Old furnishings are new again on HGTV’S ‘Renovation Goldmine’
Joe and Meg Piercy are all about empowerment – at least when it comes to home furnishings.
On their Saturday HGTV show “Renovation Goldmine,” the Chicago couple and owners of the successful design and renovation business Megmade show viewers the value of bringing vintage pieces of furniture that they already own back to life as an alternative to buying new.
It’s something they say anyone can do. All it takes is a little imagination and some paint.
“I think one thing that sets our show apart that I love,” Meg says, “is it shows the power of paint and wallpaper and furniture. Whether it’s wallpaper or grabbing a sponge and creating your own cool wall mural, anybody can do this no matter how much money you have.”
“I feel like when it comes to painting a piece of furniture or something like this, there is a very little barrier to entry,” Joe adds. “You get a paint brush, you get a can of
paint and then you’re good to go.”
On the show, the couple revive vintage pieces that their design clients already have in their homes and use the money saved on furniture to give them their dream home renovation. So whether it’s turning a bedroom cabinet into a bathroom vanity or redoing and accentuating a built-in cabinet that might ordinarily be torn out and discarded, the outside-the-box thinking is astounding and the results are eye-popping.
And their talents are certainly complementary. While Meg has an eye for designing the space, Joe has a passion for furniture and finding hidden gems and giving them a facelift and perhaps even a new function. And he isn’t afraid to dicker.
“The thrill of the hunt for him,” Meg says, “is how good of a deal he can get on it. I think for me, it’s more the piece itself. Like if you can get a one-of-a-kind that we’ve never had before like a beautiful hutch or a beautiful buffet, that is where I get really excited. And Joe’s thrill of the hunt is like, ‘Can I get a
really amazing piece for a real (bargain)?’ ”