Furniture created by Gabe Helton, owner of Virginia Vintage Interiors.
Gabe Helton, owner of Virginia Vintage Interiors, turned from opera to painting and refinishing furniture. His family introduced him to the practice.
“My mother inherited my Granny’s dining suite, but I didn’t like the finish. I had worked in my younger years as a house painter and was already very comfortable painting. We decided I should try to refinish it, and the results were great. I had recently moved back to Abingdon after working on a Performer’s Diploma in Opera from Indiana University. I decided to create a business out of refinishing, first called The Distressed Gentleman, and later rebranded to Virginia Vintage Interiors. I’ve come a long way since that first project almost 6 years ago.
“Older furniture has so much character and quality, often buried under years of wear and tear or dark finishes. The right paint, stain and hardware can give it a whole new life. Most pieces people bring to me to refinish have a lot of sentimental value, and my clients are always so happy to see their special pieces with an updated look.
“Some pieces have a great wood grain, so I choose to sand down and refinish certain parts like the drawers or the tops of dressers. I try to reuse the original hardware, if possible, which also informs the colors I choose. The popular colors now are neutrals like whites, grays, blues, and black. But occasionally, I choose a louder color like teal or red,” he says.
To refinish a piece, he starts by cleaning all the surfaces with soap and water. He then makes repairs such as filling holes or patching veneer. After sanding, he primes and paints the pieces and adds a top coat.
“We have moved to appointment only operations during the stay-at-home time. Customers can still drop off or pick up pieces, but we have kept our retail store closed. The bulk of our business is our custom service, so we have been able to continue working on those pieces.
“We will be implementing more changes as the summer begins, so be sure to follow our social media pages for updates,” he says.
About Gabe Helton
Helton, baritone, is a native of Abingdon, Virginia. He resides in Bristol, Virginia. He holds a Bachelor of Music in voice from North Carolina School of the Arts where he studied with Derek Lawrence, James Allbritten, Marilyn Taylor and Marion Pratnicki. He entered the Performer’s Diploma program at Indiana University Jacob’s School of Music where he studied under Virginia Zeani and Timothy Noble.
Known for his warmth and power, Helton’s operatic credits include the title role in “Eugene Onegin” and leading roles in “Die Fledermaus,” “Faust,” “Der Rosenkavalier,” “Don Giovanni,” “Merry Wives of Windsor,” “Cavalleria Rusticana,” “Pagliacci,” “La Boheme,” “Die Zauberflöte” and “The Merry Widow.” He has performed with Brevard Music Center, Piedmont Opera, Indiana University Opera Theater and North Carolina School of the Arts. Helton’s concert credits include Brahms’ “Requiem,” Mozart’s “Requiem,” “Messiah,” Bruckner’s “Requiem,” Berlioz’s “Requiem,” Saint-Saëns’ “Requiem,” Fauré’s “Requiem” and Verdi’s “Requiem.”
Upon completion of the Performer’s Diploma in 2012, Helton moved back to his hometown and opened the furniture refinishing shop, The Distressed Gentleman with his wife, Rachel Helton. As the business grew, they moved to Bristol, Virginia to open the shop on State Street, refinishing hundreds of pieces of furniture with his talent and vision. In 2020, the couple opened Bristol Academy of Music.
Virginia Vintage Furniture’s website is www.virginiavintageinteriors.com.
