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How do you normally start when you’re thinking about redesigning and redecorating your home? If the first thing you do is pick up a brochure or head online to start picking out your new furniture and buying pieces, we might suggest you’re going about the process completely backwards. Sorry!

We would recommend a slightly different approach, focusing more on what you already have. You can achieve some incredible results by refreshing old furniture and giving old pieces a brand new lease of life. This can in turn inject some much needed freshness into your rooms! Here are a few tips for saving old furnishings from the scrap heap and turning them into something you’ll love to feature prominently in your home.

Firstly, don’t worry about making it perfect. The finish on your old piece of furniture may be a lot less pristine that it was originally, but that’s certainly nothing bad. If you don’t want to put it through a proper restoration process, you can just enjoy a shabby chic finish on your piece instead. You might even distress it intentionally for a real rustic feel. This is the perfect way to disguise imperfections and make them into a feature.

Paint is going to be one of your primary weapons on this mission. Tackling an ugly old piece and trying to turn it into something attractive may not be easy, but with a fresh coat of brightly coloured paint you’d be shocked at what a difference you can make. Spray paint can be particularly effective in unusual colours, and again you don’t have to focus on getting a perfect finish. Try taking a tired-looking vintage piece and colouring it so it takes on a completely polar opposite identity.

If you’re feeling confident you might want to look at customising your furniture too, in the process of salvaging old and damaged pieces especially. Sometimes you may inherit a desk without all of its drawers, a chair with a missing leg, or perhaps something with a lot of potential that’s being ruined by just one particularly ugly element. Don’t be afraid to amputate old-fashioned or unnecessary parts from your furniture if it helps you style it the way you want to. For example, taking a vintage desk top and replacing its thick legs with much thinner, more sophisticated ones and then painting it a vivid colour could be the perfect way to revamp it.

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Shabby chic is a timeless and flexible style which makes it just as popular now as it ever has been, if not more so. Even if you’ve previously gone for a stricter style or something more sleek and modern, it’s not difficult (or expensive) to incorporate some variety of shabby style into your existing rooms, or transform them altogether.

You can opt for designer shabby chic furniture if you want to spend your budget on high quality pieces, or to inject a little creative style without breaking the bank you may choose to find some bargain pieces and customise them, or track down vintage treasures to restore cheaply. Whichever you choose, here are some simple tips for adding a touch of shabby chic décor to any room, on any budget.

Worn-and-torn wood –

Whether it’s tables, chairs, bookcases or even outdoor furniture, the classic distressed wood look never goes out of fashion and can really add character to new or old furnishings. If you can’t find a genuine vintage piece that suits you, just get to work on painting and sanding some basic wooden furniture and give it your own shabby chic touch.

Wall hangings –

Real antique picture frames are excellent for bringing some class and personality to a plan wall, especially alongside your other distressed décor. You don’t even have to hang pictures in the frames, you might choose to simply hang them empty.Continue Reading