About

Hi, I am Julia, owner of Absolutely Mintage by Julia.

This is my story!

Read my story here!

I ‘fell’ into my love for painting furniture in 2015 after an expensive home renovation left us short of money. Myself and my husband realised that we would have to be resourceful to replace the furniture in our house and save money ……sooooo, we bought second hand and I painted it all to fit in with the new decor. From that moment I was hooked on upcycling!

I loved all the creative finishes that could be achieved and over the next few years I invested in some fantastic workshops with great teachers, all of whom are people I really admire in the field.

In 2017  I opened a shop selling furniture, painted furniture and gifts along with upcycling commission work and workshops. In 2019 I decided to give up the shop and continue to focus on a commission based service to customise furniture and run workshops teaching furniture painting,  from my studio at our home in Bracknell, Berkshire. I am often ‘helped’ by my two shadows and when not hard at work painting, I am out walking them as they seem to have no ‘off button’ where exercise is concerned!

 I have learnt a lot about furniture – Antique, vintage and not so vintage! Don’t get me wrong, while I love painting furniture, I also have a healthy respect for the craftsmanship of vintage and antique furniture due to the beauty of the wood and the design. I truly believe that not all wood should be painted. Sometimes it is better to showcase the wood and it’s grain with sanding and oiling or staining, so I spend time assessing each piece I am thinking about painting!

As time goes on, my horror of the amount of material waste that goes into landfill increases. I have seen perfectly good furniture discarded as it no longer ‘fits’ with a person’s decor and yet through refreshing a piece, it looks as good as new!  My motto is very much ‘don’t throw it away!’. Upcycling has allowed me to embrace my passion and explore the limitless number of options there are to create unique finishes while still being able to enjoy the beautiful designs and workmanship of antique furniture.

Thanks for reading!

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