***I wrote this post JUST before I was getting really sick and was ready to head off to LA. All it took was a long cross country flight to bring my late winter/early spring flu into a full blown fun killer.  By the time I arrived in LA I was (literally) chilling, coughing and aching so badly, I drove straight to my hotel and dove into bed.  I didn’t end up doing half of the things I had planned to do on this trip. I’m in the process of digging through my ‘feelings’ and coming to terms with a four day trip filled with flopping around, unfinished goals. More about dealing with that disappointment later.

One little sojourn to the Pacific Design Center allowed me these few photos. If the trip had gone as planned, well, you get the gist. Here was the naive, innocent, before-sickness-struck plan:

It’s that time of year. I’m headed to LA to visit my youngest son/aspiring screenwriter, as well as to scout out some of the top flea markets and vintage shops for you. Sitting here in my Midwest studio, seeing those delicious Los Angeles vintage shops and weekend flea markets just makes me sick with jealousy. Do the people who post all of those Instagram images even know what it’s like to live through the winter cold, and to not have access to interesting and stylish thrift shops, trendy furniture boutiques, and those absolutely MAD global textiles?  Then, you discover a charming little beach shop flaunting their bumped up furniture redesigns. Whaaat? It’s like they’re trying to torture me. If I lived there, there’s no telling what I would be doing, but one thing is sure, I’d be scouring around markets, shops and fleas to discover overlooked, eclectic pieces of upholstered rips and tears that nobody wants to touch. This is where knowing how to do spectacular upholstery gives you a leg up in this wild and wooly furniture flipping rodeo.

Mod Home Ec| Flipping Furniture

Most people start their furniture flipping business with the clean up and painting of fairly easy wooden pieces. Between you and me, I’m not that great of a furniture painter.  I wish I was because a Redesigner can easily make money by cleaning up, fixing, repainting and adding unique hardware to cabinets, side tables and credenzas. It’s a job that takes patience, a good eye and pretty good business sense to know what sells out there. I’m hoping to find a nice little perch and observe what people are buying in the way of painted furniture styles and colors.  Check out Barb Blair of Knack Studio in South Carolina. She’s the master of this business.

But getting on with it here. There’s a reason I’m curious about what’s happening out on the West Coast. Let’s say I’m offering a course in how to effectively and efficiently redesign and resell furniture, aka Flipping Furinture. I sure as shootin’ better know of what I speak. I did live that life for over twenty something years, but it’s rather foolish to think the rules are the same.  That’s why I’m headed to the West Coast to scout out what’s selling, what’s trending, who the players are and how I can provide valuable info to the next F2 class.

Mod Home Ec | Flipping Furniture

If you’ve got a little seed of furniture redesign passion growing in you, and you’re dying to know what’s going on in LA LA land, follow my trip on Instagram, ModHomeEc on FB and Upholstery Club on Facebook. I’ll be posting pics of anything and everything I find that will super charge your creativity battery and will inspire the living bejeebers out of you so that you’re ready to move forward with some cutting edge flips.  We can all use this reminder from the original Badass, Jen Sincero, author of You Are a Badass, Done is Better than Perfect.  Here, here!

There’s no better place this time of year than LA, Venice Beach, Pasadena, Melrose Flea and on and on. Not only do they make it look so easy, they also look like they’re loving their life. I’ll have that!

****All of that was written prior to the dreaded coughing plague that crawled into my lungs. More importantly, how does one bounce back from a much anticipated business and pleasure holiday gone awry?  I’ve not yet put my thoughts together about this huge, expensive bummer, but I will somehow find the path to redemption for my West Coast adventure that was snuffed out by the seasonal cough due to cold. This story isn’t finished yet.

Also, coming this week: Five Ways to Find Your Market in the Flipping/Redesign business.

Our next Flipping Furniture Class will launch on March 1st. You don’t want to miss it.