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| Old furniture makeover |
| With a little creativity and an eye for a bargain, you can totally transform your favourite room. |
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With a little creativity and an eye for a bargain, you can totally transform your favourite room. Tara's chosen some old furniture from an Op Shop and even picked up some freebies from the local Council Pick Up. With some additional fabric and paint, Tara will give the room a "Shabby Chic" look. And it all costs less than $400.
If you're living in a rented house, you don't want to spend a fortune on redecorating. There is also the problem of furnishing a room, without damaging the walls. Revamping old furniture is the perfect solution. Not only is it cheap, but you can create a homey feel in any room.
Old sheets are fantastic for making tab curtains and cushion covers. We bought a pile of old bed sheets from the Op Shop for just $10. These were washed, then sewn into scatter and seat cushions, and a throw. We also made a couple of tab curtains for window dressing.
The tab curtains were made from a single and double bed sheet. The ends were trimmed to fit the window and the left over strip was used to make the tabs. We made sure to use the existing decorative edge along the top of the curtain, for added effect.
The transformation wouldn't be complete without some new furniture. Our red cane lounge and side table came from Lifeline and cost $50. We used a combination of spray and brush paint to coat this Ivory White. Remember to clean all the furniture before painting and give it a light sand. It is also important to wear a breathing mask when painting with a spray can. Scatter cushions add the finishing touch to the new lounge, while the side table is just right for a small lamp and some magazines.
We bought a single cane chair from Lifeline for $20 and painted it to match the lounge. We also found a decent size wicker coffee table for $60 in a second hand shop. After a good wash, we spray painted it Ivory.
The sideboard was a real find at just $160. It's solid and in great condition. We sanded this back to remove the old varnish, then gave it a base coat of French Wash on the top. We used Antique White for the rest of the sideboard, then detailed with some simple hand painted flower posies and bows in muted blue on each door, using Jo Sonja's acrylic paints. The doors were detailed with candy stripes and lattice. To keep the drawers smelling pretty and fresh, we lined them with scented paper.
We found a broken mirror in a frame at a Council Pick Up and while this sounds like junk, it is easily created into a beautiful picture. Carefully remove the broken glass then cut a piece of 3mm MDF to fit the frame (this cost us $6). Cover the frame with polyester wadding, secure this with glue, then wrap in antique fabric. We secured the fabric to the back of the frame with strong tape. Finally, spread some strong glue on the existing backing board inside the frame and stick the covered board down. We now have a new framed picture that can sit on top of the sideboard.
We left the frame as it is for that old look, but if you wanted to give it a facelift use a coat of acrylic paint &151; Nylon Taklon. A good brush for most detailed work is a number four round. A number two liner is also good for line and finer detail work. They both range between $3 and $10 per brush from good art and craft suppliers.
The pot plant holder also came from a Council Pick Up. After a scrub with a brush and water and a coat of paint, it looks as good as new. Best of all, our entire makeover came in under budget &151; just $360.
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More Info
Some furniture was bought from Lifeline, but bargains can be found at any charity store or second hand outlet. We also picked up some freebies from the side of the road at Council Pick Up time.
Spray paint from Krylon. Make sure you pick a paint that can be used on cane furniture, as it will need to be flexible. Our paint cost $8.95 per can (Ivory) and is available at your local Home Timber & Hardware store.
Jo Sonja's paints are available at art and craft supply stores for around $4.95 (depending on size and colour).
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