One Man's Junk is This Woman's Treasure
By Kellyn Berzabal
From furniture painting to home décor, Oklahoma City native Allison Griffith is the queen of creative, self-made interior design, and it’s about time for all of us to get to know her. For those looking for their next DIY project, Griffith is the person to follow for both artistry and affordability.
Griffith is the author of Refunk My Junk, a blog for creative individuals looking for cost-effective interior design projects for their homes. She also creates custom furniture, teaches furniture painting classes, sells her own merchandise and, on top of all that, is a wife and the mother of two young boys.
It all began when Griffith was asked to teach a couple of painting classes. Six years and hundreds of classes later, finding an open seat in one of her classes is a challenge not for the faint at heart. Currently her classes are held at The Paint Bar, Griffith’s working studio located in Edmond, Okla.
“It feels amazing,” Griffith said. “To walk into something I’ve created from nothing.”
Since all of her success, her projects have been featured on multiple popular media outlets, including BuzzFeed, Good Housekeeping and The Huffington Post. She’s also the handmade lifestyle contributor for Freedom 43.
After spending 25 years in the corporate banking world, Refunk My Junk came to life — but it wasn’t what Griffith had been searching for. She was simply revamping her home’s interior design and decided to document the experience on the blog she was already writing.
“It was just a hobby that got completely out of control,” Griffith said. She was looking for a creative outlet, and from her hobby an empire grew.
Griffith said it was frightening for her to leave the security of a corporate job, but it was even more invigorating to live out her passion.
In a blog post Griffith authored recently, she thanked all of her readers, customers and community supporters for making it possible to do what she loves, as well as provide for her family. Because she’s received so much support from her community, she also tries to do her part.
She gives her time to nonprofit organizations like Pepper’s Ranch, a foster home that works against child abuse and neglect in Oklahoma. On the business side, she also holds classes for business owners to learn how to take advantage of social media to help boost their business.
Embracing her creativity, Griffith found a way to give back following the tornado in Moore in May 2013 that let her share her talent. Families whose homes were destroyed in the tornado were relocated to places that weren’t their homes, so Griffith held free workshops for anyone with a FEMA number. In the classes, she gave away gift bags with paint and redecorating supplies.
“I wanted to give them resources to make [their new houses] feel like homes,” she said.
It is Griffith’s goal to empower the good in her community.
Aside from her pieces at The Paint Bar, Griffith’s hand-painted furniture, home décor, Heirloom Traditions Furniture Paint and Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint can be purchased from The Feathered Nest in Oklahoma City and Serendipity in Edmond. For those interested in Griffith’s merchandise but aren’t in the Oklahoma City metro, you can shop her styles online at ReFunkMyJunk.com.
