Belgian Beauty
When executed with patience and the right solutions, painting a chair’s upholstery can be as successful as painting its frame. By mixing a textile medium with latex paint and lightly sanding between thoroughly dry coats, Jilly, of the blog Jilly & Mia, created a pair of functional, wipe-down kitchen chairs with a hip, laid-back Belgian vibe.
Jilly & Mia Blog
PVC Glam
Epic DIYer Mandi Gubler of Vintage Revivals saw decorative value in a budget-friendly length of PVC pipe, which she proceeded to cut into half-inch slices and used to decorate the drawer fronts of a thrifted dresser. The textured array, fixed with a few hits of glue and dressed in several coats of Krylon Classic White Gloss spray paint, cost little yet made the piece look top dollar.
Related: 5 Things to Do with... PVC Pipe
Mandi Gubler/Vintage Revivals
Baby Beauty
When first-time nesters start planning their charming nurseries, that horsey but functional glider tends to be a major style roadblock. DIY mom Liz Marie, however, took the glider from clunky to funky by painting the frame a sunny yellow and slipcovering the cushions in crisp white cotton.
Related: 5 Things to Do with… Baby Cribs
Liz Marie Blog
Pinwheel Pomp
In Furniture Makeovers (Chronicle Books, 2013), prolific furniture restyler Barb Blair of Knack Studios gets down to business with 30 before-and-afters that celebrate bold painted stripes and other geometrically inclined designs. Case in point: The pinwheel motif, a classic, energetic pattern executed in two or more colors, infuses an old coffee table with lots of zest.
Related: 10 Style-Setting Coffee Tables You Can Make Yourself
j. Aaron Greene for Furniture Makeovers/Chronicle Books
Made in Shade
A new paint job can take years off an outdated piece. Just witness how Barb Blair used a graduated Creamsicle palette to rejuvenate an old-fashioned, unremarkable chest of drawers. The ombre effect lends itself well to a piece with three or more drawers—the result ends up looking much like a giant paint chip—and requires little paint per drawer. This striking chest made the cover of Furniture Makeovers.
Related: Dressing Up the Dresser: 11 Clever DIY Transformations
j. Aaron Greene for Furniture Makeovers/Chronicle Books
Twin Bed Transformation
Artist Lesli DeVito of My Old Country House scooped up a pair of twin beds for $25 and slated them for her teenage daughter’s bedroom makeover. With a coat of soft gray paint and a vibrant printed fabric, DeVito turned the traditional sleepers from grandma to gorge. The completed room went on to win the Washington Post’s Kid's Room Contest.
Related: Sweet Dreams: 10 Inventive Beds You Can Make Yourself
My Old Country House
The Blues
For ombre enthusiast Meagan Tucker from Estuary Design, this chest of drawers (dubbed Tallulah, meaning “leaping water”) was an experiment in the shaded effect. Rather than run the color vertically as the drawers might dictate, rebel painter Tucker forged her own path across the vintage piece, using random, spiky brushstrokes that call to mind a mod flame-stitch vibe. She then outfitted the piece with bone knobs, which really pop against the blues.
Related: Believe It or Not: 9 Incredible Faux Finishes You Can Do Yourself
Megan Tucker from Estuary Designs
Herringbone Hurrah
Textured by BB guns in the '60s and camouflaged by sponge-painting in the '90s, a family hand-me-down finally earned heirloom status in the able hands of third-generation Beja of Howdy Honey. After stripping the decorative finish, Beja taped off a herringbone pattern and selectively colored in with Annie Sloan chalk paint, creating a design that preserves the spirit of the piece's adventurous past.
Cara Cooper for Howdy Honey
Size Matters
Sometimes a furniture makeover is simply a matter of rethinking proportions. For example, when Julie Holloway’s client pined for a unique coffee table, the Milk & Honey Home designer countered with an upsized proposal: repurpose a butcher’s table. This solid wood piece, imbued with nostalgia and a lovely patina, just needed a little taken off of the legs to fit its new spot.
Related: 11 Ways to Use Salvaged Wood in Your Home
Jennifer Kesler for Milk & Honey Home
Shelve It
Julie Ryan envisioned a new life for an old steamer trunk and enlisted her husband to help turn the neglected behemoth into a useful corner bookshelf. Once the outside was cleaned and the inside gutted, they lined it with ticking, fit it with shelves, and screwed on cute little feet—and, in the end, earned bragging rights to an unusual, repurposed DIY creation.
Related: 5 Things to Do with… Old Barrels
Less Than Perfect Life of Bliss
Outdoor Oomph
Taking cues from classic red-and-white patent spectator pumps, designer Cheryl Maeder of Gardenhouse Decor turned a shapeless settee into a chic, tailored perch. The aluminum frame, stripped and sealed, now has an industrial appearance, and the cushions, dressed in a spiffy symphony of outdoor and marine-grade vinyl, are sure to weather years of trends.
Related: Outdoor Storage: 10 Smart Solutions for Your Deck, Porch, or Patio
Cheryl Maeder for Gardenhouse Decor
For More...
If you are interested in more DIY projects, consider:
Believe It or Not: 9 Incredible Faux Finishes You Can Do Yourself
Weekend Projects: 5 Ways to Make Your Own Rug
5 Things to Do with… Cardboard Boxes
Don't Miss!
If you have the money to hire a handyman for every household woe, go ahead. But if you want to hang on to your cash and exercise some self-sufficiency, check out these clever products that solve a million and one little problems around the house. Go now!
