Care Guides
What to Know Before Commissioning a Refurbished Piece
From sourcing the right foundation to setting a vision and understanding deposits and timelines — a practical guide to commissioning custom refurbished furniture in Calgary with confidence.
By Kara
Founder & Lead Artisan · Vibrant Vintage Furnishings
Calgary, AB · Jan 2026 · 6 min read
Commissioning a refurbished piece is more like commissioning a painting than buying furniture. It begins with a conversation about your space, your light, and the way you live, and it ends with something refurbished specifically for you and your Calgary home.
The studio asks for photos of the room, the surrounding pieces, and any inspiration that has caught your eye — Pinterest boards, magazine tear-sheets, screenshots, anything. From there, Kara writes a tailored direction covering the foundation piece, the finish palette, hardware suggestions, and a realistic timeline for your approval.
If you do not already have a piece, the studio will source one. Every refurbished dresser, nightstand, buffet, armoire, sideboard, and table that comes through Vibrant Vintage is hand-selected for solid-wood construction, dovetailed joinery, and the kind of bones that justify the refurbishment work to follow.
A 50% deposit reserves your spot in the studio calendar and covers the initial sourcing and prep. The balance is due on delivery, anywhere in Calgary and surrounding areas. Most refurbished pieces take four to eight weeks once the work begins, depending on complexity, finish system, and the season.
What you receive at the end is not a refinished object so much as a one-of-a-kind refurbished furnishing — built to outlast trend cycles, sized for your actual room, and finished to a standard that no mass-market Calgary furniture retailer can match.
About Vibrant Vintage Furnishings
A Calgary refurbished furniture studio
Vibrant Vintage Furnishings is a Calgary-based refurbishment studio specialising in hand-restored vintage furniture — dressers, nightstands, buffets, armoires, sideboards, and dining tables. Every piece is personally sourced from estate sales and farm auctions across Alberta, then refinished in-studio using old-world craftsmanship: hand-sanded surfaces, layered milk-paint and lacquer finishes, restored original hardware, and joinery rebuilt to last another century. Our refurbished furnishings are quietly trusted by Calgary homeowners, designers, and stylists looking for one-of-a-kind solid-wood pieces that anchor a room.
