By: Angelina Rettenmaier, as told by Heike Burleigh
Starting at a young age, Heike Burleigh was always working with her hands. From the age of three, she would usually be found with either a paintbrush or saw in her hand as she worked with her father, a master carpenter, in the basement of her childhood home in Germany, renovating old pieces into timeless treasures. She had always been more of a tomboy as she tried to be the son her father never had and, as such, tried to apply for trade school for wallpapering and painting but wasn’t accepted, as that was seen as a masculine job. She persevered though and continued learning with her father.
As time went on, the passion remained, though it became dormant due to lack of opportunity. She had moved to the US with her new husband, daughter and newborn son and began life anew here. The marriage didn’t last though, and to push herself through the divorce, she painted beautiful murals on the church walls. Painting has always been therapeutic to her. At home, she transformed a timely armoire she acquired from her grandmother and gave to her children into a like-new piece. The passion swelled in her, and she began working at her craft again. Weekend mornings were spent going from yard sale to yard sale, finding odd furniture pieces here and there that could have life breathed into them and with each piece. She grew more knowledgeable of different techniques to use, what type of paint works well with what and how to add that little detail to make each piece unique. Her craving for perfection guarantees that each piece is crafted professionally while telling a story. Heike can restore anything from a piece of furniture that just needs a more modern touch, to custom pieces, to even the neglected pieces in someone’s shed or garage.
Working out of her home on the kitchen floor, she started by painting and restoring pieces and sold them on Facebook or Swap pages. Soon, she had people donating furniture to her in hopes that, with the knowledge of her craft, Heike would be able to make the pieces beautiful again and bring someone else joy with them. What began as a trickle quickly turned into a job too big for her home, and in July 2014, she started displaying her pieces as a vendor. She is currently at “Antiques and Artisan In Town” and “Antiques and Artisan Village,” both in Summerville, South Carolina, under the name, Re-designed with YOU in Mind, while she creates new masterpieces in her 200 square-foot studio at her house. As the name suggests, the business wasn’t started for the money. She craved to make people happy and loved to see each reaction. She wanted her customers to enjoy their furniture for years to come. However, as of the end of 2015, as her business has grown even more, she began transforming her studio in N. Charleston, South Carolina, gearing up for classes and workshops to begin in March 2016. To add to the excitement, Heike will be partnering with a company called Heirloom Traditions Paint, which will provide 50 colors of paint and 13 different colors of wax and various other tools and finishing products. With such a great start already, it’s hard to think of her not going places.