The old saying “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure” couldn’t be more true for Bradford West Gwillimbury’s Katie Scott, the owner and artist behind Salvaged by K.Scott.
The longtime resident started her furniture painting business just more than a year ago when she and her family upsized from an 74 square metre bungalow to their current, much larger home.
“I needed to furnish (the new house) because we had big empty spaces,” she said.
She scoured thrift stores for affordable pieces of furniture she could revamp herself.
“Most of the pieces that we had in our first home were the basic IKEA stuff, and you get to a point where you’re in your 30s and you’re a parent and you feel like I should have some grown up furniture,” she said. “But we still couldn’t afford to buy the grown up furniture, so thrifting it or picking up stuff on the side of the road that’s got good bones and you can make it work — why not?”
Scott learned how to paint furniture by watching YouTube tutorials and through trial and error. Her friends and family took note of her talents and encouraged her to make a business out of her new found hobby.
All of Scott’s projects are painted at home in the garage and in her workshop that is set up in the basement. She uses milk- and chalk-style paints to complete her pieces.
She uses these paints, as they are low in volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and allows her to paint inside the house without having to worry about inhaling any strong fumes.
Her favourite brand of paint to use is FAT Paint, a small paint company from British Columbia. Scott is also an ambassador for FAT Paint. She showcases the company’s paint in her projects on her Facebook and Instagram accounts in exchange for a discount on products.
“I partnered with FAT because it’s a Canadian business and run by a brother and sister team in B.C.,” she said. “I like that I’m a small business here, supporting a small business over there.”
Scott finds most of her pieces at local thrift stores and on buy and sell websites.
- thrift stores in town are amazing,” she gushed.
Global Village and Re-Source Thrift Shop Bradford are some of her favourite spots to look for new projects. The furniture store, Rocks, beside Global Village is another hidden gem for old pieces, she said.
“They’ve got new stuff… but (the owner) has a room off to the side with some vintage pieces that he picks up. He’s a good resource for me,” she shared.
Dressers are Scott’s favourite furniture pieces to paint.
“I love a good dresser because there are so many different styles. They all have different lines… They all kind of have their own personality,” she said.
Scott said she finds painting very therapeutic.
“I just find it relaxing. It’s my time to kind of zone out, and I really just love the transformation process,” she said.
Currently, Scott sells her furniture through her Facebook page and out of a store in Newmarket called The Country Market. The store is a large showroom full of handmade items from artisans all over the Greater Toronto Area. Each artist rents space to sell their own unique products.
“I’m a featured vendor there because I have enough stuff in the shop that I’m my own shop within the shop,” she explained.
In the future, she hopes to build up the store in Newmarket, as well as be able to take on custom commissioned work from customers.
“(The refinished furniture business) does have a lot of ebbs and flow, but I think it’s kind of here to stay because I think our generation is very conscious of just the waste. We want to have good quality nice pieces,” she said.
To see samples of Scott’s work, visit her Facebook page or follow her on Instagram @salvagedbyk.scott. You can also visit The Country Market in Newmarket at 17680 Leslie St.
