It’s easy right? Actually creating a brilliantly unique piece of furniture probably isn’t as difficult as you think. We could say ‘all you need is a little imagination’… Well, maybe. But really all you need is an internet connection. Google something like ‘creating unique furniture for your home’ and let the others do the thinking.
Grab your paint brushes (and your mobile phone) and discover that jaded furniture needn’t be destined for the dump.
When Stains Are Good
It’s perhaps one of the easiest things to do to revitalise a piece of furniture. Sand off the old paint or stain and apply a fresh new one. If the furniture has a lovely grain you can bring this out with wood stain. What was a dated piece of furniture gets a colourful new highlight.
Once you’ve sanded back the unit, apply an undercoat. This will create a foundation for your staining. Then you’re ready to go. And don’t just stain the outside, stain the inside too. Experiment with different washes until you get the effect you want – and a ‘new’ piece of furniture in the process.
If there are accented parts of the furniture try staining them with different colours to create eye catching highlights. Finally some shiny metal fittings or brass castors will truly finish the whole piece off.
Stencil Your Way Around
Stencils are a great way to add new ideas to an old piece of furniture. Find a pattern you (probably from the internet) and adjust the size to the piece of furniture you’re looking to update.
What you stencil choose and where you choose to put it is entirely up to you, but repeated patterns tend to work really well. Try the patterns of far flung destinations for inspiration to create a dazzling stencil. Then transfer your image onto stencil sheets to create your stencil.
Apply the paint for your stencil with a stipple brush. But be sure to sand down the wood first. Finally a coating of furniture wax (try carnauba or specialist carnauba/beeswax blends) will protect your design and add longevity to the finish.
Antique Chic
Adding a touch of antique chic is another way to revitalise a piece of furniture. Getting that antique look is all about choosing complementary paint colours and applying them in a way that adds depth.
Contrast darks and lights and finish with a specialist effect paint such as a shabby chic chalk paint. There are both commercial stains to create the antique look, or you can use various DIY methods that include using tea and white vinegar to give the wood a distressed appearance.
Don’t Fix What Isn’t Broken
If the piece of furniture has a particular feature or design, try highlighting it by recreating it. For example a pattern might only be on one section of the unit. But you could copy it and have it as the main feature of the whole piece.
If there are no accents on the piece of furniture you can always create some. In a similar way to the stencil method above, find a pattern then cut a design from a piece of thin plywood. Paint them, then glue them on. You’d be surprised by what the results can be.
Final Thoughts
Sometimes a piece of furniture just has a shape you love about it. But if it’s looking a bit tired then how can you go about fixing that? The good news is that it needn’t be as difficult as you think – you might even have some fun with it.
And if you’re worried that you’re not up to designing your own piece of furniture then turn to the internet for inspiration. It will provide you with no end of ideas, along with step by step guides, to feed your imagination.
