Showing posts with label Furniture ReDo's. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Furniture ReDo's. Show all posts

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Fun with Refashioned Furniture

Have Fun with Old but Refashioned Furniture
In the quest of creating a warm and cozy home, we're always looking for new ways to freshen up our décor. One of best ways to do that is to take old items inside the house and refashion them into something completely new.
Before throwing old household items away, find new use for them with these awesome repurposing ideas!
Drawers as Open Shelves


Before you get rid of that old desk or dresser, why not take out its drawers first and turn them into shelves. Turning your drawers into open shelves gives you more storage space, while giving those old storage solutions a new purpose.
Grab several drawers and hang them up the wall in any fashion you want, then use them as open shelves for your books, picture frames, and other knickknacks. You can even just stack them on top of one another if you don't have the time to mount them up the wall. And if you want to make your drawer shelves more appealing, you can revitalize them with a fresh coat of paint or varnish to make them look good as new.
Door Turned Headboard


If you've done some major redecorating in your home, you might have taken your door off its hinges. Don't let it gather dust in your garage or basement; instead, repurpose it into your new headboard.
Simply prop up the door on your wall and push your bed against it. You can let it stand as is or repaint it to match the design theme of your bedroom. If you want to go the extra step, you can attach small wall sconces on your new headboard for some lighting for your daily nighttime reads.
Photo Frame Message Board
If you recently switched out your picture frames, don't throw the old ones out just yet. You can use your old photo frames as cute message boards in the kitchen or living room.
Take out the back of the frame (if it still has one), then attach or tie a net with the same size as the photo frame to serve as the "board." You can also paint the frame and the net to add a bit of flair to them. Afterwards, use colored clothespins to serve as note clips. There you have it -- an easy-to-do message board! You can also clip and display family photos here for a more personal touch.
Another cute option for old frames is to turn them into chalk boards. This project is a piece of cake as well. You'll only need some chalk board paint to coat the board of your frame, and you're done!
Mirrored Serving Trays
Large Shabby Mirror Distressed Vintage Cottage Chic Romantic White Wicker AS IS Homco by @AnnClarkInteriors | classic as a wicker chair.
There's always that one old mirror that doesn't fit your décor but you don't want to throw out just yet. Upcycle this odd mirror into a tray to serve drinks with whenever you have guests over.
Any vanity-sized mirror will do as a serving tray. You can even attach handles (old door handles are perfect for this) to your tray to carry plates and glasses with ease. When not in use, you can just hang up your mirror tray in the kitchen or dining room as a display -- a definite perk!
Vamped-up Jewelry Holders
When you have an excess of tiered trays sitting around in your kitchen or china hutch, grab one and take it to the bedroom! The lovely designs on the plates instantly turn a vintage tiered tray into a classy jewelry holder where you can store and display your bracelets and rings. You can also use this tiered jewelry tray as a cell phone and MP3 player holder.
To keep your necklaces tangle-free, you can take an old towel bar from your bathroom and attach shower curtain hooks to it. Hang your necklaces on the hooks to keep them more organized and to let you easily choose which one you're going to wear for the night.
With a little creativity and a bit of enthusiasm, you can turn normal household items into extraordinary décor pieces. Do you have other repurposing ideas for household pieces?
Jennifer Lutz is a home décor enthusiast who writes at http://blog.christmastreemarket.com. She recently published an article on adding a Vintage Touch to your décor, which can be found at http://blog.christmastreemarket.com/2013/08/vintage-home-decor/.

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Repurpose Vintage Decor with Jennifer Lutz

How to Repurpose Treasured Vintage Décor
As a practical home designer, one of the biggest challenges is finding new uses for old home items. Whether the piece you want to repurpose is a family heirloom, a long-forgotten object from the attic or garage, or even a vintage find you came across at a flea market, the wonderful thing about repurposing is that you can preserve the piece's sentimental value while finding the perfect place for it in your home.
In a recent trip to my mom's new house, I discovered some vintage items lying around that could use some sprucing up. They have all definitely seen their fair share of wear and tear over the years, but with some retouching, I'm positive they will be good as new. Here are some of my ideas on how to find new uses for them:
From Vintage Fireplace Grate to Country-inspired Wall Art
If you're short on wall décor, a vintage fireplace grate can be your next wall accent piece. Simply mount the grate on your wall to add a rustic highlight to your home. You can hang the grate on your living room wall to create an interesting focal point, or above your headboard in the bedroom for a more dramatic look.


Rustic Wooden Chest Turned Stylish and Functional Coffee Table
For some reason, I always find myself with limited storage space in my home. This is why items, such as this classic wooden chest, can be considered a godsend due to its potential as a functional and stylish accent piece. With its wide, flat surface, you can turn this wooden chest into an ideal coffee table for your living room or outdoor spaces, while its interior can still be used for storing your kids' toys or books and magazines. You can varnish it, repaint and distress it, or leave it as is for a shabby chic look.


You can also place it at the foot of your bed with a cushion on top, and use it as extra seating in the bedroom plus storage for your blankets and other bed linens.


Antique Storage Trunk to Console Table
For avid collectors of vintage décor, a storage trunk is a definite favorite. With its rusty metal frame and aged wooden exterior, it exudes an antiquated charm like no other.
A great way to use this classic piece in your home is to turn it into a functional console table to display cherished keepsakes or family photos. Just like wooden chests, you can also still use it for storage.


From Vintage Chair to Coat Rack
Chairs are often one of the trickiest pieces of furniture to find new uses for because their frames are specifically made for, well, sitting on. But you don't really need to repurpose the entire thing. You can just focus on using one part of the chair.
I found this project on Facelift Furniture, where they transformed a chair back into a coat rack. Just remove the seat of the chair, and then attach hooks to the base of the back of the chair or to any part of its wooden frame to make it into a coat rack. With this newly repurposed item, you have not only a rack for displaying coats or pots and pans, but also an interesting piece of wall décor.
Old Windows Frame New Art
Create a portal to another world by transforming this detached window into a rustic wall accent. I love this particular item because it preserves a piece of family history and adds visual interest, character, and a bit of texture to the wall.
The large glass panes allow you to display treasured family pictures or pieces of art while the faded wooden frame adds to its vintage aesthetics.


Vintage pieces are always a delight to find. What they lack in novelty, they make up for in elegance. And while thinking up of new uses for them may pose a challenge at first, the chance at preserving a piece of family history makes it all worth it.
Jennifer Lutz blogs about Home Décor and related subjects for www.christmastreemarket.com. She produces the Home Décor 101 series on their blog. The latest article in the series can be found at http://blog.christmastreemarket.com/2013/09/furniture-arrangement/.

Monday, August 19, 2013

A Desk with Style...

A Desk with Style ...For a Stylish Girl...
Of course I'm a WEE-bit partial about the Girl...
She's one of my Grand daughter's! :)
 My Girl...needed a desk for homework...."SHE"S IN COLLEGE"! 
(YES, I am OLD! But still young at heart, I might add! LOL )
 So I found this darling desk at a local thrift store for $35.oo! She need some work, but I loved her STYLE! I had fun making her MORE stylish! I had all of the paint and supplies on hand so...cha-ching...pretty cheap for so much style!
Do you see my little kitty...Reba loves to be in the WAY!
 She was a Plain Jane beige! Inside and Out!!! So... I did a collage on the inside of the drawer with subliminal messages only a Granny can get away with!
Ha-Ha...I CAN be a little sappy sometimes! 
But...."The Grand-Mama" is a little self entitled! HEY, at least I admit it!
I used stickers and postcards, and black and white paper torn into different sizes. And just went a little crazy with FUN!
 I painted the desk with a cream white wash, added stencils in black paint. After that, I antiqued the desk with a walnut stain. Added a little stressing on the corners and finished with a satin clear finish. A light sanding with #4-0 steel wool...and she was done!
 I added a few special numbers...here and there too!
 And she is ready for her new owner...
 I love the fact that she has built in book shelves too!
 My Girl's favorite #..."13" and the family lucky number....
 Graces the inside of the desk lid.
The lighting was off on some of these photos as they were taken late at night!
Sorry....
BUT, She stil looks LOVELY!
Besides all that really matters is the comment from HER new owner...
And I quote;
 "SWEET!"...Thank's Nana...It looks AWESOME!!!
Now that's Style (only a Granny could LOVE)...

Monday, August 12, 2013

My Danish Table...


My Danish Table
I found this very sturdy and well built table at a local thrift store a while back.
I was told it had been put on consignment by a local family dispersing their parents belongings. I love the wide seats and its stable nature. It looks to be a late fifties, contemporary danish style. I could not find a furniture mark of any kind, but you can tell it was fairly pricey piece of furniture for its day.
 I found some beautiful furniture fabric on clearance at Beverly's...It set the tone for my choice of color for the table. A light taupe paint with a dark walnut stain applied on top...finished with a buffed wax.
Resulting in a distressed weathered look!
 It had some "use" but was in excellent shape. This photo was taken at night so the true color is distorted. It was a light blond finish with a heavy grain. I am not sure what type of wood this is....If any one has an idea....I would love to hear it!
I love the extension ends for the tables two extra leaves... very solid.
 A close up of the "BEFORE" finish on the table.
 The chair before I re-padded & recovered. The original color for the seat was an orange, gold and green, large tweed.
 A close up of the original grain.....
 The table after the redo paint/stain combo...
 The padding, and new fabric...
 Finished project
 I love the results...
 She's got Style...
Very happy how she turned out! She looks great in the small kitchen located in my studio...
A Little Country Danish Style...