Remaking old furniture with your own hands (65 photos): original ideas

For true connoisseurs of durable and high-quality products, as well as for creative, thinking people, remaking old furniture has always been of particular interest.

Once fashion was not so changeable, there was no particular variety of materials for making furniture, so the furniture, in the vast majority of cases, was made from environmentally friendly wood and made very soundly, with a view to future generations.

But even if the furniture is not wooden, but simply ceased to fit into your understanding of style, or you are a lover of constant change, there is a wonderful way out.

You don’t have to rush to the store or get rid of old, faded or damaged furniture. After simple manipulations, it can not only serve you for a long time, but it will also become a non-standard and completely new addition to the interior of your home. You will only have to make a little effort and pay attention to some ideas suggested by those for whom remaking furniture with their own hands is a familiar and favorite thing.

We update the kitchen

Alteration of kitchen furniture is one of the most expensive repair or decoration options. The hostess of the house spends a lot of time in the kitchen, so I want your ideas to not become her disappointment, but, on the contrary, inspired by new culinary masterpieces.

There are many technologies for updating kitchen furniture, but the main condition is to comply with the following rules:

• The materials used in the kitchen must be environmentally friendly.
• If the plans include a change in the color of the surfaces, select only high-quality paint that is resistant to mechanical stress, temperature extremes and moisture so that the updated furniture does not lose its marketable appearance too quickly.
• Resistance to aggressive chemicals is also required if the hostess uses it when cleaning.
• Remember that dirt and fingerprints are not so visible on matt surfaces.
• Finishing materials should not absorb odors.
• It is necessary to provide that the places that are most often contaminated in kitchen furniture are made of easily washable materials.
• The number of trim parts should be minimal. Do not complicate the cleaning process. In addition, a heap of decorative elements in the end can simply bore the hostess.
• The back part and the ends of the furniture should be treated as carefully as well as the clearly visible surfaces: doors, walls, fittings. This will extend the life of the cabinets.
• If the existing hardware is convenient, you should not replace it. Just adjust. Often in the Soviet kitchen furniture are quite good locks and interesting vintage handles.

Kitchen cabinet, chest of drawers. Let's start with them

A hostess, accustomed to order, knowing the place of each kitchen utensil, will only be grateful if her favorite kitchen cabinet, all the drawers, doors and shelves of which she already knows by touch, does not change her location. If the cabinet is convenient, the hostess will most likely be against it if the alteration touches its design.

Therefore, focus on exterior surfaces. Cabinet walls can generally be located between other pieces of furniture, but the facade can be made very effective.Decoupage and acrylic in pastel colors will help to achieve incredible results. The wardrobe with decorative leatherette details looks great.

Dressers can also be painted, and the countertops on them are glued with ceramic tiles or mosaics. After this design, any countertop will have a rich appearance and will become more comfortable and practical in operation. Now, in order to put a hot kettle on the chest of drawers, no special stands are needed.

Table

In the same way as a countertop on a chest of drawers, you can arrange the working surface of the kitchen table. In addition, this working surface can be increased, if necessary, through the use of fiberboard or plywood of a larger size, on which, again, tile is glued.

Often the tile remains after repair, and it can also be purchased at sales in supermarkets or at lower prices from balances in construction stores to save money. After all, this is one of the main goals: remaking old furniture should save the family budget!

If the old table has a round shape and, in your opinion, takes up too much space, you can cut it on one side (or on two opposite sides), giving the table an interesting, non-standard shape, and then place it evenly against the wall. Use trimmed parts to make original shelves.

Stools, chairs

The legs of old stools and chairs can be painted or painted to your liking. It all depends on the style in which the entire room is made.

If the seats are hard, you can make them more comfortable by using pieces of foam and artificial leather. A stapler with metal staples will help to do this job quickly and efficiently.

The upper part of the stools, which have become unusable, can generally be replaced, of course, if the legs are still in good condition. It can remain solid, but you can change its shape. For example, instead of square kitchen stools will become round.

Take a look around

Having updated everything that you planned in the places indicated by the hostess, add a few additional shelves made from improvised materials or leftovers.

Interesting shelves are obtained from the sliding wooden drawers of Soviet desks.

First, disconnect the bottom of the drawer (most often, it is fiberboard or thin plywood). After you turn the wooden frame of the box into a vertical position, you will immediately see what a wonderful open shelf it is, almost ready for use. Add a few more small planks inside the shelves and now cans of spices can be compactly stored here, and if you screw in small hooks below, you can hang kitchen towels, tea mugs or coffee cups on the shelf.

Ideas for improving furniture in the kitchen can tell the hostess herself. She knows best of all what exactly she lacks for convenience. Of course, you will have to work a little, but after your work on changing the furniture design, dishes prepared in the updated kitchen will become even tastier! Rest assured!

Refresh the bedroom

Soviet-era bedrooms and later, but also out of fashion, will be an excellent basis for modern and comfortable bedroom furniture.

For example, the appearance of the wooden parts of the bed (or made of wood-particle boards) can be made completely different if they are sheathed with artificial leather or upholstery fabric, having previously placed foam rubber or unnecessary soft fabric folded in several layers under it.

Carefully inspect the mattress. In the Soviet bedroom, mattresses were usually spring-loaded. In the event that the mattress has not yet failed, you can clean it well, and then sew a new cover with elastic bands, which will hide all the shortcomings of the aged fabric of a good-quality mattress.

If the main part of the berth has become unusable, somewhere the springs stick out, and somewhere the fabric is even torn, try to repair it. Padding springs is not such a difficult task.

If the bedroom has poufs, they can also be updated by changing the fabric to a new one. An option could be a new fabric cover. It would even be a better solution. The removable cover can be washed regularly, which is very convenient and practical.

A wardrobe can be made unrecognizable by pasting it with wallpaper or a special film. If the bedroom is small, an additional mirror mounted on the cabinet door will help to visually enlarge the room, creating a feeling of additional space. Also, a wardrobe can be decorated by pasting pieces of wallpaper only on its wings. Leave the “margins” around the edge, and glue the pasted pieces of wallpaper around the perimeter with a glazing bead or decorative cornice made of polyurethane. This decision will be especially appropriate if the bedroom has similar cornices on the ceiling.

Living room, study

You don’t need to throw away headsets and an old-fashioned sofa from the room at one stroke. From the old Soviet polished wall you can get just a unique bookcase, or an open bookcase, if you remove the facades and make additional internal shelves from them.

After processing the wall with sandpaper, paste it inside and out with smooth or textured wallpaper remaining, for example, after repair. Gently glue all the bends, and then varnish the surface. That is how unsightly old-fashioned walls turn into real designer products.

Remaking upholstered furniture is also an interesting, but more difficult task. If you decide on an independent hauling of a corner or a soft part, first carefully examine how the upholstery was fastened in the factory. In order not to be mistaken, you can photograph some areas before tearing off the old upholstery. Do not throw it away. The old upholstery comes in handy to remove the pattern for the new upholstery. It is very easy to work with fabrics that take a good shape and into which staples easily fit. It is the stapler that is most convenient to fix the new material on the old structure.

To remodel upholstered furniture elements, especially if a corner or sofa is in the study, you can use faux leather as upholstery. Such furniture looks very presentable. It is non-marking and very easy to operate.

On old computer chairs, the fabric part is also changing elementarily. You can choose the color of fabric you need and, having unscrewed several screws, make a wonderful transformation of a shabby chair into a bright element of the interior. And a brush, a special paint of a certain purpose and the right color will make both a computer and a desk indisputable works of art!

This is just a tiny fraction of what can be done with old furniture. Remember that good ideas most often come in the process. Remaking old furniture can suddenly turn into a fascinating creative process that brings incredible pleasure. Inspiration to you!