With a glance around George Nickolaou's Willow Lawn shop, Renew 4 You, it's easy to spot his signature design aesthetic. Vibrant greens and playful blues cover dressers, mirrors and miniature tables for two. Most pieces are trimmed with whimsical touches, including an easel with pink and white polka dots.
"My girls have inspired me," Nickolaou says of his daughters, ages 5 and 13. "They love bright colors."
Nickolaou has been in the furniture business his whole life; after about 16 years on the retail side, he began designing Circuit City's stores. Following the Fortune 500 company's bankruptcy last year, he started tinkering with recycling furniture, taking an old piece and restoring it.
"I started designing furniture and putting artwork on furniture," he says. What began mostly as a kid's-furniture business expanded into him repurposing items such as bedroom or dining-room sets and turning them into one-of-a-kind pieces. (He also sells locally made cheese boards, recycled totes and stained-glass bottles.)
Nickolaou opened for business in November. "Pick a piece as is, pick a piece and have it painted, or bring us your own," he says, adding that he meets with interested clients to create a paint plan. He hopes the pieces "will become heirloom, functional works of art."
For more information, call 929-8185 or visit renew4you.net
