Oakland Park resident David Buitron, 51, delights in refurbishing furniture that other people don’t want. With repair work and artistic flourish, he turns broken, worn and tossed-out pieces into functional art that he sells at his Wilton Manors shop, Made in the Shade.

Buitron especially enjoys recycling pieces pulled from Dumpsters or left along swales for bulk pickup. ”Anytime you don’t need to cut down a tree to build a piece of furniture is a real cool thing,” he said.

Some of the artist’s designs, such as a curvy countertop with a bead-board front, are built from a mix-and-match blend of items. On a free-standing counter piece, Buitron used shades of green as a backdrop, then hand-painted an orchid tree. He also is happy to incorporate custom elements into pieces, such as the replica of a client’s boat he applied to a table, including the canvas for the Bimini top.

Buitron’s interest in furniture was launched after an auto accident. A former delivery driver, he wanted to pursue work that was more creative and less physically demanding. For a while he hawked his creations at art shows. Then he set up his shop.

Buitron also designs items — he’s particularly fond of Adirondack-style chairs, and often incorporates decorative elements, such as birds, into them. On one, the side pieces are shaped like fish. On another, the middle back slat is topped with a three-dimensional pineapple painted in green and gold. His whimsical three-dimensional accent pieces are made from recycled milk cartons and plastic soda bottles.

And if one particular animal looks especially lifelike dashing around the displays, that’s Cashmere — the bunny often accompanies Buitron to work.

Source : http://www.miamiherald.com