Blow new life into your old furniture, or someone else’s through the fine art of upcycling
There’s no shortage of used furniture stores in Miami, and for good reason, too. This fair city lives and breathes art and culture. As such, people are always up for putting a creative touch on retired pieces—furniture or otherwise—from garage sales, warehouses, and whatnot.
Here’s how you can upcycle old furniture on a budget, whether or not you feel artistically inspired.
Easy Does it for Armchairs
Flea markets are chock-full of armchairs so old and frayed they make you wonder why they haven’t been sent to a recycling center yet. They have no business taking pride of place in someone’s house. Or do they?
An armchair is more than salvageable as long as the wood is intact. This is even truer for vintage pieces that have stood the test of time and have the chipped paint and ripped upholstery to show for it.
Speaking of paint and upholstery, that’s all you need to upcycle an old armchair. Just give it a new coat yourself, select the upholstery you want, and leave it with a local upholsterer. Your armchair makeover is complete!
Create a Mudroom Storage
The pandemic has made mudrooms a necessity. They’re spaces that serve as storage for all our outdoor items, such as footwear, sports equipment, umbrellas, coats, hats, and everything you take outdoors except clothes.
Mudrooms are usually located near the entrance to minimize dust, mud, and other dirt. Sadly, they’re also the last priority on most home renovation plans. If you don’t have room for a mudroom, get in some mud storage instead.
See if you can find a school or gym coat locker. They usually have a long shelf in the middle that you can use to hang your coats and handbags. Paint the insides of the long and short cubbies with different colors on the same end of the wheel, or give each family member a specific color. Decorate the top with ornamental pots, frames, and other bric-a-brac.
An Old Bookcase No More
If you’ve just renovated your home and the old bookcase doesn’t go with your new furnishings anymore, you don’t have to give it away. For one, bookcases are notoriously hard to get rid of.
You can’t even store them in the garage because they take too much space. Here’s how you can repurpose this old furniture item.
Just slap a new coat of paint on the shelf, and install a single barn door over the whole thing. Make sure to paint it a duller color than the bookcase. Arrange books on the exposed side, and create storage space on the covered side. Done and dusted!
Get more of such ideas on Calle Ocho News, a news outlet for all-things Miami. Get recommendations on everything, from events to tourist attractions to restaurants in the city’s old and new districts.
When you’re not in the city, catch inspirational articles like the above to get your creative juices flowing in terms of DIY furniture and other paraphernalia. Subscribe to our newsletter to stay updated on the latest news from Calle Ocho and the rest of Miami.
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