Bringing life to your old furniture may seem like a daunting task and coming up with your own ideas for up-cycling may seem creatively intimidating, but these 10 ways to up-cycle furniture may inspire you to start your next DIY project.
1. Mid-century nightstand makeover
Source: The Weathered Door
Just adding some paint and polish give these nightstands a sleek modern look. And speaking of paint, search in your area for local paint recyclers. Paint care is a good starting point.
2. Hanging shelf
Source: The Budget Decorator
Making your own DIY hanging shelf can be as easy as adding dividers to an old drawer and hanging it on your wall.
3. Rocking-chair turned chair swing
Source: Futurist Architecture
This chair-to-swing conversion is a perfect whimsical addition to your back or front yard.
4. Kitchen island filing cabinet
Source: Curbly
Great for both the kitchen or the patio. An affordable alternative to a kitchen island.
5. Repurpose vintage drawers into a side table
Source: Recyclart
Simply add legs and this vintage drawer transforms into a functional and stylish side table for your living room.
6. Easy dresser up-cycle
Source: 100 Things 2 Do
An effective up-cycle can be as simple as a few coats of paint and some new drawer pulls.
7. Reupholster your chair or couch
Source: Home DIY
Although reupholstering may be a job best left to a professional, it will transform the look of any chair or couch.
8. Dresser to a wine bar
Source: Pinterest
This dresser to wine bar conversion is as simple as removing some drawers and adding a place to store your wine.
9. Staining furniture
Simply sanding and restaining any type of furniture brings new life to the wood while also giving it a vintage look.
10. Adding legs to your credenza
Source: A Ray of Sunlight
Adding legs to your credenze, although a simple addition, can make an old and boring dresser look modern and fashionable.
11. Changing drawer fronts
At Norse, you can find four different drawer front designs, in four different colors which match the various IKEA Malm dressers, and nightstands. It takes a screwdriver and a few minutes to change the look of a dresser completely.
Upcycling can be as simple as making a cosmetic change to aging furnishings, or as creative as introducing an entirely new purpose or functionality to that object. Think outside that boxy furniture and see if you can breathe new life and utility into that aging or broken item.
Having something in your living space that you worked on not only keeps things out of landfills, but it can also make for a great conversation starter when you have company over. Look around you and see if anything is calling out to be upcycled. Happy making!
You might also like: Smart ways to dispose of your old furniture
Author: Stephanie Hwang
Main Image Source: Alexandra Gorn