for her grandchild.
Karen Parr-Moody began a career as a New York journalist, working as a fashion reporter for Women’s Wear Daily, a beauty editor for Young Miss and a beauty and fashion writer for both In Style and People magazines. Regionally, she has been a writer at The Leaf-Chronicle newspaper and currently writes about arts and culture for Nashville Arts magazine each month.