When we think about the decor of any room in the house, one of the first things that pop up in our mind is the furniture. It’s the essential element that makes each room distinct from the other. Just like the drawing-room may have more sofas, the bedroom is likely to be filled with bed sets, dressing tables, and cupboards.
If you are renovating your house or are thinking of giving your home a new look, then adding a few changes to your furniture will help you with the task.
Also, if you are not willing to spend money on any new furniture, then you need not worry as by a little touch to your old furniture you can add a glow to your house. How? Here are the twelve ways to do it.
1. Enameling
As the furniture of our house gets older, it is covered by scrapped off paint and a rough surface. Enamel finish can be used to hide surface flaws like stained surface, bad quality wood, and removed paint. It can be used on wood surfaces as it is tough. It is also easy to handle, and using it over an old piece of bare wood can create a striking accent piece.
Flyspecking or antique glazing can be used to give a vintage look. For a more gold touch to your furniture wax gilding can be used. Enamel is entirely different from ordinary paint as it has pigments in an oil base, and unlike paint that gives a soft finish, the enamel is as tough as varnish. This why enamel is preferred over paint when furniture is concerned. It is most suitable for pieces of furniture like kitchen tables, front door, and pieces that are heavily used every day.
Enamel is not really hard to work with and goes a long way, and the beautiful butter satin finish is preferable over the water-based latex finish. The most significant advantage of enameling furniture is that it does not need a top coat and last for five to ten years without the need to repaint.
2. Wallpapers
This is the most loved tool by people who want to decorate their furniture with their very own hands and to use their creativity and skills. If you have old furniture that you love, but it has lost its luster, you can breathe new life into it with wallpapers of different patterns.
It can be used on almost all surfaces, let it be glass, plastic, or even wood. You don’t need to worry about how to add color to your wooden furniture pieces. When listing down where the wallpapers can be applied, the possibilities are endless. Desk doors, tabletops, shelves, room dividers, cupboards and closets, and a lot of furniture can be styled as you like with wallpapers.
There is one little thing when using this idea that you should not neglect. Please ensure that you choose the colors and patterns that look subtle and will not clash with the other furniture and decoration pieces present in the room. You don’t want it to result in a final look that creates a sense of clashing styles.
3. Sofa Makeover
Sofas are an essential part of furniture that can be found in not only drawing rooms for accommodating guests but also in the living room where you can fit in with your friends for a movie night. You can also include a sofa in your bedroom where you can sit up straight with your legs stretched when you have to work.
As years pass by, the sofas become sunken and to be more precise, sad, as they get pretty much worn out. For the sunken sofas, you can remove old stuffing of the sofas and fill it in with new material. If your sofa has wooden legs and has the same old dull brown color, then you can paint with a bright color to give it a country flair and an elegant look.
To upgrade the sofa with a good frame, all you need to do is add a few throw pillows and give the cushions an update by adding new slipcovers on them. To make it look trendy, you can use table cloth with cheques to make the slipcovers. Velvet sofas can be repaired with fresh velvet covers and be retorted from an old sofa to a showpiece.
If you have children in your house, then there is a high chance that your child might have scrolled with markers on the sofa and we all know how difficult it can be to remove, so instead of washing and dry cleaning, you can recover it with printed fabric.
4. Throw Pillows
The easiest way to add color to your furniture is by adding some pillows. The most popular pillows these days are throw pillows. Choose some pillows of the same shade or in complementary shades. Arrange them in a way that as you move towards the inside of the sofa, the pillows should get smaller to give a depth effect.
Although the pillows are decorative, their real purpose is to add comfort to your furniture pieces. You don’t want to go over the board by filling in the sofa with too many pillows. It may give a feeling that you are being shoved into a packet of marshmallows.
5. Hammocks and Chairs
When it comes to furniture, chairs are an essential part of the seating. They are needed in almost every part of the house. However, with time, these chairs can get worn out and give your room a shabby look. To overcome this, you can get your chairs painted with colors according to the theme of your room.
Another thing that is trending these days is hammocks. Hammock chairs can turn an extra room of your house into a relaxing retreat. Since you’ll be using a spare bedroom, you do not have to worry about the space being filled up.
Using crocheted rope hammocks for Scandinavian décor can give an aesthetic touch to your furniture. Hammocks give your boring furniture a vacation vibe and a treat for creating a relaxing mood.
6. Soft Mats and Rugs
If you are not willing to spend money on buying new furniture, then all you have to do is grab some mats and rugs from the market to add a colorful vision to your old furniture. You can define areas like sitting and dining areas and use different sized rugs to create a sense of variety.
Always prefer creating harmony by using rugs that complement each other. You can use rugs to visually uplift or balance the tone of the room and furniture. If the room paint or wallpaper has vibrant colors, then use a carpet that is more subtle with dim shades. In contrast, if the wall is painted with soft colors, then use different colorful rugs.
7. Patio Umbrellas
Whenever you hear the word umbrella, you may think about the idea of protecting yourself from rain or direct sunlight. But that concept is now old as umbrellas are also being used for other things, besides providing shade.
You would have definitely seen a tiny cute umbrella on your slushy when you order one at a restaurant. Umbrellas are now also being used for upgrading the furniture. Patio umbrellas can be used in your yards or gardens to provide an overhead. Here it not only provides shade but its vibrant colors and all sort of patterns add color to your all green boring yard.
You can set them up with a patio table so you can you enjoy or tea or coffee, whatever you like, out in the light or even if the sun is up. Patio umbrellas are not considered as an essential furniture item. However, its fantastic look can uplift any backyard or poolside. This is the perfect place to relax in an armchair with a colorful patio umbrella over the top.
8. Tables
Now we all know how important of a furniture item tables are as they come handy in every corner of the house. Want to lay down your lunch? There is a table. Want to study and keep a lamp by your side? Table, again.
We use tables everywhere, whether it be Kitchen, living room or bedroom. Changing the style and design of the tables can give a whole new look to the furniture in your house. Foldable tables are the new thing these days as they are convenient to set up and carry around in the house. You can give your wooden tables a modern look by polishing them, and you can also paint your tables with trendy colors.
9. Washi Tapes
Some years ago, if you told someone that you upgraded your house just by using tape, they would think you are crazy. But now they won’t as everyone knows about washi tapes that are found everywhere in the market. If you do not know about washi tapes, then you are missing on something cool.
Washi tapes are tough material tapes that come in all colors, designs, and patterns. They are multipurpose hence you can use them anywhere you like. All you have to do is choose your favorite patterned washi tape, get it in bulk and start adding color to your furniture straight away. You can use it to make a different design on your tedious wardrobe, make your book racks unique and whatnot.
10. Decoupaging
If you haven’t heard the term before, decoupaging is simply the process of cutting out pictures, sticking them to an object and then covering the object with a coat of varnish. Here, when it comes to furniture, you can decoupage lamps, tables and anything you like. It allows you to express your creativity and personalize your furniture to get a unique feel.
You can use cut-outs from wrapping papers, fabric, paper napkins, origami papers. If you are willing to make it on point, then there are special decoupage papers available. They’re pictures that are exclusively chosen for this art, and they’re available in a wide range of designs.
After you have added your desired tinge to your furniture, you can use decoupage glue, PVA glue (permanent type) or spray glue to finish it.
11. Chaise Lounge Chairs
Chaise lounge chairs may remind you of relaxing by the poolside, stretching your legs with a glass of orange juice in our hand. These chairs can also be used to add hues to your furniture and not only that but also work into our seating arrangement too. For instance, you can create an asymmetrical arrangement of two chairs, a sofa, a small table, and a chaise lounge chair in the opposite corner. You can use it in the parts of your house where you want to add a French touch and make it elegant by throwing in a few cushions of contrasting colors.
12. The Easiest Of All – Paint
If you do not want to put in a lot of effort to upgrade furniture or cannot be bothered to think of creative ideas; then all you need to do is to get buckets of paint – that’s it! Make sure you choose subtle colors and not too ‘out of the box’ like pink or purple as they might look beautiful on the walls but would look strange on your furniture.
So gather up your stuff and get right into turning your shabby furniture into colorful and exotic new furniture.
