Mansfield Furniture Queen is painting a bright future

Jen Chadbourne started selling uniquely upcycled furniture from home before moving to the Millennium Business Park.

Now, Jen – known as The Furniture Paint Queen – can fully showcase her designs to customers, who can buy Jen’s creations, or bring their own furniture to her for an artistic update.

Décor and home improvements have been a long-standing hobby for Jen, who was working in travel while taking a course in interior design before the birth of her first child eight years ago.

While her children were small, her creativity took a back seat, but when her mum passed away three years ago, Jen found furniture artistry gave her the outlet she needed.

Jen said: “I needed something to take me away from it all.

“I got back into upcycling and just started doing bits and bobs. I’d watched a few people demonstrating different styles online and I knew I could do it too because I’d done my interior design course.

“I could never find the exact things I wanted for my house, so I started to make them myself.”

Then a year ago, Jen realised the products she was making were in demand.

She said: “I started off in the shed and then working from home, but we had stuff everywhere, so then I had a storage unit.

“But it didn’t feel very professional to meet people there and then I’d be handing over a piece of furniture that was already wrapped, so they couldn’t see the detail.

“I wanted something professional that would showcase the furniture and let people see it properly, as up until then they were really only seeing pictures on Facebook.”

‘It’s about adding all the details’

Last month, Jen opened The Furniture Paint Queen in Mansfield, her first showroom where classic pieces she finds at auction, in charity shops and online, have had a complete overhaul.

Jen said: “I only buy older quality pieces that are solid and built to last. A lot of them aren’t very fashionable any more, but for me it’s about breathing new life into them.

“I’ll sand them right down and paint them and then it’s about adding all the details.

“I also take commissions, so customers can bring their furniture in to me and I’ll rejuvenate it to their requirements.”

Running her own business allows Jen to juggle work and family life, with her husband and children also helping out in the showroom at weekends.

And she continues to take orders through The Furniture Paint Queen Facebook page.

Jen said: “What started off as a hobby has become a business that fits so well around family life and has become something that we all get involved with.

“For me it’s all about creating and trying new styles and techniques. And now I’ve got a showroom, people can come and see the furniture and talk to me about what they

want.”

The Furniture Paint Queen showroom is at Unit 4, Millennium Business Park, Mansfield and more information is available by searching The Furniture Paint Queen on Facebook.

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