Are you a furniture hoarder?
Sounds rather severe and the potential topic of a cable reality show,
but that really describes any of us (and I could be the president of this
club!) that see a piece of furniture that might be a no-longer-needed, hand-me-down,
yard sale find/side-of-the-road treasure and scoops it up like a winning
lottery ticket, knowing that with a little creativity, whatever has been
discovered can become a home décor gem.
One thing I would like to point out is that to enjoy this
type of hoarding, you need to know your own potential for furniture makeovers. For example, I consider myself to be somewhat
handy when it comes to basic carpentry and hardware, but I am well aware that
if a dumpster delight is not sturdy/stable, there is not much I can do for
it. I can use a mitre saw, a staple gun,
and a screwdriver, but don’t know enough about furniture construction to make
major additions and alterations to a piece for secure structural soundness
(although I do have a fabulous neighbor who happens to be an architect/middle
school tech-shop teacher who stills takes my calls, so that’s something to
consider…J). My meaning is that when you look at a potential
project, evaluate your vision: is it
cosmetic, structural, or a little or a lot of both? Whatever the answer might be, make sure you
have the knowledge and skills, the resources(personal or professional), and/or
the budget to make this piece a success before you put it into the back of your
car.
Sometimes this hobby/obsession can result in basements and
garages overflowing with “unlimited potential” (much to the chagrin of your
spouse who might not share your vision), but the upshot of such endeavors could
be a wonderful, unique piece that gives your house interest and identity. To that point, here are a few of my own
furniture projects that highlight different ways to use your energy and
materials to get the look you want:
Use Paint…This desk started out life as my husband’s childhood
bedroom desk, and it had all of the 70’/early 80’s woodgrain flair of the era
to go along with it. At first I thought
that it might be a bit of a dated lost cause, but then I realized that the main
elements that made it 80’s chic were the shape of the handles and the front
panels of the drawers. By painting the
entire piece a bright turquoise to match my middle school daughters’ room and
using fabric covered and padded foam core board panels to cover the diagonal
woodgrain, this desk went from sad to sassy with just the cost of a can of
paint and a few leftover scraps from other projects. And sandpaper…because the main priority to
consider when you are evaluating an item for a paint makeover is that it has type
of finish that paint will play nice with.
Because of this, when I get the hankering to paint, I eliminate any
furniture that has a high gloss finish, sticking to metal (to spray paint) or
wood (to brush paint) pieces that can handle a layer of paint and look good for
the foreseeable future when finished.
Use Wallpaper…This table was actually brand-new when I found it
(a $ 29.00 Ikea staple) but had no personality to speak of. It was unfinished pine so I sanded it lightly
and used a solid black stain to cover the top and legs, then found a
discontinued roll of black and white wallpaper to jazz up the front panel. Decoupage glue provided the right adhesion
(and a coat on top of the paper sealed it from stains, etc.), and by wrapping
the wallpaper around the bottom lip of the board it covers , there isn’t any
seam that can be seen for the outside.
This type of treatment could be created using fabric, scrapbook paper…whatever
has a pattern that can provide interest and be securely adhered. And a little tip: use kraft paper or newspaper to make a
template of the surface you want to cover before cutting into your pretty
wallpaper…it will definitely make things easier and cut out the waste you will
incur if you go rogue with the good stuff.
Also, when you need to cover a rounded
edge or surface, make a series of small cuts in your paper before gluing so
that you can get a tight wrap around your surface and the paper can slightly
overlap itself so there aren’t any ripples or bubbles that can be seen after
you are finished with your masterpiece.
Use Fabric…Upholstery can sometimes be intimidating, but it is
a great solution for a piece of furniture with great lines but an undesirable finish. This wingback chair had been in my parents’
living room for a decade before it came to my house, and although it was
covered in a solid light blue fabric, which is relatively neutral, it was badly
in need of a punch of pattern. In this
case I had a seamstress help me out with a new cover, but it is definitely
doable to attempt a simple slipcover on your own–simply pin your fabric around
the curves of your piece inside out, then carefully slip the fabric off your
subject and sew everything together along the seams your pins have
created. Once you flip everything
inside-out and fit it back on, you can even use a staple gun to wrap the edges
around to the bottom of your chair, ottoman, etc. for a more defined look–this makes
it difficult to remove the cover for washing, but makes for a great final
finish.
Use a Professional…Along the same lines of knowing your
limitations when delving into a furniture makeover, it is important to know
when to call a professional to make your dream a reality. In the case of this beautiful dining room
table, it was a priority for my husband and I not to take any chances when
looking to transport this heirloom piece to its former, non-greenish glory
because it belonged to his grandmother.
It is important to note that professional furniture refinishing is not
an inexpensive option…this item ended up having a several thousand dollar price
tag…but when it comes to antiques and family treasures, it is worth the
effort. Be sure to get
references before commissioning such a project, and to tell the refinisher what
you plan to use the finished piece for and how durable it might need to be. In our case, in a household with three
children, a dog, and multiple uses for the dining room table, we requested a
strong sealant over the refinishing work to stand up to the demands of our
daily life!
So, now that you’ve heard and seen the low-down on
transforming furniture into a showpiece for your home, it’s time to find a
project of your own to experiment on. Best of luck with your hoarded soon-to-be
treasures…be fearless, and have fun!
