Repinned Upholstery & Restoration

10/13/2026

Teaching a team gives purpose. Building a legacy means giving that knowledge room to grow. 💚

Meet the Repinned team: Riana, founder; Justin, master craftsman; and Morgan, apprentice.

Today, I stepped out to speak at Lincoln High School while Justin and Morgan kept our clients’ projects moving forward. Being able to do that reflects the time I’ve invested in training my team—sharing skills, explaining the why, and building confidence to take ownership of the work.

This photo captures more than a beautifully renewed chair. It captures the people helping carry this craft into the future.

I’m proud of what we create together, and even prouder of the growth behind it. Furniture renewal preserves stories. Teaching preserves the knowledge that makes it possible.

—Riana, Founder of Repinned Upholstery & Restoration

10/13/2026

Coming together beautifully!

10/13/2026

Today I got to be on the other side of the questions—interviewed by Lincoln High School’s journalism class about entrepreneurship. 🎤

At their age, I was certain I would pursue law enforcement. I never imagined I’d become an upholsterer, start Repinned, establish a Registered Apprenticeship, or build a technology company through Renewabl.

Looking back, I can see how each chapter gave me knowledge I would use in the next—even when I couldn’t see where it was leading.

That’s what I hope young people take from my story: you don’t have to map out your entire future today. Stay curious. Learn a skill. Pay attention to the problems around you. Give yourself permission to change direction.

Thank you to the students and their teacher for inviting me to share my journey. Journalism and entrepreneurship have something meaningful in common: asking questions can open up possibilities we hadn’t considered.

10/13/2026

It gets messy before it gets pretty!

10/13/2026

I’m proud to be a new member of WithIt—the Women’s Leadership Development Network! 💙💚

My journey through upholstery, entrepreneurship, and technology has reinforced how much we can accomplish when we share knowledge and support one another.

Through Repinned Upholstery & Restoration and Renewabl, I’m building infrastructure for the furniture-renewal economy: connecting craftsmanship, technology, sustainability, and neuroinclusive workforce development.

I’m excited to connect with women across the home and furnishings industries, learn from their experiences, and contribute to conversations about leadership, apprenticeship, and the future of our work.

To my upholstery friends: I’d love for you to join me! Our craft belongs in the conversations shaping the future of home furnishings. We bring expertise in materials, design, restoration, small business, and passing skills to the next generation.

WithIt offers opportunities for networking, mentoring, education, and leadership development. Let’s build connections beyond our workrooms, share what we know, and help more people understand the value of our craft.

Learn more and join: https://withit.org/join/

Here’s to new connections and shared possibilities!

10/13/2026

I’m taking the TEDx stage—and I’d love to have you in the room.

On November 14, I’ll speak at TEDxAmes in Ames, Iowa, sharing:

“Are We Throwing Away More Than Furniture?”

For thirteen years, I’ve worked with furniture people thought was finished. Beneath worn fabric, I often find something worth saving: quality, craftsmanship, history, and possibility.

But what happens when we lose the people who know how to renew it?

My talk explores what we discard alongside furniture—and why preserving skills, passing on knowledge, and seeing potential matter to our collective future.

This journey began in my community, one project and one person at a time. Your support helped bring me here. I’d be grateful to share this next chapter with you.

🎟️ Get tickets:
https://www.tedxames.com/
Select “Get Tickets.”

🤝 Become an event sponsor:
https://www.tedxames.com/partners

Businesses and individuals can help support the stage, speaker preparation, recording, and audience experience—with sponsorship and in-kind opportunities available.

Come for the ideas. Stay for the conversations they start.

details and sponsorship opportunities verified on the official TEDxAmes website.

A new TEDx stage is coming to Ames. On November 14, 2026, 100 people will gather around one idea: nothing alive stays alive without renewing itself. Original talks, real conversation, and ideas ready to travel beyond Iowa.

10/11/2026

Would you have walked past this chair?

Sometimes the biggest obstacle to furniture renewal is imagining what comes next.

That dated fabric can make it hard to see the shape, the character, and the possibilities underneath.

With Renewabl, a photo and a fabric choice become a preview of what’s possible. Take it one step further and see the renewed pieces in a room—before committing to the transformation.

Swipe through: the secondhand find → the fabric → the upholstery visualization → the room concept.

These are digital previews. The craftsmanship comes next.

Helping customers see the possibilities helps artisans start the conversation—and gives existing furniture another chance.

10/10/2026

10/09/2026

Those arms tell a story. Years of settling into a favorite chair eventually wore right through the leather.

For its next chapter, we traded the worn leather for a rich crimson velvet, keeping the familiar shape while giving it a whole new feel. Look at how beautifully that color brings out the clean lines and tailored piping. ❤️

When you’ve found a chair you love sitting in, it’s worth exploring what it could become.

Have a favorite piece showing its age? Send Repinned Upholstery & Restoration a few photos, and let’s talk about its possibilities.

10/09/2026

I had my first onboarding meeting with the TEDx team today—and the magnitude of this opportunity really sank in.

More than 200 applicants. Eight selected speakers. People traveling from across the country to share their ideas on November 14.

And I get to be one of them.

I feel honored, humbled, excited, and nervous. Because this means more to me than standing on a stage.

For thirteen years, upholstery has been my work, my classroom, and a source of possibility. It changed my life. Now I have an opportunity to help people see what this industry can offer others.

My talk, “Are We Throwing Away More Than Furniture?”, asks us to consider what we lose when we overlook the potential in our furniture—and in people.

The craftsmanship. The knowledge that needs to reach another generation. The people who could discover their abilities through meaningful, skilled work. The possibilities for renewal we haven’t yet learned to see.

Bringing these ideas to a TEDx stage, where they can reach people far beyond our industry, feels like a tremendous responsibility.

I want to do justice to the artisans whose work often goes unseen, and help an audience understand why their skills matter to our future.

There is so much worth preserving. And so much potential still waiting for an opportunity.

I’m grateful to have a chance to tell that story.