About me

Hi my name is Gail and thank you for visiting my blog Funk-i-fy.  They say necessity is typically the mother of invention; in this case I would say frustration is what created the flame which became Funk-i-fy.

My background in interior design started at Moore College of Art and continued at the University of Philadelphia. I initially worked for a residential interior design firm in the Bucks County,Pennsylvania area.   Looking to expand my knowledge and challenge my existing skills I went to work with a high end custom home builder.  It was here that I fueled my desire to learn as much as possible about the designing/building process of a home.  I worked with clients from the inception of the homes' architectural plans all the way through to selecting all materials needed to complete the project. These selections included exterior stone, roof, siding, kitchen & bath cabinetry, custom designed built-ins, schematics of specialty rooms (wine cellars, home theaters, gyms & saunas), plumbing fixtures, tile, paint colors, landscape... and many many more (it's crazy how many decisions need to be made in building a custom home).  Helping my clients bring their desires to fruition really  resonated with me.  I realized there was an art to creating/building something comfortable, strong and still interesting to live in. 

I learned from these experiences that this was where my passion and talents lay so I decided to start my own interior design firm.  Following an initial home consultation to determine what exactly my clients are hoping for, I create a home plan to help them visualize different design options.  These plans could include re-purposing existing furniture, re-painting spaces adding items, all essentially changing the personality of a home.

Following this initial design phase of a project I would begin the hunt for the necessary pieces.  At times I became frustrated while trying to find pieces of furniture that would work within my clients budgets.  I found that many new pieces of good quality and unique design were overpriced.  But affordable pieces were typically poorly constructed out of inferior materials.  Realizing that what worked for me in my home, could address the concerns I felt for my clients.  I had been up-cycling and re-purposing furniture for myself and family members for years so I looked around with a new purpose!  Find furniture that has unique lines; strong craftsmanship; intriguing qualities; but hidden beneath neglect and misuse.  I adopted the vision of a sculptor, looking for pieces that I could coax into something new, something fresh, bring back to life. By stripping down, re-surfacing, re-painting, re-purposing, I was ultimately revealing the hidden beauty and personality within.  These reborn creations called for new names, hence the Caffrey's, Isabel's, Twiggy's and Pippa's.

And Funk-i-fy caught fire.

Thank you for finding out a little bit about me, I hope you enjoy my blog.

Gail