Drab Rehab
A splash of paint instantly elevated this dated dresser into a modern masterpiece. To draw focus to the piece, this DIYer gave it legs—literally—by using a jigsaw to create custom curved legs from salvaged wood. She then mounted the legs to the dresser supports to complete the transformation.
Related: 11 Budget DIYs for an Instantly Better Bedroom
Golden Opportunity
When a bland bedside table was bequeathed to this blogger, she turned it into a gilded nailhead table for the entryway. First she sanded, primed and painted her hand-me-down table. Then, by adding gold tacks around the trim and into the drawers, and affixing golden knobs to the drawer fronts, she gave it the Midas touch for a bargain.
Related: 10 Ways to Make Office Supplies Work Overtime
Cut to the Chaise
Style doesn’t have to take a back seat to utility in the home office. This chair got a pick-me-up with a new patterned fabric. Once reupholstered, it's an open invitation to start sitting pretty even while you’re hard at work.
Related: 10 Space-Smart Ways to Squeeze In a Home Office
Garden Variety
Homely kitchen cabinets are now the life of the garden party, all thanks to a whimsical, weatherproof paint. After the addition of beadboard door inserts, glass knobs, and casters, this little unit is ready to get the fun rolling!
Sofa-ri Chic
Don’t uproot battered leather upholstery from your home just yet! This project is proof that by stripping the leather from the sofa, and building a barebones wooden frame to support it, you can assemble a sophisticated sling couch surrounded with faux fur pillows and floor mats for an indoor safari.
Related: A Home You Both Love—12 Solutions for Your Biggest Decor Disputes
True to Type
This vintage typewriter table looked straight of the ‘50s—but not in a good way—until this blogger leveraged the old-timey quality into a timeless accent. A coat of chalk paint followed by two coats of wax applied to the table is all it took to create this pretty pastel portable desk for the home workspace.
Related: Bob Vila's Best DIY Projects for Beginners
Everything’s Coming up Roses
After scoring a cheap but beat-up stool at a yard sale, this blogger had to figure out a way to restore it. She started by covering the seat with a layer of drop cloth and upholstery batting. Then, she lined the rim of your homemade cushion with pre-made drop cloth rosettes to create a hand-woven look with top-dollar appeal.
Related: Weekend Projects—5 Cool DIY Stools
Dresser Upper
You can’t reverse time, but you can reverse the damage it has wreaked on an old dresser. In a former life, this old wooden dresser was painted white and green. But with a little reverse engineering, a savvy DIYer rejuvenated weary drawer faces and restored the dove-tail joints for easy opening and closure.
Related: 11 Totally Unexpected Uses for IKEA Furniture
Top-Drawer Quality
Are your snooze-worthy bedside tables keeping you up at night? Take a cue from these awe-inspiring multi-tier cabinets. Pre-cut and stained timber cladding was affixed to the table front and sides, and timber feet to the base. Then decorative antique bronze hardware and labels were added for a studious look.
Related: 8 Nightstands You Don't Need to Buy
All Over the Lace
Someone turned the tables on an old coffee table with an eye-catching pattern. Lace was laid over the tabletop, then peeled away to reveal a striking floral motif that's sure to attract attention.
Related: Cure Your Cabin Fever with 20 Easy Paint Projects
Metal of Honor
A rusty metal table made for an ugly beginning—but a beautiful end—to this end table makeover. Glued up with stained wood planks on the top and middle shelves, this rickety cast-off became a mobile marvel.
Related: 15 Lazy Ways to Make a Big Change in Your Home
No-Drop Zone
This dreamy dresser is makes a splash in the bedroom—without a single drop of paint. Contact paper was applied to the surface using a squeegee to draw out bubbles. Then, iron-on melamine edge-banding went on around the perimeter for a no-fuss, no-mess finish.
Related: 20 Insanely Easy Ways to Build Your Own Furniture
Take a Stand
Say goodnight to boring bedside dressers! This sleek industrial nightstand is an IKEA dresser disguised in a deep color to create an atmosphere for slumber, making it the ultimate bedside companion for stashing books and beverages.
Related: 10 IKEA Favorites Made Better by a DIY Paint Job
This Old Farm
No need to wait for Father Time to give a new farm table a more charming, lived-in quality. This contemporary piece was refinished to look old by sanding and then dinging the surface with a hammer, distressing the legs for a two-tone finish, and applying antiquing wax to the tabletop for an ageless patina.
Related: 11 Big Ideas for a Small Dining Room
Upholstery with the Most
A regular fixture in retro-era homes, off-white patterned couches do little to infuse personality into a modern home. This set transformed into timeless furniture accents with several coats of a combination of textile medium and acrylic paint.
Related: Reinvent Your Furniture with 9 Colorful DIYs
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!
