UPCYCLING FURNITURE

less videos and home shows that demonstrate this kind of DIY projects, and it’s not really all that scary to begin if you start small.

One person I spoke with said that they would occasionally work with clients to recover a piece of upholstered furniture, but that’s as far as they would go. The primary reason was to keep a family heirloom for sentimental sake; if the original upholstery was a nice piece of fabric, they would go in that direction to recreate.

If you are doing this kind of project yourself, you can go any direction you want, especially if the pieces of furniture are simple and basic–you could go with the frieze fabrics of the 40s and 50s, for example, or the earthtones of the 70s, even the florals of later decades.

If you are painting, you could stencil designs on your finished pieces, ending up with a look that harmonizes without being matchy matchy, in the same way mismatched china patterns are combined for a pleasing effect.

A once rescued (from the curb) chest of drawers had several facelifts during the years my daughter used it–white with bird transfers, pink with flowers, blue with roses–depending on mood and decor of the moment.

There are businesses who will work with you to recreate your visions, too, if DIY is just not your thing. The Strip Shoppe has been in business for 44 years, and owner Tom Brunt said, “We don’t do painting on furniture, but we do strip and refinish and repair. We’re pretty busy. If we’re talking about a chair, it’ll normally be about a week to strip it. If we are refinishing it, that’ll be more like three weeks.” Brunt went on to say that it all depends on what people want. “I’m not an interior decorator!”

Brunt’s accurate observation brings it out clearly: if you are taking your furniture out to be redone, you’ll want to do some homework. In some cases, there could be three or four different pairs of hands to do the work–one to repair, one to remove old paint or finishes if needed, one to refinish it according to your wish, and still one more for upholstery. Nevertheless, you might find yourself eyeing yard sales with a bit more discernment, seeing raw material where previously it was just a battered and out of date piece of furniture! n