Creative Ways to Give Old Furniture New Life

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Solid wood furniture is hard to come by these days. It’s not something that you should just throw out when you are done with it, no matter the condition. You might have a scratched up bookshelf or a dresser that is missing drawers. Both of those things can be repurposed into an amazing piece of furniture. Here are some common pieces of furniture that can be repurposed into dozens of different things.

Bookshelves

Bookshelves are probably one of the most versatile pieces of furniture that you can find. Whether the bookshelf is large or small, you can turn it into something amazing. For example, if you have a tiny bookshelf, you can do something as simple as adding wheels to the bottom of it. You can turn it into a nightstand, or even into a cart for the bathroom. Purchase some decorative baskets to put on the shelves for organization. You can roll up some wash clothes in one basket. In another basket, put in some extra soaps and lotions. No matter what you might need to store, this is a simple and elegant way to do it. Larger bookshelves have even more options. You can turn the bookshelf on its side so the spaces are vertical. On the bottom of the bookshelf, add some feet. On the top of each space, add a coat hook. They can become spaces for everyone in your home to hang their coat. You can even put a basket on the bottom for people to put their gloves and hat, or you can just use that space for shoes. Another great option is turning it into a command center. Paint one side or add a panel to paint with chalkboard paint. You can add baskets for everyone to put their keys, homework, important papers, and anything else they can’t forget when they leave the house. It keeps the whole family organized.

Chairs

Chairs are small, inexpensive, and easy to repurpose. You can turn a chair into just about anything with the right amount of imagination. For example, if you have two identical chairs that you no longer need, you can turn them into a bench. There are bench projects that are simple to do with three chairs as well. For the two chair one, you take two chairs and face them toward each other. Cut a wooden board that extends from the seat of one chair to the other on each side. Cut a flat board that you lay across both the seats and along the open space between them. This gives you the sides and bottom of the bench. You can make a plain wooden bench, or you sew or purchase a padded bench seat to lay across it. With three chairs, the project is even more simple. You just line up the chairs right next to each other, so the backs are all lined up next to each other. Nail a board across them so they become one piece of furniture with a bench and add a nice bench cover.

Dressers

Dressers are another type of extremely versatile furniture. There are dozens of things you can do with them. If you follow Eugene Chrinian blogs, you know they’re easy to repurpose. One simple thing that you can do is add different knobs to the drawers. This can turn a boring dresser into something much more fun. Another idea is adding wallpaper to the dresser. There are two great ways to do this. One is to take out the drawers and add a patterned wallpaper to everything except the drawers. Once you finish, you can put the drawers back in, or paint the drawers a solid color to match. The opposite approach also looks beautiful. You can paint the dresser a solid color and add some wallpaper to the drawers. Your once beat up looking dresser will look like a beautiful and modern piece of art. If any drawers are missing, you can turn the spaces into shelves and add baskets for organization. The possibilities are nearly endless.

End Tables

End tables are a bit more difficult to imagine for most people because they are so small. Many of them don’t have shelves or drawers, so it’s difficult to find something to do with them. If you have a small pet, you can turn the end table into a bed. Start with flipping the end table over so the top is now the bottom. This will help you decide what exactly you want to do with it. You can purchase a cushion or use a pillow and place it at the bottom for your kitty to sleep. Paint the end table and add a fun decoration around the top of the legs. You can even make a small canopy with mesh to make it look like a tiny canopy bed. If you want to keep your end table an end table, you can just sand, paint, and even use some stencils to give it a unique look.

Wooden furniture always has a second chance. Before you throw it out, get your creative juices flowing and imagine what else it could be, or what else it can look like. Some paint and sandpaper can go a long way.