The Giddy Giraffe - Kim Braddock

When Kim Braddock couldn't find colourful, affordable furniture for her daughter Kate's bedroom, she decided to recycle some old furniture with a new coat of paint and some funky drawer knobs. The finished product was so impressive that Kim was inspired to start painting more furniture, and so The Giddy Giraffe was born.

Beginning with hand painted drawer knobs and wall tiles, Kim expanded into bigger furniture items such as scotch chests and bookcases. Initially she used recycled materials, but as demand grew she began buying quality MDF furniture and spray painting it with Resene colours. The finishing touch: the trademark "hand painted" Giddy Giraffe drawer knobs and design motifs.

Working from home meant that the business could fit around Kate (now 3), as Kim could work during Kate's nap times, and in the evenings, but the business grew so quickly that it became too big to run from home. Kim and her husband Hayden, who handles the business side of things, made the decision to move The Giddy Giraffe out of their garage and into a small warehouse just up the road in Mairangi Bay on Auckland's North Shore.

"It was time to go," she says. "We were turning over 20 sets of drawers and numerous drawer knobs and wall tiles a week, there was no room left in the garage for cars, the table had become and art studio, and the kitchen sink was full of paintbrushes. We needed room to grow."

Demand has increased hugely since the move. Unique visitors to The Giddy Giraffe website have gone from nothing to over 4,000 a month! Kim has also expanded the range of products The Giddy Giraffe offers to include linen and children's clothing, which she sells on behalf of other work-from-home mums.

It's not just the business that is growing either - Kim and Hayden recently welcomed another baby girl, Taylor, and she has slotted right into life at The Giddy Giraffe. To keep up with the growing business, and her growing family, Kim has taken on three staff, and Taylor spends a few hours a week with a friend to give Kim a chance to catch up with work.
"Taylor goes to a wonderful lady who looks after her three mornings a week," says Kim. "and the rest of the time she is with me at work which I love! She's such a good baby that it isn't too bad really, but it'll be a different story once she starts crawling and touching!"

With The Giddy Giraffe showing no signs of slowing down any time soon, Kim continues to look at ways to expand their furniture lines, recently adding children's table and chair sets, head boards and toy boxes to their catalogue.

To check out what The Giddy Giraffe can do for your little one's bedroom, visit www.giddygiraffe.co.nz or email kim@giddygiraffe.co.nz  or phone 09-4795281.