Furniture

Beth says, “I love a good challenge.” She would have to! She bought this mess of a desk from Craigslist for only 15 bucks. It had been sitting out on a balcony and the wood was in shambles. From Beth: There was no way to save it the bottom portion. The top was stained beyond recognition and the drawers were beat to hell and back. Why did I buy this? It’s how we learn, people! So feast your eyes.

Project by: Jacqueline Wheeler Interiors Location: Charlotte, North Carolina Clients: Candice Langston and Felix Von Uklanski This family room has one big virtue: its large size, but, as you can see, not a lot of effort has gone into making it an appealing space for the family to spend time in. Jacqueline Wheeler was hired to brighten it up and and bring it to its full potential.

Karen found this table skeleton on garbage day and dragged it home. Creative soul that she is, she came up with an unexpected (and free!) solution to make it whole again. We can’t believe we’ve never thought of this one! From Karen: We are lucky enough to have a neighbor who is a flooring installer. He had leftover pieces of hardwood flooring. We chose a variety of wood grains and pieces. My husband helped me attach the flooring boards to the table top.

With the holidays almost on the way, you might be looking for ways to add both extra seating and storage in your small home. You’ll love this DIY project that turned a plain cocktail table into a modern ottoman with concealed storage! From Pam: I came across this sad little cocktail table made from cheap blistered laminate in a second hand store. Its only redeeming quality was the octagonal shape, which I thought would make for a cool little ottoman.

When Ian found this antique baluster oak armchair at a thrift store he could see it had been hastily reupholstered around 1950 (see that lumpy seat and vinyl?). He bought it anyway. From Ian: Instead of adding jute webbing and hand-tie coils for the seat (like I eventually did) the previous owner just dropped in an ill-fitting box spring system from another chair, added some foam and some ugly printed vinyl, and that is how it spent the last 60 years.

Carlos and his wife are two architects living in an old house where “everything is very big and brown.” Well they fixed that particular dilemma, at least with this cute console. See it now. From Carlos; We have gradually been transforming the inside of the house, trying to do so by spending the least amount of money possible. We have focused on using all elements that already exist in the house so we’ve tried to reuse most of the furniture and make it more fun.

Lucia in Italy proves once and for all that good bones and rich wood will always be a winner if you know how to look past a few dated details. From Lucia: This DIY project took just two afternoons. I took off the old trimming, the old fabric and the ugly clear plastic that covered the seat. The foam was quite good so I decided not to change it. I cut the new fabric and I stapled it with my automatic stapler. Then I bought gold pushpins and modern white trim.

Even though he’d already gotten plenty of use out of this dilapidated dresser (he’s had it since high school), Chris knew this baby had some life left. He says, “it was just asking to be redone.” From Chris: It’s a pretty heavy dresser so getting it out of the house was its own project. I bought some paint stripper, a scraper, sand paper and some Golden Oak wood stain. It was surprisingly easy to strip and I was amazed at the quality of the wood.

You might remember Lauren’s style from her bedroom before and after; she turned a kind of boring bedroom into an exciting nautical and rustic-themed retreat. Well she’s back on a smaller scale, infusing some serious fun into an inherited desk from the in-laws. From Lauren: This past summer, I made over a roll-top desk we inherited from my in-laws…and it’s my new favorite project!

Sometimes snooping pays off, at least it did for Breanna. She scored this beauty at a garage sale while investigating some odds and ends that weren’t yet pulled out for display. That’s one way to get first dibs! It was pretty cute to begin with but just wait until you see how Breanna jazzed up this darling dresser.

Leslie found this 1970’s Henredon Alvarado dresser at a thrift store. It was in perfect condition except for the “scraped, scratched, speckled yellow-brown sticky finish with the super-ugly, chunky pulls.” No problem, she could fix that. From Leslie: It was a lot of work to update it, removing the gummy old finish, filling the old pull holes (18), and sanding carefully. I used an edgy eggplant color I mixed myself, with a satin topcoat.

The best before & after projects are those that you will never guess in a million years what they’ll look like. Alex from Northstory completely changes the form and function of these two thrift shop mirrors into a fresh, modern and Scandinavian-inspired planter. Check out the reveal: Totally fabulous and unexpected, right? It takes a special eye and talent to visualize this when spotting those mirrors amongst the junk.

It takes a healthy dose of vision to look at this peeling cabinet and picture the chic, modern piece it would eventually become. But Reeves seems to be just that visionary. Take a look at her masterpiece. From Reeves: This piece took a lot of prep work up front before I was ever able to get to painting. The mustard paint it had was so easy to scratch off so just putting more paint over it would do no good. I sanded almost all of the paint off, cleaned the piece, and spray primed it.

We LOVE when folks take something pretty forgotten and with a little work, turn it into something unforgettable. That’s what Susan did with this beat-up and battered old bar cart. Twenty dollars and a makeover later, and she now has a pretty, golden bar cart! From Susan: This battered old cart was hanging out in my basement. After emptying its contents at a garage sale, I decided to give it new life, since I loved the style of the wire side pieces.

Nicole found this frumpy side table on craigslist for “almost free” and wanted to use it in her bedroom. But first it needed a spruce up and boy did it get one. From Nicole: Since the entire piece was made from plywood, the drawer front was replaced with 1/4 wood veneer for a nice wood accent that would match the new legs that were attached. Both the new drawer front and legs were stained with danish oil.

Jessica bought this dresser four years ago, as a college student. At the time, the entire dresser was painted green and naturally distressed (or “beat to death,” according to her mother) and worked with the shabby chic trend of the moment. After tons of elbow grease, it’s still chic but not so shabby. From Jessica: A couple months ago I finally decided to tackle the refinishing project. (The before picture is actually more of an in process picture, oops!

David told us this project was six months in the making, even through “most of it was procrastination.” We’re glad he finally got around to it because this is one unexpectedly cool stair upgrade. From David: We started with plain, light wood stairs. We wanted a dark, near black color to match our cast iron, gas fireplace on the other side of the room.

Anna’s craigslist chair makeover comes with a warning: “This was my first time ever reupholstering a piece of furniture, and BOY was it a lot more time consuming than I realized!” But worth it, Anna. So so worth it. From Anna: I don’t even know how many hours I put into this chair–not to mention the definite blood, sweat, and even a few tears.

How do you take a plain, bulky cabinet and turn it into a complete show-stopper? If you’re Miruna, you go the opposite of subtle. A few bold materials, an interesting pattern and this dresser gets quite the makeover! From Miruna: I’ve been wanting to use black chalk paint for a while, but could not find the right piece of furniture to stand up to the challenge. When I found this dresser online I was not very sure what to do with it, but I knew I loved it. So I bought it.

Chelsey found this old card catalogue in the dumpster. She could see how much stripping and sanding work there was to do, so she kept putting off the project. Now that we’ve seen the results, we can’t believe she waited so long. From Chelsey: There were layers of chipping black paint over high gloss stained oak and missing drawer pulls. I scraped, sanded, and added legs.

Sone found this vintage Basset dresser at a magical-sounding place called the Mid-Century Furniture Warehouse. It needed some TLC but she was up for the challenge. From Sone: The original veneer on the top and sides needed a little TLC, but it was the perfect size and the exact statement piece we were looking for. Once we got it home I knew immediately that it needed to be brightened up. However, I didn’t want to cover up all of the walnut, just mask the imperfections.

Chyann calls herself, “the ultimate garbage lover” so when she found this little gem in the trash she took it home for a little dose of love. From Chyann: Upon closer inspection I saw that it needed a good sanding and a paint job, but otherwise, it had great potential. A few coats of spray paint, a new shelf, and a couple of wine racks later, it was almost unrecognizable! Cheers to finding garbage gems! Thank you Chyann!

Diana and her husband love their recently updated kitchen but it made their living room pale in comparison. So these self-proclaimed DIY-ers got to work sprucing up this space on a budget that was based on what the old on-their-way-out items could be sold for… From Diana: My living room is constantly changing but I don’t buy out of my budget. I sell what needs to be gone and with that money I buy the new things I need.

There are a select few of lucky folks out there who get to live in authentic converted lofts full of character— and then there’s everyone else. Even if you live in a suburban home, you can still infuse your space with the feeling of wood beams, cement floors and exposed brick walls. It’s true! This amazing transformation by Shannon from AKA Design + Life is proof. She turned this simple space into a brick wall full of character that could pass for any cool downtown coffee shop.

Alicia and her husband are always looking for ways to spruce up their apartment without painting or damaging the walls. This quick solution cost them just 10 bucks and zero wall holes to spackle later. Lovely! We’re making mental notes about this temporary decor. From Alicia: We came up with the idea of adding a vinyl wall above our mantle and love how it turned out! Ten dollars later and zero damage done to the apartment, we love the difference this made to our living room!

Tom and Alison had “grungy greige dust-mite-infested allergy-inducing wall-to-wall carpet” in their 90-year-old rental so they took a big risk and pulled it up (with landlord permission of course). The beautiful wood was in great condition except for this one spot, so they found a unique (not to mention genius) way to enjoy their new floors, rot-free.

Miriam found this beat up dresser on Craigslist for free (she says, “I love free!”) and without any spending guilt she was able to get really creative and take a risk on this one. She gave this dresser some Colorado pride! From Miriam: I decided to paint the Colorado state flag on this four drawer dresser. Here in Colorado EVERYONE sports the flag in some way: clothing, bumper stickers, hats. I thought a dresser would be cool to do.

Looking for inspiration on how a simple step — a tiny application of a surprising material, for instance — can dramatically upgrade the look of a tired piece of furniture you might already have? Then you’ll appreciate the do-this-in-a-weekend amount of work that Elly put into this old wooden piano stool. From Elly: When I moved out at the start of the year, I inherited this unwanted piano stool.

Chelsea had already made one enhancement to her Ektorp Jennylund chairs from IKEA (the cute pom-pom fringe she added to the bottom), but what she really wanted was chairs with a more Mid Century Modern vibe. She looked for super cheap steals on Cragislist…and struck out. She researched new slipcovers to buy…but they, too, were out of her budget. Finally, she resigned herself to tackling them as a DIY makeover.

Brittany loves vintage furnitures so much that she says, “I’m pretty sure it could be classified as hoarding.” She held on to this chair for five whole years, but it was definitely worth the wait. From Brittany: After moving from Alabama to LA, I had to pare down and decide which pieces I could fit into my tiny apartment and this chair made the cut. I absolutely love the shape of the chair and even the old paint job but the fabric had to go.

Rachel loved the “clean lines” of these chairs. Clean lines indeed! She took these super pared-down frames and added just enough to make them sing once again. From Rachel: After taking the chairs and cushions down to their raw materials, I started from the beginning. I had the metal powder-coated in a bright red and completely rebuilt the cushions in a neutral grey textured fabric. I added black accent feet and brass hardware for a finishing touch.

Shehzeen tells us, “I love a home with personality. If I had all the time in the world, I’d probably even make all the furniture for my house (I could be in need of therapy).” We feel you, Shehzeen. Just look at what this crafty lady did with these blank walls.

The refresh of this little shelf shows off the power of small changes. Odile recently moved to a new home and while searching for new furniture came across this piece at a local thrift shop for 40 bucks. 40 minutes (and one long journey with a borrowed cart) later, Odile had it safely home. Subtle yet powerful changes just makes this whole project a win in our book.

Emily called it “love at first sight” when she found this upholstered chair at a flea market. She’d been in the market for a new desk chair that she could fix up. Just what did she do with it? (Hint: those tools seem to be Emily’s favorite color). So fun! Emily needed to add some color to her all-white office so she really went all out. And that is one professional-looking reupholstery job.

We love a good rescue and that’s exactly what John gave this Heywood Wakefield Gateleg table. His journey included Craigslist, ebay, lots of research and even more elbow grease but his results will blow you away. From John: I had been wanting one of these tables for a long time. They’re not so rare that you can’t find them, but in nice condition, they can be over $800. I found this one on Craigslist listed at $250.

Ashley experienced a happy situation we all find ourselves in from time to time: she made one change to her small, three bedroom home and she was so inspired that the improvements just spiraled from there. From Ashley: We needed to make the space feel bigger and allow for us all to feel at home. We decided the best way to convert the space on a tight budget was paint. We used Dulux Natural White Wash and Wear, it’s a soft and warm white which keeps the space bright but peaceful.

This kitchen was almost a deal breaker for Lauren when she was searching for a new rental, but her landlord gave her permission to make a few updates so she signed that lease and did this. Wow! And we especially love how much change Lauren accomplished on such a tight budget. Talk about bang for your buck.

Danielle and her family just finished six months of renovations (phew!) and moved into their new, old 1942 home. This is what their kitchen used to look like. Wanna see it now? From Danielle: My favorite room, by far, is the kitchen. We refinished the original hardwood floors, chose natural cherry wood cabinets with a brown glaze, bright white Corian solid surface countertops, a farmhouse sink, and subway tile with charcoal grout.

Kirsten tells us that her fiancé thought she was slightly crazy when she brought this hideous chair home one drizzly afternoon. He thought it was even crazier that she’d paid $25 for this eyesore. Guess what? He loves it now. And this from a reupholstery newbie! Amazing job. From Kirsten: The first thing I did was strip the chair down to its stuff, which was in surprisingly good shape. Next, I painted it with two generous coats of Annie Sloan’s chalk paint in Graphite.

These tables had lived at Anam’s house since before she was born, so it was about time they got an upgrade. She says, “I’m surprised no one threw these tables away and I’m glad they didn’t.” We think paint was great choice for the what-looks-like-laminate tabletops and Aman gave these babies a bunch of inventive flair. Super cute save! From Anam: I painted the entire table — one side gold and the other with pink.

We’ve all seen them before: those sort of faux-wood furniture pieces that aren’t exactly screaming style but could still function in your space if you need it. Instead of letting this piece stay dark and sad, Cassie gave it the Midas touch for a cabinet that now exudes sophistication. From Cassie: These faux wood cabinets were in need of a makeover that would take them out of the realm of 1970 office furniture.

Kathy got this leather-top table for free from her employer and we can see why! The leather top was stained and discolored like crazy. Kathy almost didn’t take it home, then she thought of one last-ditch DIY thing to try and that made all the difference. Turns out, it was the brilliant magic of leather dye that helped this table look so good. Great save! From Kathy: Thanks to the internet I learned that you can re-dye leather. It went really well!

We all need a friend like Bethany. She recently took on this DIY project for a friend and her family. This damaged heirloom was almost beyond restoration, but Bethany found a way to make it sail once more. Ahoy! We love the crisp, nautical look that Bethany coaxed out of this nearly-dead piece. Great job! It took me a while to really be confident with how I wanted to paint it.

Nadia loved everything about her new rental except for the very…err.. loud wallpaper in the bedroom so she came up with a temporary DIY way to style it to her taste. Heads up, renters, you can so copy this one. From Nadia: I loved practically everything about our new home, except one thing: this seizure-inducing wallpaper in my bedroom! Unfortunately, this beautiful, wonderful place I’m so glad to call home is also a rental which means, I can’t replace (or rip and burn!

Valerie fell in love with the Mid-Century details on this solid oak 1960’s Thomasville dresser but 50 years in front of a window had given the stain a yellow tinge and the wood a greenish glow. That wasn’t going to stop her. From Valerie: As soon as I saw this sun-stained dresser I knew she deserved some TLC. I fell in love with her beveled drawers and dainty legs and decided to make it my first restoration project.

Rebecca was drawn to the simple lines of this dresser and the unexpectedly awesome brass pulls, but the finish was just wasn’t worthy of her baby’s room. Well, it is now. From Rebecca: Sometimes it’s painful to paint beautiful vintage furniture, and sometime it’s just so right. In the case of this amazing vintage dresser, the original finish was just too far gone to refinish. So we decided to turn this gem of a find into a sparkling emerald dresser.

Many of us love the look of authentic mid-century modern sofas and furniture but not all of us can afford their sometimes steep price tags. So when Natalie got this couch for free, she loved the shape, but wanted to show off the lines with a more modern fabric. From Natalie: After recently moving into a new place, I was on the hunt for a new couch. I’ve been in love with the mid-century style for awhile now but the ones I had been looking at were $2000+. Not ideal for a 23-year-old.

As all DIYers know, sometimes the flea market is just not your friend. Yari had visions of finding a vintage library file to buy and restore for her home office, but after months of searching, she realized it just wasn’t in the cards. So she bought this new but plain Jane chest and really put her own spin on it. Yari says, “I painted the drawers in different shades of pink creating the ombre effect, spray painted the handles gold and added legs. I love how it turned out.

Christine and her husband found this interesting table at a flea market for only $40. They loved its unique shape and Mid-Century Modern feel, but knew it could get even better. That is impressive. They really brought this little table back to life. From Christine: When we bought it, it had a shabby chic distressed white paint finish which really didn’t work with the overall form of the table.

Maggie’s 880 square foot Hudson River home only has one bathroom and this was it. The layout was outdated and cramped, there was no storage and the pink tile drew attention to how small the room was. Wait until you see this bath today. Even though she ditched the pink tile, Maggie still managed to pack lots of sleek personality into this room, from the beadboard to the art to a repuposed DIY vanity. Great job!

Micaela went out on a limb and bought a blue couch and then became “confused about color” as she tried to make this new purchase work in her living room. She wrote in to Apartment Therapy for help and readers were not shy about sharing their suggestions. Flash forward a year and Micaela is ready to share her revamped space: → First, one more “before” shot: Here’s Micaela: I did SO MUCH in a year!

Ashley loved the details on this dresser but didn’t love the dark and “gloomy” finish. She imagined something a little lighter that kept the same antique style. We love how Ashley didn’t rush to make this dresser look too new. Even after the update, it still has a stylish patina that really works with the old-world feel of the original piece.

Breanna’s parents pickedup this trunk for her at an antique show for only $10. What a great deal for such a multi-purpose, handsome piece! She added one simple element and is now using this antique in a whole new way. We can never get enough of coffee tables with storage — they’re so perfect for small spaces — and the addition of a sturdy top really takes the classic trunk table up a notch.

Dark and old, this TV tray was less than inspiring, but DeaAnna saw potential in it, and bought it for only $8. It was a small afternoon project with only a few materials, but the result is impressive and affordable! From DeaAnna: Who doesn’t love a great garage sale? It’s one of my guilty pleasures, so when I came across this TV tray at my neighbor’s house for $8, I snatched it up with visions of greatness (lofty, I know).

When Barbara found this beat-up but beautiful chair in a thrift store, she already had two peacock chairs, but something about this one was different. It wasn’t very exciting to look at, but the chair was so sturdy and strong that she couldn’t help but bring it home. We just love Barbara’s thoughtful take on preowned furniture. Every DIYer can relate to these sentiments. Barbara says: Secondhand furniture can sometimes be like people.

While packing up her apartment for a move, Jenn asked her three-year-old son, “If you could have anything in the world in your new room, what would it be?” His answer was immediate: “A garage to keep all of my trucks.” So rather than ditch this drab, old shelf in the move, the wheels began turning. Absolutely adorable! We love how Jenn turned those scallop shapes into little-boy-worthy cars! From Jenn: I gave the shelf a quick coat of Pool Blue paint.

Stef stumbled on this $7 chair in a thrift store in Iowa while visiting her little brother in grad school. As a resident of California, she didn’t quite know how she was going to get it back home, but for $7, she’d find a way (thankfully her frequent traveling mom helped out). Once home, it sat as-is for another three years.

Libby bagged this solid wood dresser at a vintage store for $20. She says, “I couldn’t believe it – I thought the price tag would say $200!” Gorgeous! We love how she got rid of what didn’t work (uhhh…layers and layers of paint) but kept what did (those pulls are everything). Great job, Libby. From Libby: I used my orbital sander to take off the three previous layers of paint on the top and edges, to reveal the raw wood underneath.

Beau in Australia is a woman of few words. We don’t know where or how she came across this “little old discarded dressing table,” but her results speak for themselves. Gorgeous! We’re loving that colorful, graphic fabric choice. Great job. Beau says she transformed this piece into a, “small, chippy hall stand using Annie Sloan Duck Egg and geometric style fabric to wrap the drawers.” Check out Beau’s blog, Drip Designs. Thank you Beau!

Lana’s family needed a space to pull their stroller in, roll their bikes through, and let their umbrellas dry, and they didn’t want it to be fussy. They spent a weekend transforming this stodgy entry into a “fun spot to throw some shoes on.” So fun! We love the punch of personality that pattern gives this little room. Great job.

Sara loves to reuse furniture so when she got this damaged dresser from her mom, she knew it had the potential for a gorgeous redo. Wow! That is one handsome dresser. The darker color and sleek new pulls really elevate the look and feel of its basic shape. Sara even tells us that the mirror in the picture used to belong to her great grandmother. Way to keep it in the family and use what you have, Sara. See more at Architecture and a little bit more. Thank you Sara!

Leslie says,”When I saw this dull brown cabinet in the thrift store, it begged for glam.” Well, glam it up she did. Good eye, Leslie! Those mirrored panels really show off those door details. From Leslie: After primer and paint, I used a couple of packages of mirrored tiles from the big box hardware store. The top was a fake slate formica that totally dated the piece. I used a mitre saw, moldings and pewter appliance pulls to fabricate a new top that resembles a gallery tray.

Several years ago, Rita found this unfortunate looking, 40-year-old nightstand in her mother’s basement and adopted it. She tells us it wasn’t much to look at to begin with and it’s certainly taken a beating since, so she decided it was finally time to give this neglected piece of furniture a facelift. Didn’t see that one coming! We’re loving the punch of personality Rita gave this little table.

You know we’ve got bar cart fever over here at Apartment Therapy these days, but not everyone gets lucky and comes across bar carts that can be revamped. So you just might love this DIY project that turns a simple side table into a bar cart — and uses an unexpected material you might have around the house!

When Tessa found this desk in the free section of Craigslist, she knew it was meant to come home with her. She said, “I liked the lines of it a lot and the non-existent price tag, if not the color and Hannah Montana stickers.” She was able to change an unused nook into a whole home office! So smart! From Tessa: I’m a Furniture Designer working from home and just moved into a new place with my friends.

When Julie’s family arrived at their new home in Ottawa, Ontario this gem was waiting in the driveway. The metal frames had been left over from a renovation and had been rusting outside for quite a while. But brave Julie took one look at the pile of rubble and immediately thought, “I can do something with that!” From Julie: I have been working with reclaimed wood for a while now and I love the wood and metal combination so I got to work.

Angela says, “Sometimes you should just walk away from a craigslist sale,” but she must be a glutton for punishment because she still brought home this dilapidated Dixie dresser for just $40. It had chipping veneer, major leg damage and sagging in the center, so we were shocked to see this baby looking so lovely. From Angela: The metal gripper that holds the legs in place was missing on one leg.

Reeves was so excited to work on these Willete mid-century nightstands when she picked them up at a furniture sale. Little did she know the headache they’d be. But despite some setbacks, Reeves really turned this project around and we think the final results were worth the wait.

Christina’s TV cabinet wasn’t looking so hot anymore. Ten years old, she had tried to sell it on Craigslist twice, without even one bite. She had even considered dragging it to the curb to give away for free, but it was too heavy to move! Christina felt stuck with a piece of furniture she didn’t love anymore. Until she had an idea to totally transform it into something completely new.

Zandra wanted to give her outdoor space a little spruce up this summer. She couldn’t afford a super fancy patio set, but still managed to add some major personality to her budget, big-box store purchases. So. Much. Better. Here are Zandra’s tips for this fun, colorful look: Just switching out the pillows that came with the furniture set makes it feel less like it all just came out of a box. Hanging plants give height to your space as well as a sense of privacy.

Maggie started with a pair of Mid-Century tulip swivel chairs that she picked up at a flea market for only $42. Even though they almost had a “so ugly they’re cool” vibe, they were stained and smelled of musty old cigarette smoke, so these babies needed an outfit change. Maggie’s lucky husband got himself a new desk chair.