We were lucky to catch up with Dina Dukhqan recently and have shared our conversation below.

Dina, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

Pieces Reclaimed LLC is a sustainable, woman-owned, small business dedicated to upcycling furniture. We want our clients to Reclaim Pieces that speak to them as unique individuals. I hope that through Pieces Reclaimed, I can help people like me who want to find pieces that fit their style as unique individuals without compromising the quality. I love working with my clients to help them find what they want while taking part in saving our planet!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Hi there, my name is Dina. I’m a wife, a mother of two boys, and a rescue dog named Iris. I live with my family in the DC metro area. Professionally, I have been in global development for more than 20 years. I am also a trained artist. I hold a degree in Fine Arts, specializing in ceramics. For four years, I studied clay and was passionate about clay sculpting. I also have a master’s degree in archaeology. My graduation project focused on studying mosaic images in churches from the Byzantine area in the Levant region. While professionally, I do something completely different, and art has always remained part of who I am and what I do. My job allowed me to work with artisans and women entrepreneurs worldwide. I believe my career in global development enriched my experience as an artist. Exposure to different landscapes, cultures, colors, and traditions trained my eye to see the possibilities in every piece. Allowing me to combine different shapes and colors into beautiful, unique Reclaimed Pieces.

I started upcycling my furniture because I wanted my house to represent me with well-made pieces. I wanted my furniture style to reflect my community and surroundings. I didn’t want to fill my house with cookie-cutter furniture, and we can all agree that old furniture quality is much better than what we get nowadays. Also, did you know that we produce millions of tons of furniture waste annually in America? And the vast majority of it goes to landfills. It was a no-brainer that I needed to put my artistic skills into action and get going with Reclaiming Pieces of furniture.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

A few years ago, I had a bad experience working for a former employer where I believed that I was being discriminated against, and to make things worse, I was fired from that job. I believe the decision to fire me was retaliation for speaking up and trying to do the right thing. This experience took a toll on me and my family, and a few months later, after losing my job, I was diagnosed with PTSD. I started to recycle furniture because I needed something to take my mind off this bad experience and find joy in new things. Soon I had more furniture than I needed and decided to sell some of my stock on social media. I remember the first sale I made when the lady came to my house and bought the three pieces I listed for sale, and she told me your work is a lot better than the other stores where I got my refinished furniture. The fact that she saw me as a furniture store gave me the idea and the confidence that I could start this as a side business.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The joy on my client’s faces or voices when they get their pieces. This is important to me because my business model is based on the concept that I want my clients to own unique pieces of furniture that speaks to them and makes them feel special. Also, knowing that the furniture I upcycle would have ended up in a landfill if not for me gives me pride and makes me happy to see that I took a small part in saving our planet.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://piecesreclaimed.com/welcome
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dukhqandina/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PiecesReclaimedbyDina
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dina-dukhqan-31767343/