Influencers who paint over midcentury modern wood furniture with white or «millennial gray» are ruthlessly mocked on Instagram and TikTok.
Growing up, Christina Clericuzio always thought the dresser at her grandma’s house was so ugly — with walnut brown wood and a diamond-like design on the drawer faces.
So when Clericuzio’s grandma was getting rid of it, it seemed like the perfect candidate for her new hobby: furniture-flipping, the practice of taking a piece of old furniture and restoring or refinishing it.
Clericuzio sanded down the walnut, removed the wood veneer, added drawer pulls, and painted most of the dresser white. When she posted the before and after shots online, she loved the new beachy look.
«I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m a magician. I’m so amazing,'» the Connecticut-based content creator told Business Insider.
But then came the comments.
«This is criminal.»
«This is evil.»
«You literally ruined it!»
«I got humbled so quick,» Clericuzio said, adding there were people calling her dumb and all sorts of names.
She still thought the piece was cute and was able to sell it for $400 — but now she knows a mid-century modern furniture piece like that, restored to its original look, can sell for much, much more.
Up to $8,160, to be exact, according to a current Chairish listing for what appears to be the exact same dresser — a mid-century nine-drawer lowboy piece made by United Furniture.
Clericuzio is among countless furniture flippers on Instagram and TikTok who regularly get berated or even threatened in their comments over some of their work — especially when they paint over wood furniture, and even moreso if the color they go with is white, beige, or the widely mocked «millennial gray.»
Jennifer Beck, a Tennessee-based furniture flipper who runs Saved By Design with her mom, told BI she’s considered making shirts for her brand that say, «Forget about politics. How do you feel about painted furniture?»
Still, furniture flipping is booming. Some content creators, like Clericuzio, got into it during the pandemic and have been able to turn it from a side hustle into a full-time gig. Furniture flippers also give new life to a piece that might otherwise end up in a landfill — which happens more than you’d think with donated furniture — and buying secondhand is increasingly appealing to Gen Z, who view it as a more environmentally friendly way to shop.
So why all the hate?Demand is up for vintage wood furniture — without paint
Part of the backlash certainly stems from the current state of the furniture industry, in which it’s increasingly difficult to get your hands on brand-new, high-quality furniture.
