Be inspired to upcycle furniture

You cannot fail to miss the growing popularity of upcycling furniture. You may have considered it for yourself but are unsure where to start with designing a new look for your chest of drawers, desk or bedside cabinet.  Knowing where to look for ideas may just give you enough encouragement to pick up a brush.

Pique your Inspiration

With upcycling, you can paint your newly found old piece of furniture in conservative shades of taupe, grey or muted hues of green and blue – all are extremely stylish and have stood the design test of time. Or you can throw out the rule book and go brave. You can opt for a windswept beach theme with blues, whites, driftwood; a tropical holiday theme with lush monstera leaves stencilled on a warm sunkissed background; gentle meadow flowers with duck egg blues and sage greens; a vibrant boho colour explosion or art deco decadence with a hint of bling. The options are limitless. Note: white can be difficult if painting over an old dark piece.

Pinterest: your creativity will be overwhelmed with amazing examples of just how marvellous your piece of furniture can be. There are pins from creators across the globe, each showcasing their talents. You could soon have an arsenal of your own skills. Create a mood board “Upcycled Furniture Ideas”. Search out tutorials on how to achieve the desired look saved to a new board “Upcycling Furniture Tutorials”.

Etsy: furniture painting artisans of all abilities and styles showcase their finished upcycled pieces for sale beautifully. Search “Upcycled Furniture” for broad results or tailor it to your piece and colour preference “Bedside cabinet painted duck egg” etc.

Conscious Cubby: just like Etsy but solely for UK based upcycled furniture. They promote sustainable living which is at the heart of their ethos and inspired their name.

Reclaim and Restore magazines have the sole intention to motivate you to save waste and to re-use beautifully, the latter publication being dedicated to furniture upcycling.

Colour Brochures from paint firms such as Dulux, Valspa (B&Q), Farrow and Ball etc. are great, not only for ideas on colours, but they each show rooms with a colour theme and a variety of colour combinations for each one.

Friends and Family: if you like someone else’s décor, think how you can incorporate this into your own home, in your own way, with your own furniture and furnishings. A statement sideboard for example, designed and painted by your own hand will have others taking ideas from you!

The Sky is the Limit

Upcycling is an extremely affordable way to get a new look within your home, as striking or a subtle as you choose. And remember, if you change your mind, you can always get the paint brush back out and start again!