NORTHJERSEY.COM ❚ THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2019 ❚ 1H
A SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION OF THE HERALD NEWS
Homescape
Designed for Living:
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attic-added family space.
3H
INTERIOR DESIGN ❚ HOME IMPROVEMENT
Consignment
shop gives
new life
to vintage tools
FURNITURE FACELIFT
Re-Tool is treasure trove
of tools in Pompton Plains
By JOSEPH RITACCO
HOMESCAPE
A
PHOTOS BY JEFFREY STECCATO
The Junk Chick, Cheryl Demartini, creatively upcycles and repurposes vintage furniture for resale, giving it new life
and keeping it from ending up in a landfill before its time. Above, she puts the finishing touch on a “saved” dresser.
‘Upcycled’ furniture is thrifty
alternative to buying new
Repurposing quality pieces can add years of use
By KATHIE ROBITZ
SPECIAL TO HOMESCAPE
W
hether it’s an old family
piece you treasure or a
vintage flea market find,
an upcycled table, cabinet
or chest of drawers can be a thrifty
alternative to buying new while doing
your share for the environment.
These 20th century, mass-produced
and often well-made pieces have
stood the test of time. Today, they
offer quality at a considerable savings.
FLIPPING FOR SALVAGE
“Upcycling furniture has really
become a trend in the last 6 to 7
years,” says Cheryl Demartini, owner
of Junk Chick Designs in Wyckoff.
People see it as a way to save money,
she explains, while being creative and
keeping something out of a landfill.
With a degree in fine arts from
Ramapo College, Demartini has been
working with reclaimed wood, creat-
ing original pieces and repurposing
older ones for the past 20 years.
“I always look at it this way: the
pieces are typically from the 1920s
through the 1960s. If they’ve lasted
that long, they’re going to last another
50, 80 or 200 years. They’re solid
wood front, back, drawers, everything.”
Of course, some old pieces may
be too far gone due to mold or water
damage, but most are salvageable,
says Demartini. “By comparison, a lot
of new pieces are made of particle-
board, not a quality material, but they
cost a lot more.”
Salvaged vintage buffets and dres-
Rescued decor accessories and wood furniture populate the showroom at
Junk Chick Designs in Wyckoff where vintage pieces are upcycled for resale.
sers are Demartini’s top sellers.
“Buffets are versatile because you
can also use them as television
consoles, storage pieces or for reuse
as bathroom vanities because they
are standard counter height, 36 inch-
es. We retrofit a lot of them for that
purpose.”
And it’s no wonder. As Demartini
points out, a piece upcycled as a van-
ity will cost about $400. That’s signifi-
cantly less than something new, which
“you might pay $1,000 to $2,000
[for something comparable],” she says.
In addition to furniture and acces-
sories for sale in her shop, Demartini
also creates custom pieces from
reclaimed wood. “I’ve taken wood
from someone’s grandmother’s
house, for example, and built furniture
from it. Then it becomes a memory
piece. Usually I have the client text
me a picture and tell me what he or
she wants to do. Then, I give them a
quote.”
Most of her customers prefer what
she calls a “rustic modern” style. “The
most popular finish is white, cream,
black, or gray with a stained top. A
stained top is very durable and looks
modern paired with a painted base.
To refinish a buffet, the price can run
between $250 to $325, and take about
two to three weeks to complete.”
See FURNITURE, Page 2H
“lightbulb going on” seems like an appropri-
ate choice of words for a longtime construction
worker who labored alongside plumbers and
electricians — the tradesmen who served as moti-
vation for Ralph DiBuono to open Re-Tool, a Pompton
Plains-based consignment shop that carries new, used and
vintage tools.
DiBuono spent nearly
40 years working in vari-
ous aspects of the con-
struction industry, gaining
expertise in all trades
— and the tools of those
trades. For 20 of those
years, he was employed
at Passaic Valley
Technical Institute in
Wayne, spending 10 years
in the school’s mainte-
nance department and 10
years teaching shop class
to students with special
needs before retiring
this past June. During his Hand saws are among
the vintage tools on consign-
career, he recalled pass-
ment and for sale at Re-Tool.
ing several consignment
shops devoted to toys or clothes on his route to work
and thinking a consignment shop offering only tools could
find its niche in the marketplace.
“I did some research and found one place that did
online consignment of tools,” says DiBuono, “but my store
enables customers to come in and see and touch the tools
they are buying.”
Opened in January 2016, the inventory at Re-Tool runs
the gamut, offering power tools, hand tools, pneumatic
tools (operated by air pressure), seasonal outdoor tools
like weed trimmers, hedge clippers and snowblowers, and
other accessories. “My largest percentage of consign-
ors are people who bring the tool sets of husbands and
fathers who have recently passed away,” says DiBuono.
“Homeowners and workers in the construction business
are my most frequent buyers.”
The response from the public has been so strong, he
adds, that he no longer needs to scour flea markets and
garage sales to re-stock his inventory. “People bring in
20, 30 or 40 tools at once, but the buyers only buy two,
three or four tools at once, so it tends to back up a little,”
he says.
DiBuono’s consignors receive 50 percent of all sales
of $50 or less, and 60 percent of all sales exceeding $50.
“People who bring tools in just want to get rid of them,”
See RE-TOOL, Page 2H
PHOTOS BY JEFFREY STECCATO
Hand and power tools — new and old — and all things tool-
related fill the shelves and racks at Re-Tool in Pompton Plains.
Terracing transforms slopes into tiered landscape
By TERI GATTO
SPECIAL TO HOMESCAPE
A
sloped back or side yard is a
challenge for most homeown-
ers because often it’s just
unusable outdoor space. But
if terraced, that slope can be trans-
formed into a play spot, patio, pool
area, or garden.
In terracing, level, flat areas resem-
bling a series of steps are created
by removing soil from the slope and
stabilizing it, usually through the use
of retaining walls.
An intricate terracing project
requires a number of specialized skills,
such as landscape design and envi-
ronmental conservation, as well as
the ability to engage with contractors,
surveyors, civil engineers and local
zoning officials.
“Homeowners should be aware that
local codes and regulations govern
what can and can’t be done when
considering terracing,” explains Glenn
Jacobsen, founder and president
of Jacobsen Landscape Design &
Construction in Midland Park. “If you
are going to invest in building walls
you should invest in experienced pro-
fessionals to build those walls.”
PARTNERING ON THE DESIGN
Often, people looking to renovate
their homes are inspired by images
they see online or in magazines, but
that’s not always the case.
“If the client does not have an
idea of what they want or cannot
describe what they are looking for, it
is our job to ask the right questions in
order to provide them with options,”
says Rich Cording, Sr., a licensed
landscape architect and founder of
CLC Landscape Design in Ringwood.
“Drawings and 3-D technology allow
See TERRACING, Page 4H
PHOTO COURTESY OF JACOBSEN LANDSCAPE DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION
This patio-enhancing, double-tiered, dry laid wall construction is built with Pennsylvania fieldstone.