Boutique ‘saving the earth one piece of furniture at a time'

WALTON COUNTY — For the past two years, Tony and Marisol Gullo have been taking neglected chairs, headboards and dressers and giving them new life.

“Nothing makes us happier than when we find a reclaimed piece of furniture and we turn it into a treasure,” Tony told The Log.

The Santa Rosa Beach couple runs the new Shabby Chic Boutique located at 3906 Emerald Coast Parkway near Shoo Mama’s Seafood Bar and Grill. The Gullos call themselves ‘furniture artisans.’ They find disused or antique pieces and refurbish them with layers of paint and seal to give them a coastal living feel.

“We’re lucky to live in a pocket of the country that makes what we do possible,” Tony said. “We couldn’t do this in Las Vegas because there isn’t enough history there.”

Tony and Marisol spent nearly a decade in the construction business as residential and commercial paint contractors, but their passion has always been in art.

‘When things hit the fan and the market fell apart, we decided we were going to hang up our construction boots and do the furniture thing full time,” Tony said. ‘We built a big three story house. Each floor is 1,500 square feet, so we decided to clear the entire bottom floor and put all our pieces there.”

For more than a year, the Gullos operated a business out of their home, but over time they outgrew the space and decided to take it to the next level.

Since opening the store about a month ago, “we’ve been received very warmly and gotten a lot of positive feedback,” Tony said.

In addition to the vintage look of shabby chic, the Gullos also do pieces in French provincial style.

“That’s where we get a lot of our inspiration and we try to emulate that look,” Tony said. “We want our pieces to look like they came out of a château in 18th century France.”

After layers of paint, Tony and Marisol seal the pieces with a wax so the wood will have more of a natural finish. They use all water-based products without any harsh chemicals to reduce their carbon footprint.

“We’ve always considered ourselves environmentalists,” Tony said. “We feel it’s not only our privilege but our responsibility.”

“Our motto is that we’re saving the earth one piece of furniture at a time,” Marisol added.

Tony travels as far as Apalachicola, Mobile, Ala., and Georgia in search of furniture history. For him, that is the hardest part of his job.

“The pieces have to speak to me before I invest time, emotion and energy into them. I probably turn away 90 percent of the pieces.”

Every piece of furniture is one of a kind. Shabby Chic Boutique also sells accessories, lamps, candleholders and other home décor. Prices range from $100 to $6,000. For more information, visit shabbychicboutique.com or call 850-419-3976.

“Our goal isn’t to be the biggest and the best, but just the best we can be.”