Recycling Furniture
It is crazy to think of how we renovated our tiny apartment in the South of France whilst working on a budget. l love recycling furniture or items that I have, so we drove down with a car full of household goods including a cabinet and chairs. Other posts show the changes that we made using a backdrop of white with apple green and pale lemon tones. All Feng Shui elements taken in to consideration! The bedroom was a lovely dove grey with soft metal elements.
Recover That Chair
We have 2 lovely German chairs that we haven’t really used, we decided to see how hard it was to recover the seats which were a neon pink. We took off the pink seat covers using them as a template. We then spent several weeks looking for fabric that worked with the chosen colours – apple green and lemon. Since this post, fast forward a few years, they are now a petrol blue chic silk!
We found 2 cushion covers for 9 euros each in Depot – a favourite budget decor shop in Berlin. Placing each seat inside we realised we might have a solution. Having carefully cut out surplus material, using a staple gun, we worked around the seat. At the corners, puckering was an issue, we cut small pieces at a time as once cut, there was no turning back. Carefully stapling the corners in to place, we had a perfect solution. We took the seats outside and used waterproof spray to protect the material.
Tools – sharp scissors, staple gun and plenty of staples, waterproof spray, a glue gun may also work.
Storage, Storage, Storage
We will need storage in a tiny place. I have loved this Chinese A-frame cupboard bought from a friend in our Penang days. It has stored, shoes, clothes, china. However, not being a fan of red wood, I was keen to see how we could give it new life. Mistake #1: We painted it first with a plastic paint which was supposed to cover any wood. Wrong! It didn’t even stick to the furniture and after 2 coats, easily peeled off. So off to our favourite paint people, Farrow and Ball. We bought an expensive primer for wood and then painted it white. It works. Worth the money and effort and it has since been painted a lovely pistachio green!
Think Outside the Box
Some tips on recycling furniture for beginners:
- Strip, sand, paint – you can always strip again or change the colour
- Staple guns and glue guns work with fabric, wood and metal
- Use a bedroom chest of drawers in the kitchen or an outdoor table as a dining table
- Join IKEA hacks for those on a budget
- Change door knobs or legs, take off doors, use roller blinds as an alternative
- Think laterally
