When remodeling a kitchen, many homeowners search for new cabinetry that’s nice, won’t break the bank, and is sustainable. Juliann and David Berens have an alternative: To help local homeowners reduce their carbon footprint while upgrading their homes, this mother-and-son duo founded ReFind Kitchens.

The year-old company aims to use repurposed cabinetry in their designs without compromising the look or function. The company expertly deconstructs countertops, cabinets, and any other basic kitchen items that can be reused later. Once removed, ReFind Kitchens cleans the items and displays them in its showroom. There, people aren’t just buying a slab of concrete or a cabinet here and there; they’re buying a whole luxury kitchen, but at the fraction of the price and environmental damage.
“Sustainable building has been in our lives for a long time,” David Berens told Remodeling. “My mom had her own green design firm, JB Interiors, from 1998 to 2014 and helped establish the Tucson chapter of the Southern Arizona Green Building Council.”
David watched his mother tackle waste for years by visiting various project sites with her before he ever thought he’d start a business out of it. “Waste has always bothered me; my fifth grade invention project was a souped-up recycling bin,” he says. “The construction waste I saw later was no different.”
ReFind Kitchens started when David stumbled across companies refurbishing products in their necks of the woods. Organizations like Habitat for Humanity do similar work and allow homeowners to donate kitchen items. However, these organizations often have specific requirements that are burdensome to the homeowner. Berens and his mom wanted to alleviate that burden by doing everything from start to finish, at no additional hassle to the remodeling homeowner.
Taking inspiration from companies such as Green Demo in New Jersey and Stardust in Arizona, using Juliann’s expertise in the field, and fueling his own passion for sustainability, David says the two created “something new: luxury and zero waste design under one roof.”
ReFind Kitchen did its first deconstruction last November. The process begins by calling designers and contractors the company has established relationships with in the community.
“Usually they send us photos and we’ll go over and evaluate the condition and see what might cause us some headache,” David says. “Is the countertop adhered to a subtop? How is it glued?’ When we do the job, we schedule a time [for deconstruction], and bring in a crew and then that crew, with some supervision from me, removes the cabinetry and appliances and countertop.”
One of ReFind Kitchens’ most interesting projects to date was deconstructing a 1957 kitchen. The 20-pieces of Atomic mid-century steel cabinetry were sandblasted and powder coasted. They are waiting to be installed in a historian’s new tickle-me-pink kitchen.
