Family business Four Figs & Co creating upcycled gems

13 Jul 2022

What started as a hobby transforming unloved furniture has turned into a business for one Auckland family.

“For this buffet, we used Karen Walker Chalk Colour in Resene Black. The chair next to it was painted in Resene SpaceCote Flat tinted to Resene Black.”

Family of four Jess, Sergio, Rebecca and toddler Ava take second-hand furniture pieces and turn them into fresh, sophisticated pieces. “Ava is the boss who loves to help out and dictate what we do! We enjoy every second of working together, collaborating and creating pieces that we know will bring new life to families. We love a challenge,” Jess says.

“It’s quickly grown to become what we do most days while balancing time with family!”

Jess says they don’t have a particular style, rather they see a piece and visualise the best way to bring out its personality. “We each have our own unique skills and decided to put our creativity to good use when seeing a need for sustainable furniture solutions during lockdown. We’re all very passionate about working with heart and love what we have been able to create!

This hallway piece was painted in Resene Noosa and Resene White.

“We have an artist, a handyman and a jack of all trades on the team and each put forth ideas we feel for each piece. When working with wood, it often has its own idea of how it wants to be reimagined, so we work with it to complement its unique identity.”

She says it’s hard not to fall in love with each creation and end up wanting to keep it. “We like to work with locally sourced and made products where we can. That’s why we love Resene! We have weekly brainstorming sessions, consider what’s current and consider different colour schemes to help us create something stunning. We especially love collaborating with our clients to bring their custom visions to life.”

This beachy piece uses Resene Lusta-Glo tinted to Resene Quarter Truffle. “The top drawers and top of the dresser had one coat of Resene Colorwood Whitewash and was sealed in Resene Aquaclear satin varnish.”

The family say they gravitated towards Resene because of the amazing range of colours. ”The products are great quality with stunning finishes. It also fits with our ethos of supporting local businesses.”

As for favourite colours, they are a fan of the solid Resene Black and Resene White, but recently Resene Noosa has become a favourite. “We’re able to create really beautiful custom colours with those three basic tones. We’ve got our eye on a couple of gorgeous colours that we can’t wait to try!”

See more of this family’s work: www.fourfigsandco.nz

Published: 13 Jul 2022