Well friends, we made it, it is Friday! I feel like Friday should count as the weekend because we all spend the whole day thinking and planning our weekends. I have a ton of projects on my to-do list for the weekend. A few crafts and a furniture upcycle that I am psyched to get started on! It is one of my absolute favorite things to do, take an old and tired piece then transform it! I am still getting used to redoing things, and finally figuring out what my strengths are. My strength is paint, I need to up my re upholstery game. Today I am sharing 13 furniture transformations that I have done since I started this blog two years ago. These are my favorite ones I have done so far, and with each furniture upcycle comes more knowledge.
So hopefully in another two years I will have even more furniture transformations to share, and hopefully more “professional ones. Now let’s get to sharing these transformations! You can see what they all looked like before they were prettied up by clicking on the links above each picture, full tutorials and before pictures are in each post.
I just recently re-organized this table, and we have moved it into a different location in the house. The amount of time my kids spend here is insane. This one is a big upcycle because the table was a former book case. We dismantled it and now my kids get their creativity on!
This electric fireplace surround was my first time working with Smart Tiles, which is a great product that has the appearance of tiles without all of the work and time. I took this fireplace from dark to light and bright. This is the first new piece I have put in my bedroom. Our master bedroom is the last room to be touched in this house. I want to go with a simple and bright space, really have it be calming.
This old spool came as a freebie during a Craigslist pick-up. I was purchasing some chairs and this beauty was sitting on their front porch. The people selling had moved into a house with a few things still there, one of them being this spool. I rolled it into my car, my husband thought I was insane. But, I had dreams for this thing and it was free! I turned it into my kid’s book case and I adore it!
IKEA rast hack, making a dog bed
We have three kids around here, who I am obsessed with. Also these two furry loves Teddy & Finn. Teddy was our first dog and he is 4 now, he is the small dog. Finn is the lovable one year old gentle giant. Anyways, I got to participate in a Ikea challenge with a group of bloggers and we all got to redo a dresser. I turned mine into a dog bed perfect for Teddy. Finn was upset, but then he realized he spreads out over the entire sofa and was OK with this set up.
I transformed this desk in Nora’s bedroom from white to the brightest pink to ever exist. The desk was mine, my Mom’s and my Grandma’s before that. It came with no chair, this one I found on the side of the road and it had ducks as the seat cover. I found a curtain valance at Goodwill which I used as the seat cushion ad it turned into my sweet Nora’s dream place to draw and write.
This bench was a recent redo. It was a formerly drab and overlooked black bench. I added my favorite paint color, some wood details and a fun pattern to the back. It brightens up the entryway and makes it feel perfect to welcome guests!
Storage unit turned rustic bookcase
I think we can all agree that everyone is always in need of more storage. With my bedroom doubling as my home office for now, where I also do a lot of crafting I need shelf space. I had this storage shelf that was rough, really rough. I used wood pallet pieces, a can of spray paint, wood stain and turned this into a fun bookcase. This is what Furniture transformations are all about!
We inherited this patio furniture from our in-laws who were ready for something different. They were rough, stain almost scraped off, splinters in the butt if you sit. I redid it the right way with hours and hours of sanding everything down. But the work was worth it with this bright yellow and oh-so-happy patio furniture we have now.
Bed curtains for daughters bed
Nora wanted us to give her a new bed, a four-poster bed to be more specific. She fell in love with the idea of curtains surrounding her. However her bed was less than 3 years old and we were not budging on a new one. I did come up with a compromise and turned her bed into a four-poster bed impersonator. I got out my mad sewing skills and created this dream of a bed. Hanging curtains on her ceiling, all the way to the floor, even with a sheer curtain that she can close when she is sleeping. I fell in love with these and tried to convince Dale he was manly enough to sleep in a bed with pink curtains on it… no go! You can see her full room reveal here.
Dining table turned into coffee table
I had been in search of my “dream” coffee table. I knew I wanted something big, bulky, over sized and rustic. I never found it, but I did have this dining room table that we purchased but realized was too small for our family. I cut down the legs, painted it and added wood planks to it. Making it my dream table.
I am a furniture hoarder, it is ok, the first step is admitting you have a problem. I had a small shelf in my basement that I decided I wanted to use. I made doors for it, and made a really cool wood detail of a tree on the front. It was created during a decorating challenge and the inspiration was fall. I thought there is nothing ore fall than tree’s.
I have these two bookshelves on either side of the fireplace that were black. Initially I liked the pop of color and dramatics of them. However, I have shifted my preference’s to light and bright. I have also embraced my love of all things coastal and instead of fighting it I fly my turquoise shell obsession. I was born and raise in Southern California and miss the beach every single day, this is my consolation. I painted these shelves white, which sometimes can mean boring. These lovelies are far from boring now!
These cane chairs was my first furniture redo and after the success of these I was hooked. They were old, ugly and tired. I made them shine with minimal work and now think I am a legit reupholster. Spoiler alert, I am not! But, these bad boys gave me a false sense of confidence and I have ran with it every since. The large prints I just created and can be found here.
Simple window seat from two bookshelves
Are you seeing a trend? I have a lot of bookshelves, big, small, tall, bulky, narrow. We have them all and we put them to use. Nora wanted to have a window seat in her room, that is the other trend. My kid’s are very demanding tiny people who dictate what their room’s look like. I scuttle off Quasimodo style to make it happen in my garage and present them with a new piece of dream furniture for them.
Looking at these 13 furniture transformations give my DIYer heart palpitations, I love seeing the results of hard work and a willingness to try. That is all it is, when I started redoing furniture it was out of a need for the “magazine ready” home when we had a tiny budget for decorating our home. You do what you gotta do, and sanding, painting, reupholstering, and more sanding is how you do that. I am nowhere near a pro when it comes to furniture transformations but I do enjoy it and am learning more everyday. That is the point of my blog and many other home decor and DIY blogs, none of us know what we are doing. Just have an eagerness to try, a need for creating our dream home and the only cure is to make it happen. I hope you all found some inspiration, look at that table you are thinking of throwing out differently, or maybe go and scope out some secondhand stores because you will be able to see what you can do with a can of paint and an idea.
Terrific round up of really awesome projects! You do great work.
Thank you so much!
You have tons of great ideas here. I would love to try a couple of these.
Thank you! Most of these were as simple as painting the furniture, really easy to do.
I have to tell you, I absolutely think what you did with the bed is pure genius! I didn’t even think it was not a four poster and had to do a double-take. Great job on all of your pieces.
Thank you! My daughter wanted a four poster bed and this was a way to have the look and feel without a new bed.
I loved the IKEA dog bed one. Wow so many ideas here. Following it so I get inspired
Thanks!
Oh I love it all but especially love that link canopy !!
Thank you!
Great ideas! I love that you turned the nightstand into a dog bed. Way too cool!
Thank you so much! My Teddy loves his custom bed!
You are amazing. I wish I had just a smidgen of your talent! I love these projects!
Wow, thank you so much for your sweet words and compliment! That means a lot to me.
WOw so cool. I like the round table that you used as a bookshelf. what great ways to transform old items into new.
Thank you!
I love refinishing furniture and making it fit our personalities. These are all great and I am sure everyone loves them!
That is the best part about redoing furniture, turning it into something that fits you and your home more.
Those are some very interesting transformations….love the dog bed…looks like the dog does too!
Thank you, He does love his dog bed!
These ideas are so clever. That doggie bed is awesome! I love being able to repurpose things and find new lives for them!
Thank you! Re purposing is so much fun, and the results of your hard work is instant!
So many great transformations! I especially love the kids art table area. Was that chalk paint on the top of the table? Super cute and great job!!
Thank you! It is chalkboard paint on top, my kid’s don’t use chalk as much when working here because they have moved onto cutting tiny pieces of paper into even tinier pieces 🙂 But the color of the table top also hides any marker or crayon marks they make too.
So many great projects, Emily! Love them all!
Thank you!
Okay, these are seriously awesome. So creative! I would love that spool turned bookshelf!
Thanks! That spool bookshelf is a favorite of mine.
Great ideas! The dog bed is my absolute favorite! Now I need one!!!
Thank you so much!
Making a pet bed out of a dresser is a great idea. Sometimes my cats like sleeping in my room, but I do not want them on the bed (shed too much hair). This should make them happy.
It would be a great cat bed as well!
I love all of these ideas! I really love the dog bed! How adorable! I also love that you have a lot of bright colors in your home. I am a fan of bright colors.
Thank you! I try to use bright colors in my home, we painted the walls such a light color I am able to have pops of other colors.
I like everything! My favorite though is the bunkbed. I like the clean white look of it. It feels spacious and happy.
Thank you so much! I will be sharing the tutorial to how I built those soon.
I love these! I want to make a princess dress closet for my daughter. I have seen some great transformations of those.
Have fun making the dress closet!
They’re all so beautiful. You’re amazing!! I think my favourite is the fireplace – just gorgeous!
Thank you so much Christina!
OMG so pretty! You have such an eye!
Go you!
Thank you!