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It’s happened to the best of us! We buy a perfect piece of furniture for our home and display it with pride only to have a visitor exclaim about having the identical piece in their home. The feeling of dismay experienced at that exact moment is second only to the embarrassment of walking into a party and finding someone else wearing the same dress as you!
Don’t worry, all is not lost! With a few DIY techniques and professional expertise, you can transform your store bought furniture to give it a unique look. We’ve highlighted 7 different ways in which you can attempt to do so.
We say red, but it can be any colour that you like as long as it’s bright, bold and stunning. Of course, it should match or perfectly contrast the colour scheme of your room. The desk in this room is repainted in red to provide a striking contrast to the turquoise chair and accents.
A standard bench seat is quite common. You can give it style by throwing on some neon love cushions that hide away the plainness. Alternatively, cover it with a bright or embroidered throw that makes it distinctive and transforms it from common to rare.
A simple standing shelf or tiered rack is great for storage, but it has no uniqueness. Make it blend into your room by changing the finish. Rather than having a plain wood tone, try giving it an antique or distressed look. Fix mirrors on the back panel or stud it with metal buttons to add elegance to the design.
Touching up the frame of a chair, sofa or table with gold lacquer gives it a new look, and adds a luxurious element. Match it with gilded frames on paintings or golden accessories to add old world charm to the room.
Most store bought furniture come with neutral or muted upholstery that makes them dull. Brighten it up by reupholstering with bold colours and prints to make it memorable. This classic heirloom chair has been given a makeover with bright coloured fabric that endows it with a rustic look.
A plain chair can be made unique by touching it up with piping in a contrast colour. Other options for creating contrast are lace borders on upholstered chairs, gold braids on cushions or even applique patches that add a distinctive element to the furniture.
This modern side cabinet with straight-line design would be a perfect addition to a contemporary home’s living room, dining area or foyer. Adding highlights to its doors using copper inlay technique completely changes its look to that of a period piece. A similar idea for highlighting modern furniture to make it look classic is to replace the door handles with coloured ceramic knobs or handcrafted metal ones.
It all comes down to putting your personal stamp on store bought furniture. You can either try your hand at giving it a face lift or hire a professional to help. For tips on adding old furniture to your décor, visit this ideabook.
