How to Add New Life to Tired Furniture

Stylish furniture can come with a premium cost, and when you are starting with your first or second apartment nice furniture doesn’t always fit the budget. Hitting up the local thrift stores and yard sales is a great way to obtain sturdy furniture at a fraction of the cost of buying it new, but it may not look like new. Below are some fun ideas on how to spruce up old pieces of furniture to breathe new life into your home’s decor.

Step 1. Find pieces of furniture that you like. A good rule of thumb is to look for pieces with similar styles or color patterns to coordinate the pieces together. For example, if you have a round coffee table look for round side tables with a similar look to achieve a cohesive design.

Step 2. If your acquired furniture pieces are looking a bit tired, give them a facelift with a fresh coat (or six) of paint or stain to make them look shiny and new again. This may take some time and a lot of elbow grease, but it is well worth it in the end. You can use a bright color to make the piece stand out.

Optional: Go over your fresh paint job with a piece of sandpaper to add a modern, distressed look to the piece. People pay good money for furniture to come looking pre-worn, why pay for it when you can do it yourself?

Step 3. Decorate, Decorate, Decorate!

Here is the final step. Decorate your bookcase, office desk, or other piece of furniture to add a modern flair. The sky, your wallet, and your imagination are your only limits! Here are some ideas to get you started!

Stencils

Stencils aren’t only for school children anymore! Visit your local home improvement store or hobby store to find an intricate stencil that you like. Then simply tape the stencil to the piece of furniture and paint on your design. Wait for the paint to dry, remove the tape and stencil, and you have an amazing work of art to display on the side of your furniture.

Wallpaper

Who says you can’t add a bit of color or patterns to boring wooden furniture? Remove the shelves on your bookcase and wallpaper the back with your favorite colorful design, then put it all back together for a unique decorative look. This idea is also great for a linen closet, bedroom closet, or really anything with shelves.

Decoupage

Use this innovative decorative technique to create an awesome looking collage on shelves, end tables, or any other piece! The decoupage process involves taking pictures, pieces of paper, or even cut-outs of magazines or comic books and gluing them onto furniture. You then go over the paper several times with varnish to protect the paper from harm while keeping them securely in place. Go online for more details.

Word Carving or Wood Burning

If you have the skills, or know someone who does, this old-fashioned decorating idea is perfect for decorating furniture pieces, wooden picture frames, or other wooden artwork in your home. You can also hire someone to do the work for you, but that may be costly depending on the extent of the work you want done to your piece.

Stick on Tile, Brick, Wood, or Stone

Are you in love with shiny tile, sophisticated brickwork, rustic looking wood, or even modern looking stone? You can use faux veneer or stick-on tile pieces to create a textured appearance to the back of your bookcase, wine cabinet, or other surface. This idea may be a bit more costly, but may be worth it for a piece you intend to keep around for a long time.

Remember, there is no wrong way to decorate your home as long as you are happy with the end result. You can always find inexpensive shelves and small furniture pieces online for a great discount so you don’t have to worry about sprucing up your furniture, only making it your own with some decorating.