Genius Ways to Bring Old Furniture, Windows

FT NEWS

Chipped corners, cracked surfaces, wobbly legs – furniture that’s looking worse for the wear can make for a dreadful eyesore once it’s overstayed its welcome. And it can be oh so tempting to toss it out. Only, sometimes, all it takes is fresh inspiration to give your furniture a new lease of life. If you’ve got windows or doors, study tables or chairs begging for attention, give them a reincarnation to remember with these creative makeover ideas (many of these require an expert carpenter on the job, so zero in on a trusty professional beforehand).

1. Put your headboard ‘on the bench’
Literally. A forgotten headboard can find new life as a bench, with a fresh lick of paint and a few modifications. Hire a carpenter to build a bench and use your headboard for its back, to make it the highlight of your custom masterpiece.

2. Conjure a tabletop kitchen island
Let a vintage desk or chest masquerade as a kitchen island, scoring brownie points in both aesthetics and storage. Finish yours off with a stone countertop to shield it from spills and stains, and make it the perfect platform for your culinary adventures.

3. Showcase your stool’s ‘vanity’
Upgrade an old stool into a rustic vanity top. This way, you can turn your sink counter into a head-turning focal point, while giving your stool a brand-new avatar.

4. ‘Console’ your nightstand
Recall an exiled TV console and give it a spiffy new role as a nightstand. Take the glam quotient several notches higher by making little changes – style up your drawer pulls, use dressy contact paper (temporary adhesive paper, available in various finishes and designs) to give your drawers a new look, or swap your drawers for cane or wicker baskets.

5. Swing with some chairs
There’s nothing better than a couple of swing chairs to enjoy a breezy day in the balcony. Give old chairs a stylish spin by cutting off the legs and creating rope swing suspensions. Throw in a few pillows to breathe colour and character into your new little hideaway.
 

6. Scale up an old table
Your grandmother’s old kitchen table or your own childhood desk can become an unusual coffee table that makes a cool design statement. Take a look at the coffee table in this image – a children’s table, complete with tiny chairs, fuses traditional materials and contemporary function.

You could flip the idea to transform an old coffee table into a kids’ activity desk by adding a miniature chair or two. If you keep the table’s original finish, it can continue to as an element of your living room. Perhaps this one here does double duty, too.

7. ‘Screen’ your headboard
Consider putting a seldom-used screen to good use as a headboard. Freshen it up with paint or varnish in a palette darker than your wall, to project it as your hero piece.

8. Give your window a view on the inside
If you’re renovating your home, you’ll have mounds of discarded fixtures that can be worth repurposing. Turn a tossed-away window into a whimsical looking glass in the manner of this beau-blue mirror. Paint your frame to match your bathroom decor, swap out your glass panes for mirrors, and voila, you’re done! Think of it as paying your window back for all those years of views on the outside.

 

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