With so many quality pieces of furniture in the world sitting in thrift shops, basements, and attics, it's always nice to see them brought out and given a new lease on life.
They might not always start out as the prettiest pieces, but luckily, there's no shortage of crafty DIY-ers out there to give them a stylish update.
That was the case with Instructables crafter Sahana, who operates under the name Vikalpah.
She had an old dressing table that just didn't match the decor in the rest of the room. It was a great piece with sturdy, solid craftsmanship, but the finish had seen better days, and was full of scuffs and scratches.
"It was kind of spoiling the vibe of the room with its look," Sahana says. So she decided it was time for a makeover.
She opted to use a chalkboard paint for its more matte finish, and for its durability. Chalky paint has many more uses, it turns out, than just creating chalkboards — we learned that with this unexpected chair makeover that brought new life to grungy old upholstery.
Check out the makeover below, and let it inspire you when it comes to any old pieces, large or small, that you might have lying around. You'll see some pretty nifty decorating techniques, too!
[H/T: Instructables]
This dressing table sat in crafter and Instructables user Sahana's crafting room.
It's a beautiful piece, but she said it clashed with the room's decor, and its scratched-up surface was bringing the room down.
It was time for a change.
Using paints with a chalkboard finish, Sahana started to refinish the table after, of course, thoroughly cleaning it.
She was also sure to mask off the parts she didn't want covered in paint, like the edge of the mirror.
The dressing table has a more modern look already.
The dressing table included these beautiful carved designs, which posed a puzzle for Sahana.
She wanted them to stand out, but simply painting them a different color made them look "glued on," as she put it.
So she opted for a distressed look. To achieve this, she painted over the paler gray with a thin layer of carbon black, which dries to a deep, slate gray color.
She then carefully rubbed away the wet carbon paint, which allowed some to remain in the design's grooves.
The result is an easily visible design, but one that blends nicely with the rest of the furniture.
She repeated the process on the other carved designs, too.
To add a little pizzazz to the surface behind the mirror, Sahana used a small stencil to create a repeating pattern.
She used a different design above and below the shelves. However, they're not so different that they look mismatched. It's just a charming detail you'd notice if you looked closely.
The stenciled designs also relate beautifully to the carved designs.
Next, it was time to tackle the drawers. They all got a coat of the dark gray paint, too.
The drawer pulls were tarnished and worn, so they were updated with some soft gold spray enamel.
The gold is a nice contrast to the grays. There's also a gold design on the mirror, so they don't look out of place, either.
Sahana also lined the drawers with some contact paper to hide some extra stains.
She found a stamp inside with the manufacture date on it. The dressing table was built in 1986, so it's not very old.
Then it was time to reassemble the table. It was all coming together!
Some artfully placed flower arrangements added some color and feminine flair, too.
The color is dark, but it looks modern and stylish against the pale pinks in Sahana's craft room.
And here it is in its entirety. Sahana used the paler gray for the base of the table, providing some contrast and keeping the piece from looking too dark and heavy.
You can check out more of Sahana's crafts on her website, too.
What do you think? Do you have any furniture that might benefit from a makeover? Let us know, and SHARE to inspire your crafty friends!
