2nd & 3rd Life Furniture + A Coffee Table Restyle
By now, it’s obvious that I’m a BIG fan of 2nd and 3rd life furniture, especially when it has great ‘bones’. Meaning, that just because a great piece of furniture is intended or built/finished one way, doesn’t mean it has to STAY that way forever.
That being said, occasionally we also have the issue of finding the RIGHT piece of furniture or decor to finish a space, and that’s where the more extensive DIY portion of what we do comes in. When we were building up our entryway nook I realized that we were never going to find storage crates the exact size we needed them to be, so out of pure necessity, we figured out how to build some!
DIY Homemade Vintage Wood Crates
It’s not like I go crazy about it, because life gets busy and I don’t have all the time in the world to be refinishing and revamping every little thing I place in my house, but there ARE items that I know can make a huge statement, with just a little bit of TLC.
You can check out the new Cabot Premium Wood Finishes online or exclusively in Lowe’s stores. There are lots of traditional, as well as on-trend colors to choose from.
I’m a sucker for personalized little makeovers and DIY projects like these from time to time, because they’re fast, easy and can have a huge impact in your space. Plus, just changing out a few features, or adding a certain color paint or stain to something can really tell people a lot about your personality and homes overall style.
Do you have a thrifted, handed down or just old, outdated piece of furniture that you’ve decided to keep and restyle, instead of getting rid of? OR, What sort of things have you repurposed, altered, or created to help customize a space in your home?
We’d love to hear!
This post was sponsored by Cabot Wood Finishes. Regardless, I only post about products or companies I love. All ideas and opinions are 100% my own
Anonymous says
I have an old storage chest that I would love to re-purpose/re-style. The paint on it is chipped, the back is all sorts of warped, and some parts of decal are missing. I have a vision for it, I have a new purpose for it, just lacking some time to do it at the moment. And love the idea of a spice packet organizer, I'm using something very similar in the kitchen!
Lady Vanilla says
I love your ideas and restyling! Recently I found a very little cabinet at bulk garbage and painted it white. Although it looks great now, it still stinks abominably when you open it. Do you have any recommends what I could to against that smellig? Vinegar did not help.
Best regards ๐
Thecreativeme23 says
I love reworking and re-using furniture as well…you can check out the bookcase we turned into a media center @ thecreativemeandmymcg.blogspot.ca/2012/11/media-cabinet-transformation.html
Cheryl @ The Creative Me and My McG
Carol says
My husband and I moved into our home without ever having done the apartment stage or even the college dorm stage, so we had not a lick of furniture between us. My in-laws gifted us with a round wood dining table and four chairs that had lived in their flood-prone basement. After dealing with the high water marks for a few months, I broke out some homemade chalk paint and painted the chairs and table. Now they are one of my favorite pieces!
Meg Kearney says
Everyone is talking about repurposing furniture today! We haven't started it yet, but we got some amazing custom millwork from a home my father sold – the buyers just wanted it gone and asked him to remove it, in exchange he kept the gorgous cherry cabinetry and we'll be able to install it to create a window bench and bookshelves in our living room!
House of Smiths says
Ooo, that sounds like a good piece right there, I'm sure it will turn out AWESOME! I already love the character that it has, just by the sound of how you're describing it ๐
House of Smiths says
Oh shoot, hmmm, maybe you could put some baking soda in there to help absorb some of the smell, or possibly some dryer sheets to even "change" the smell up a bit?
What if you aired it out for a few days? woudld that help?
House of Smiths says
YAY! I love that! What a great story of a restyled piece ๐ I need to try out some chalk paint!
House of Smiths says
Ooo! That will look awesome! I'm in LOVE with window benches, they're so cozy looking!
Unknown says
I inherited a dresser from a relative of mine that smoked like a chimney. It took some work, but I finally got it smelling normal. First, I suggest cleaning the inside of the chest thoroughly. I cleaned the inside of the dresser with simple green at least twice. Then, I would let it air out as much as possible, maybe even leaving it outside for a while. I put a ton of dryer sheets in with my clothes, which helped a ton. Some combination of that and baking soda should hopefully help!
Anonymous says
Hi!!! I love love love the white nightstands! Can you PLEASE tell us the brand/color/finish of the white you used?
I've painted 2 things white recently and instantly regretted the color choice! Please help! Love your blog!
Unknown says
Just love a good transformation!
Amazing job!
Xo
Alison
Anonymous says
I hope you don't mind me jumping in here…I use a box of baking soda and if there is no room for a box I dump it in to a recycled jam jar. I also just read in this months Real Simple that a piece of charcoal will work as a deodorizer and "clear the air in a musty dresser…" I'd give both a try!If that doesn't work you could always paint the inside with a deodorizing paint.
Krista says
On the nightstand in the first picture…what did you do to refinish? Sand/prime/what type of paint (oil or latex)? I read the post and didn't see any details! ๐
Love all the repurposing! ๐
Tricia | 724SouthHouse says
That bathroom countertop storage is genius! Seriously! Thanks for sharing.
Anonymous says
If mom (we are currently living with my mom) lets me do it. The two of us have somewhat differing tastes, and she isn't exactly into re-purposing old furniture. I should have some free time next weekend… but talking her into it is another story.
Anonymous says
I have an old hope chest sitting in the loft. It's pine but has that shiny, funky protection on it. Do you know what I mean? I'd love to paint it and change it up as a bench seat fot the entry way.
Anonymous says
i have a pine hopechest in the loft, It was my mom'm. It has some funky shiny protection on the wood. Do you know what I mean. I need to figure out how to paint it because I would love to use it as a bench seat in the entry way.
Unknown says
HI Shelly! I've been a long-time lurker of your blog and just wanted to say, I love your enthusiasm and creativity. Your personality really shines through and gives the reader such a great experience with all of your projects. I'm not in DIY mode right now, but I love getting ideas for future projects–keep up the great work ๐
Shannon says
I redid a bedroom dresser that was mine when I was 14 (which makes it 31 yrs old) and repaintedas a TV stand for my son's first apartment at college. Check it out at bohemianjunktion.com/2013/08/12/slap-some-paint-on-it/
Now I have some old sewing machine drawers that are stained dark brown. If I want to restain it how do I do that?
Shannon ~ @ bohemianjunktion.com
~alicia says
I redid a microsuede chair that was filthy from my kids, but I loved the structure of it…so I painted it, using the tutorial on Vintage Revivals. I also upcycled my husband's childhood dresser and hutch. Picture can be found here: proof-of-love.blogspot.com/2013/02/be-our-guest.html
Love your blog!
~alicia
~alicia says
I painted (using the tutorial on Vintage Revivals) a micro-suede chair that we had – it was filthy from the kids, but I love the shape of it. I also up-cycled my husband's childhood dresser and hutch for our guest room. You can see pictures here: proof-of-love.blogspot.com/2013/02/be-our-guest.html
Love your blog!
~alicia
Cara says
I'm guessing she had them sprayed…it doesn't look like a diy job unless she has a paint sprayer, but they are finicky