Reinvent Your Furniture with 8 Colorful DIYs
—Debra Immergut
Who doesn’t love total transformations? As the furniture makeovers here prove, even an unloved hand-me-down or yard-sale find—the one that’s scarred, scratched, or just plain brown and ugly—can be reimagined into a colorful, covetable piece for your home. All it takes is paint, elbow grease, and a little creativity. Click through for nine DIY ideas to inspire you to see the potential in all furniture types—even the ugly ducklings.
1. Ombre Desk
photo: nattybydesign.com
Why choose a single color when you can have a full palette? From pale to deep, a range of pretty pink Benjamin Moore paints embellish the drawers of a simple desk in an ombre pattern, making it the centerpiece of the room.
Related: 9 Easy Designs for a DIY Desk
2. Bed Frame
photo: makelyhome.com
An airless paint sprayer is quite the handy tool for furniture makeovers, providing the smoothest finish possible. Don’t believe us? Check out the finished project from one DIY-er who used it to take an old headboard and footboard from awful to awesome.
Related: Make Your Bed: 9 Easy DIY Headboards
3. Brush-On Upholstery
photo: abeautifulmess.com
In this truly adventurous project, an emerald green coat of fabric medium and latex paint gives the look of re-upholstering at a fraction of the cost—and effort!
Related: Drab to Fab: 10 Fantastic Furniture Makeovers
4. Midcentury-Mod Cabinet
photo: poppytalk.com
An utterly unpromising wooden cabinet—with only one of its original drawers remaining—gets a mod new look with a little sanding and a splash of paint. The clever addition of a set of Mid-Century modern legs raises the piece to a whole new level.
Related: 8 Nightstands You Don’t Need to Buy
5. Painted Piano
photo: rebekahgough.blogspot.com
Now here’s a musical instrument that’s easy on the ears and eyes. This inherited upright piano got a new lease on life with a good cleaning, sanding, and a coat of marigold paint.
Related: Fine-Tuning: 9 Inventive Ways to Repurpose a Piano
6. Folding Patio Chairs
photo: thrifterindisguise.com
A can of spray paint is a blissfully cheap and simple way to revitalize metal furniture that’s seen better days. A quick shake and spray, and these metal folding chairs are left looking quite fresh in grass green.
Related: 12 Ways to Wake Up Your Tired Outdoor Furniture
7. Coffee Table
photo: littlebitsof.com
After a thorough sanding, a once-dowdy coffee table got dressed up in a whole new outfit of mint green with glittery gold-painted feet for an extra dose of style. Topped with a cut-to-fit sheet of glass, the finished piece really shines.
Related: 16 Designs for a Low-Cost DIY Coffee Table
8. Memento Shelf
photo: emmymom2.com
As part of a budget-friendly bedroom makeover, this homeowner brushed chalk paint onto a long bookcase that was once plain-jane white. Talk about the perfect addition for a sunny reading nook!
