So here are some tips for you twenty-something’s out there who have amassed a venerable collection of Thrift Store couches, Mama's hand-me-downs, curbside drop-offs, and self-assembled bookshelves:
Even God had a day of recovery.... That old pet-stained, cigarette-burned "retro" couch on three legs has seen better days, but it's about to have a very realistic flashback. Go to your local fabric store and find the most fabulous, couch-friendly fabric. Remember to pick something that will resist all past scenarios, i.e. white couch, new puppy/"it's okay to smoke in here", "oh God, where did I drop my cigarette"/red wine, drunk friends. But please don't opt for plastic, even though it is tempting when your dog decides that the couch is a fire hydrant. So have that thing recovered in a fabric of your choice, not the 70's. If you can't afford a permanent recovering of your furniture, you can always have a slip cover made. The ladies at the fabric store will be happy to direct you to someone whose arthritis hasn't reached a crippling point. See the videos below for some helpful advice from the semi-pros.
Mama always had such great taste in decor- until her five kids destroyed it all. So now you are in reception of the finer things in life, like that antique buffet that you carved your initials into and that lovely hand-woven Persian rug that survived the turd attack. There is hope, yet. Most prominent antique shops have someone who can either fix minor scratches and stains on antiques or direct you to someone that can. Some even carry special furniture polishes and waxes that can nip these problems in the bud. If you love the antique, but it is beyond repair, consider painting it a trendy color. It can always be repainted, even if the trend goes out next week. It's a safe and affordable bet, plus you may surprise yourself with your artistry. Recently i took a red armoire and painted it orange, the effect and the color were great. I stained the inside with a mahogany red and paint the lines and creases of the piece. It looked so good, that for about five seconds I thought about making it a career. Lightly sanding the corners and various areas will give off a shabby chic look. If you have a white room, hot colors are a great way to spice it up. It all boils down to personal desire and how creative you get from smelling the paint fumes. As for the rug, have it professionally cleaned. It's expensive but part of growing up is realizing the value of antique Persian rugs.
You have no idea where that lamp came from or if it even works, but you just had to pick it out of your neighbors trash while you were walking your dog at 3 in the morning. First, make sure that the cord isn't a fire hazard. Next, match a shade! You can find a shade pretty much anywhere, but choose wisely, as you don't want to have an off-white shade with a primarily white color scheme-that's scandalous! Check your local lamp store; they might be going out of business due to the poor economy and corporate manufacturing of specialty household objects. They may be giving them away as hats by now. If not there, then check at Target or Wal*Mart. The creativity in this project will be choosing the finial, the cherry on top of the sundae, if you will. Choose one that compliments your lamp and the decor.
Now, what to do with that bookshelf... you could start by putting books on it, you know those things with the pages that you haven't thought about since college. It's time to start a library. Even if you hate reading, a personal library will impress and intrigue literary buffs and future husbands when they see your copy of Gardner's Art through the Ages or The Complete Works of Shakespeare, which just happened to be the ones the book store wouldn't buy back at the end of the semester. To freshen up the shelf and to stabilize your collection of five enormous textbooks, find an extra set of Staffordshire dogs in your mother's basement and let them do all the work. You can even put a shiny coat of paint on those old metal bookends to give them a new look.
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| 1960s stereo cabinet with record player before |
So, you finally moved out of that junky studio apartment that flooded due to a neighbor's backed-up toilet. In the midst of a dramatic rescue attempt to save your mother's Persian rug from the surge of poop pirates who came to claim your treasures, you realize that you have developed a fondness for the musty old tapestry. Sacrifice is a common sign of maturity followed by paying your own rent and hoarding what objects you can from generous family members to furnish your new house (that you can't really afford). At least the live-in boyfriend can contribute to the latter problem, but what are you to do with all of that junk?
The wise thing to do would be to go to the Ikea website to pore over the vast collection of cheap, but sophisticated furniture- WRONG! You may think it's cost-effective, but the shipping costs will eat you alive. And besides, do you really think that all of that modern furniture will look good against those pine-paneled walls from the 50s? Your best bet is to make the best of what you've got, because let's face it, you're broke, honey.
So don't go throwing out all of that old junk from your college days. Thrift Store re-works and antiques can provide an economical solution to the urge to splurge at home furnishing stores. It will look fantastic, and you will be proud of saving money and developing a new creative outlet. Plus, with the money you save, you can afford to kick out that dead-beat boyfriend and go have a night out on the town with the girls.
The wise thing to do would be to go to the Ikea website to pore over the vast collection of cheap, but sophisticated furniture- WRONG! You may think it's cost-effective, but the shipping costs will eat you alive. And besides, do you really think that all of that modern furniture will look good against those pine-paneled walls from the 50s? Your best bet is to make the best of what you've got, because let's face it, you're broke, honey.
So don't go throwing out all of that old junk from your college days. Thrift Store re-works and antiques can provide an economical solution to the urge to splurge at home furnishing stores. It will look fantastic, and you will be proud of saving money and developing a new creative outlet. Plus, with the money you save, you can afford to kick out that dead-beat boyfriend and go have a night out on the town with the girls.
 |
| after |
Even God had a day of recovery.... That old pet-stained, cigarette-burned "retro" couch on three legs has seen better days, but it's about to have a very realistic flashback. Go to your local fabric store and find the most fabulous, couch-friendly fabric. Remember to pick something that will resist all past scenarios, i.e. white couch, new puppy/"it's okay to smoke in here", "oh God, where did I drop my cigarette"/red wine, drunk friends. But please don't opt for plastic, even though it is tempting when your dog decides that the couch is a fire hydrant. So have that thing recovered in a fabric of your choice, not the 70's. If you can't afford a permanent recovering of your furniture, you can always have a slip cover made. The ladies at the fabric store will be happy to direct you to someone whose arthritis hasn't reached a crippling point. See the videos below for some helpful advice from the semi-pros.
Mama always had such great taste in decor- until her five kids destroyed it all. So now you are in reception of the finer things in life, like that antique buffet that you carved your initials into and that lovely hand-woven Persian rug that survived the turd attack. There is hope, yet. Most prominent antique shops have someone who can either fix minor scratches and stains on antiques or direct you to someone that can. Some even carry special furniture polishes and waxes that can nip these problems in the bud. If you love the antique, but it is beyond repair, consider painting it a trendy color. It can always be repainted, even if the trend goes out next week. It's a safe and affordable bet, plus you may surprise yourself with your artistry. Recently i took a red armoire and painted it orange, the effect and the color were great. I stained the inside with a mahogany red and paint the lines and creases of the piece. It looked so good, that for about five seconds I thought about making it a career. Lightly sanding the corners and various areas will give off a shabby chic look. If you have a white room, hot colors are a great way to spice it up. It all boils down to personal desire and how creative you get from smelling the paint fumes. As for the rug, have it professionally cleaned. It's expensive but part of growing up is realizing the value of antique Persian rugs.
 | ||
Primitive armoire before
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Now, what to do with that bookshelf... you could start by putting books on it, you know those things with the pages that you haven't thought about since college. It's time to start a library. Even if you hate reading, a personal library will impress and intrigue literary buffs and future husbands when they see your copy of Gardner's Art through the Ages or The Complete Works of Shakespeare, which just happened to be the ones the book store wouldn't buy back at the end of the semester. To freshen up the shelf and to stabilize your collection of five enormous textbooks, find an extra set of Staffordshire dogs in your mother's basement and let them do all the work. You can even put a shiny coat of paint on those old metal bookends to give them a new look.
Check out this hot chick doing cool stuff:
Ruth Friant's Upolstery for Blondes
Ruth shows you how to cover a Victorian settee...in like 12 minutes!
Ruth shows you how to cover a chair.... it's easy as 1, 2, 5!
Ruth Friant is a professional furniture repurposer. She began her career after she read this article....okay, so she's been doing it for awhile, but she totally digs this article and approves of it's message. See her fabulous work pictured in this article. (She'd really rather you just go and buy her stuff at Antique Maison in Bay Saint Louis, MS.)
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