Wednesday, April 21, 2010

EARTH DAY & UPCYCLING!

Tomorrow being Earth Day, I've been thinking a lot about upcycling furniture. With the purchase of my home came the realization that I didn't really have much in the line of furniture. Thankfully, my very talented Dad refinishes antique pieces and allowed me to "borrow" some of them to get me started. Actually, I still have a few pieces.. :)
Going out and buying everything all at once was not an option. Then I started hearing the latest design buzz word: "Re" - Reuse, Repurpose, Recycle. All about REvamping the old and making it work again. I guess the idea appealed to both my DIY side and my pocket book!
My inspiration mostly comes from my beloved Coulson's, a local antique & furniture store but other great sources are yard sales, curbside, and your family's basements! Summerside now has a Habitat for Humanity ReStore. I checked it out yesterday and found the prices very reasonable!
Some of my "upcycling" projects include:
A terrible, shiny, honey brown china cabinet. Here it is now with a fresh coat soft blue paint.

I'd like to change the knobs. Maybe some from Anthropologie?

A pair of club chairs that I picked up from a local motel for $30! I had them upholstered in a pretty blue and added some flirty pillows.

I wish I had the before pictures from those projects.... but here are a couple future projets I have up my sleeve.


I just love the channel back on both. Imagine them in a bright geometric print with glossy white woodwork. I could even add some nailhead trim.
Here are some inspiration pics:



*images via caitlin creer interiors



*images via little green notebook


I guess the first step is to decide where to put them and then source some fabrics. I'll keep you posted!

2 comments:

  1. The armoire color is great! I love it!

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  2. LOVE the blue chair, and both green chairs. The blue would look great in houndstooth. I love the lines of it. I'm jealous, wish I knew how to upholster furniture. It looks so complicated!

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Love hearing from you! Thanks so much :)