Upcycling becomes furniture art at new Eden Prairie home furnishings studio

When Monica Opalinski looks at a piece of old, tired, forlorn furniture, that’s not what she sees. Instead, she sees its potential with a little work and a lot of love.

Whether it’s a ’50s-era six-drawer oak dresser stained dark brown with elaborate hardware or a slightly worn end table, Opalinski envisions a bright future for each piece.

Opalinski is the owner and sole proprietor of Opal Upcycled and Recycled Home Furnishings, tucked into an 1,800-square-foot office/warehouse space just off Highway 5 in central Eden Prairie. She opened the doors on March 4 at 7887 Fuller Road #116.

The location’s nondescript concrete façade, featuring a garage door and a heavy glass door emblazoned with her logo, belies what’s inside.

Opalinski has transformed half of the interior into a bright, cheery mini-showroom featuring examples of her work. Piece after piece of furniture is reborn in her mostly spray paint style, sometimes with modern new hardware, others with the original. Knickknacks adorn many of the pieces. Artwork hangs on the walls.

The space is narrow and long, giving it a feeling of being much larger. If you’re of a certain age, there’s also a nagging sense of being in your grandparent’s house with large, heavy furniture made of real wood and polished to a high sheen, and dainty things your grandmother told you never to touch.

It’s the brightness and boldness of Opalinski’s recreations that stand apart.

Upcycling DIY

Opalinski is mostly self-taught. She has purchased, refurbished and sold two homes in Eden Prairie and is working on a third. She doesn’t have a college degree to provide proof of her capabilities.

“Interior design is something I’ve always loved but I’ve never gone to get my degree,” she said. “And, quite honestly, I don’t know how successful I would be because I see the vision. But other people may not see what I see … so I’m not sure that would be a good path for me. Instead, I find a way to have a creative outlet and do what I do.”

What she does mostly is use a commercial spray paint booth to create her distinct style. “You get a nicer finish,” she said. “More of a smooth factory finish.” She also does some hand painting. But before she does any of that, she repairs and sands the inevitable dings and breakage – including drawer sliders that are broken or out of alignment. She doesn’t claim to be a carpenter, but she has mastered the basics.

A crucial part of her business is acquiring the montage of tables, chairs, desks, buffets, dressers, and more, which are the core of her business.

“I get my furniture from different places,” she said. “I’ve gotten it from Facebook Marketplace. I’ve gotten it from estate sales. I’ve gotten it from auctions. I’ve had it donated by people who have, you know, mom and dad or grandma and grandpa’s furniture and they know it’s not desirable in the state it is in and want to get rid of it.”

Some regret having divested themselves of furniture after seeing what Opalinski could have done with it. “I have some people who see what I do and they’re like, we shouldn’t have gotten rid of that furniture. We should have brought it to you.”

Opalinski also will work with clients on custom upcycling projects. “You don’t have to buy the furniture from me,” she said. “If you have furniture that you want updated, I will do that as well.”

During a tour, Opalinski points to the back of her workshop. “The magic happens in this back little corner,” she said, admitting that it’s a bit messy. “I joke with people I am the epitome of that Taylor Swift song (‘It’s Me, Hi, I’m the Problem, It’s Me’), when you look back here at all my furniture. But I love when I find these unique pieces. And I can’t say no when the price is right.”

From Jersey to EP

Opalinski was born and raised in New Jersey.

“I came out to the Midwest to go to school at Creighton University (Nebraska),” she said. “My mom is originally from Mankato, so I did have some ties. I’ve lived in Eden Prairie over 30 years now. I’ve raised two children here.”

Opalinski credits COVID-19 for her decision to sell her dog-walking and pet-sitting business of 26 years in 2020. “I had upwards of 25 employees when I sold it,” she said of the business that served the southern suburbs.

“I was ready after 26 years of working 365 days,” she said. “And here I’m now doing it again.”

She spent the last three years caring for her grandson a couple of days a week. Last year, she noticed people refurbishing dressers on social media and decided to try it. “And I fell in love with doing it,” she said. “There’s something very therapeutic about the process. And taking something that maybe was not very desirable and turning it into something that people like and want to put in their home.”

Her two grown sons help out moving the heavy stuff. That’s important because the owners of some of the items she buys – or even gets for free – want it gone fast.

Upcycling vs. recycling

“One of my sons is very environmentally conscious,” Opalinski said. He composts in the kitchen and in the yard. She put the kibosh on that in her home and yard. “We have enough wildlife, I don’t need more wildlife,” she said. But her concession came when she saw furniture being saved online.

“I thought, hey, I could do that,” she said. “And I could do my little share of keeping things out of landfills. So that was a big reason why I started doing this.”

Opalinski often purchases her future beautiful furniture at auctions – all online. “I never go to an auction,” she said with a laugh. “You’ll stand in line for two hours just to get in.”

Instead, she buys pallet-mounted lots to get a couple of pieces she likes. During unpacking, she admits she finds some junk, but she also finds diamonds-in-the-rough that she has stored in her backroom – planting pots, pillows, artificial plants, you name it. She welcomes her customers to browse.

It’s that crossing of recycling and upcycling that she loves. So, what’s the difference?

“Recycling is just like, you had it, now I’m using it,” and that’s a good thing, she said.

“Upcycling is taking something that was either previously owned or something you had and turning it in to something new, a little nicer, a little prettier, a little more useful.”

Opal Upcycled and Recycled Home Furnishings is open Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays, from noon to 5 p.m. Otherwise, visits can be scheduled by appointment at opalupcycle@gmail.com. You can visit the store’s Facebook page here.