Old Furniture - Great New Assets




Old Furniture New Again




It may seem as if restoring and reusing old furniture is a new trend. Many of the oldest, historic homes show clearly the benefits of restoring or reusing furniture. A tour of mansions of the Gilded Age show furniture restorations and reuse of furniture imported from Europe's finest castles. It seems fitting that old furniture should be entitled to the same repurposing. Old furniture can be made new again with greater value and become great new assets. There are five ways to repurpose old furniture. These include:


. Reupholster

. Refurbishment

. Redesign

. Adding Value

. Creative reuse




Reupholster




Many old chairs, sofas and chaise lounges can get a new lift by having them reupholstered. For example, an old Chippendale chair with worn upholstery, doweling and wood accents is easily restored. Check the integrity of the doweling first and then consider upgrading the type of upholstery to a contemporary fabric, color and texture. Finally, wood accents can be refinished with a light sanding and polishing and a coat of veneer. It's important to remember that nearly all old furniture can be remodeled. Scour curbside furniture for disposal and garage sales.





Refurbishment




With a little ingenuity and creativity barn siding, barndoor hardware and interior barn beams just need refurbishment to make these a featured part of interior decor for the home or a home office. Take note that the hardware used on barn doors can differ according to location. Although, most of this hardware is metal, it may be refurbished to bring out its natural metal patina. Painted black or brown, this hardware makes an outstanding door feature or an interesting object d'art when added to sliding doors or cabinets. When replacing doors in a home or office, consider the rustic appeal of this type of hardware. It grabs attention immediately.





Redesign




Old furniture can easily be redesigned with a few changes to the original style. For instance, add rustic hardware to a Quaker cabinet door and the result is a southwestern look. It's also possible to redesign tables, benches and chairs. For tables and benches, consider a new table top of mosaic or slate tiles. These are fairly easy to maintain and are quite durable. Seek out old mission chairs and legal chairs with high backs to create a breakfast nook. These often need only a bit of wood refinishing. For outdoor use as a garden nook, refinish them with a weather-proof veneer. Old, odd-shaped, wooden and metal chairs are easily redesigned for use as planters in a corner of a room or a garden. Paint with bright matte colors for added effect.





Adding Value




Old furniture doesn't remain old for long when value is added. A favorite Grandfather clock simply needs oiling, wood refinishing and brass hour and minute hands to increase its value. To add value to old furniture, add drama and turn them into period pieces of the Art Deco, Retro or ultra modern styles. An old sofa can sport the Art Deco look by using dramatic monochromatic fabrics for upholstery. Go Retro with an old wing chair by simply adding large, fluffy pillows in brilliant mango, pomegranate and aubergines. Turn those old New England dining chairs into an ultra modern style by covering the entire chair in lame fabric and pleating the fabric at the back into large, tight, accordion pleats.





Creative Re-Use




Old barn siding has so many wonderful uses indoors and out. Consider using the planks in a home office or kitchen. Replace that ugly shed door with a barn door in bright barn red and gleaming barn hardware for added curb appeal. Create a picnic table and benches with barn planks and a barn door.