ANN ARBOR, Mich. – A few weeks ago, the Furniture Bank of Metro Detroit launched the Furniture Flip Challenge, a contest encouraging people to transform old furniture into something new while supporting families in need. After that story aired, a woman in Ann Arbor reached out with a similar initiative.
Inside LullCo Design Studio in Ann Arbor, creativity and community come together. The studio welcomes anyone -- whether experienced in furniture flipping or not -- to get support and bring their ideas to life.
Kymmburleigh Clark, owner of LullCo Design Studio, is making it easier for people to create or restore furniture, even if they lack tools, knowledge, or space at home.
“We have everything you need, like hand tools, power tools. There are a lot of specialty tools and furniture fabrication and restoration equipment that are expensive and difficult to get, and it takes a lot of money to put into, like buying all of these materials to be able to do this from home,” Clark said.
LullCo Design Studio opened in February. During the week, Clark designs and builds furniture and fixtures. The studio also offers services where people can hire someone to make or restore furniture, or they can rent studio space to do it themselves.
Some people come with a clear vision, while others seek a fresh start. For Clark, it’s about more than furniture -- it’s about building confidence and community.
“I will go through and set every person up with a step like, take it one step at a time. You don’t have to understand all the bells and whistles right away. We walk them through one step at a time, until the picture starts to build itself for them, and then they understand,” she said.
On weekends, Clark offers classes on furniture flipping and teaches virtual classes across the country, building community both in person and on social media. She has nearly 50,000 followers on TikTok.
“I want to use every opportunity I have to give back to the community, and I can only do it within the realms of like, what I do with my time and space, and so this is it,” Clark said. “This is my answer to that.”