Read my experience of an internship in the Frenchic world!
Hi, I'm Milja, a student of the professional degree in business and I was doing an internship at Frenchic Paint® Finland at the end of 2023, completing a marketing communication internship.
Working at Frenchic was creative, inspiring and rich work. I got to do a lot of different things, the most memorable of which is shooting and editing videos. This is probably because it became my favorite thing to do! I got to use my own creativity and I got to make a lot of content that looked like me.
I found a good common ground with my instructor Minna right from the start and I was really inspired by her. Minna gave the idea and I implemented it in my own style. One of the most important aspects of my internship is that I was able to work a lot according to my own style, and I didn't have to stick to a certain mold. I also got to let my own creativity blossom. Thank you very much for this.
I have learned an incredible amount during this short, but even more valuable journey. And that's what we all do here, we learn all the time. I was able to develop the skills that were important to me, but I also had to go into areas of discomfort, without which you cannot develop.
On the verge of a new hobby
The internship also inspired me to be braver and through that I also found a new hobby for myself, namely painting!
So I got excited to try painting myself and painted the children's highchairs again. The worn and shabby chair became just like new! In addition, I got a unique color for the chair, which cannot be found in ready-made furniture. On a positive note, I was also surprised by how smooth the finish was. Of course, I had already read experiences and customer feedback about this on the website, but I was still surprised when I got to try it myself. The coverage of the paint was also really good.
The children's highchairs I painted used to be black and white, but despite the big difference in the color of the base, both got a nice even surface, and only 3 layers of paint were needed. Since it was children's Dining Table chairs, the quality of the paint plays a big role and it must withstand rubbing and wiping. Now with several weeks of experience, I can say that the quality is really good!
How much did the paint cost?
I used Frenchic's Trim Paint series for the children's chairs and a 500 ml jar cost 26 euros. For three layers of paint on two chairs, it only took a measly 250 ml of paint!
The adequacy of the paint was therefore absolutely incredible. At the end of this paint, I thought I would paint the small chest of drawers in the kitchen for craft supplies, so that the final paint wouldn't go to waste.
I was totally blown away by this. I noticed how easy it was to paint furniture and I started looking at our whole home with new eyes. I had thought before that old and repainted furniture is not suitable for modern interior design, but rather things suitable for interior decoration of old houses, but this very soon turned out to be a false belief.
New colors for my home and considerations in interior design
Previously, our home was dominated by black, white and gray, so I began to miss colors. At first I thought about smaller projects, such as the bedside table, and soon I started to miss color for the walls as well. The wonderful yellow Honeycombe, the fresh green Irish Dance and the dark green Black Forest found their way into our interior. Frenchic's color selection is wide, so you can find just the perfect shade for every room.
It didn't take long when just looking at my own home wasn't enough, I started browsing online sales sites, looking for tables, chairs or sideboards to paint. I noticed that the furniture didn't have to be thrown away when the paint surface wore off, but with a little effort, for example, an old chest of drawers could be turned into something incredibly beautiful, and above all, recycling is an environmentally friendly choice.
The whole family also got excited about the use of colors and helped with projects, whatever I could think of. In a family with small children, odorless and non-toxic paint that is suitable for children's toys and furniture is a really important feature. As a mother of small children, I value these things in a paint in addition to durability.
My painting list seems to be endless already, and I would like to paint the children's play kitchen, the soon-to-be-acquired bunk bed and the living room walls next. The kitchen cabinet doors are also on this list and need a new color instead of black and white.
I have started to use bolder colors in the interior and noticed how big an effect the walls of the room have on the whole. I used to think that white walls are the easiest option in interior design, but this was not the case at all. The room immediately got a different atmosphere when the walls also came to life with the new paint finish. I get a lot of inspiration from Frenchic communities, where I get tons of ideas, and I see different colors in practice.
Look at my social media! During my internship, I also created my own portfolio on Instagram, which you can follow here and see e.g. my painting projects in the form of videos!
