Reusing Vintage Furniture As Decoration
In this article we will show you some great ideas on how you can reuse vintage furniture as decoration.
Almost every one of us has vintage furniture and other beautiful things at home, but a lot of it is lying around unused. There are many great ideas on how you can put these pieces of jewelery in your home with little effort.
At the moment it is very fashionable to recycle vintage furniture and reuse it as decoration. Old objects or pieces of furniture are used in a new way. In this way, you can use and decorate things in a new and meaningful way that you no longer use.
Read on and we’ll tell you what options there are!
What is recycling?
Recycling means that you use something that already exists that you no longer use in a new way and reuse it.
Advantages:
- Extends the useful life of the already manufactured product.
- Lower consumption of raw materials.
- Less waste and bulky waste.
- In addition, you contribute to the fact that the valuable resources of our planet are conserved.
What exactly do “vintage” and “vintage furniture” mean?
The term is made up of the French words vingt (twenty) and age (age). The term “vintage” was originally used for all objects dating from the 1920s.
So vintage furniture was all furniture from the Roaring Twenties. Today we use the term generally for all objects and pieces of furniture that have a special meaning or that have a certain nostalgic value.
Therefore, by recycling or reusing old objects and furniture, you can create a very special atmosphere and give your living space a pleasant retro aspect.
In today’s article we want to give you some inspiration on how you can put beautiful vintage furniture and decorative objects in the limelight.
1. Old suitcases
If you have old suitcases in the attic, you can use them to make a very unusual bedside table. Since they are usually made of leather and are also quite dimensionally stable, you can stack them very well on top of each other.
Before doing this, you should possibly care for and freshen up the leather. The effect will be even better if you choose suitcases that are different sizes and colors. Put a great lamp and a few photos on the top and your vintage bedside table is ready.
2. Vintage furniture such as cabinets, chests, and dressers
Old furniture is usually made to a high quality. They were mostly made of wood and are very solidly built. Objects made of metal, such as iron, are also of good quality and are often very nicely designed and decorated.
To create a nice contrast to the old piece of furniture, you can paint the surface in a color that does not match the original color. For example, if the wood was brown, you can paint your vintage furniture in the colors mustard, aquamarine or orange, etc. This makes the old piece of furniture look very modern again.
Pastel colors and light colors are also always a very good option for the color design of old furniture. In addition, light colors make furniture and objects generally appear larger and larger.
3. Sewing machines, the classic of vintage furniture
Old sewing machines very often have forged iron feet and look beautiful. You could paint your old sewing machine in ocher or gold, it would be even better if you choose a color that prevents rust.
Often there is also a wooden box on these machines, in which the actual sewing machine is located. You could also paint or varnish this box. The surface is smooth and even, so you could decorate it with books, place photos or use other decorative objects, for example.
In addition, some models have small compartments on both sides in which you can store other things.
4. Old chairs
If you have a nice old chair that is still never used, you could convert it into a reading chair. Since the old chairs are usually larger than today’s models, they are usually also much more comfortable.
Paint the wooden feet of the chair and cover the rest of the chair with fabric in ocher or a pastel color. To round it off, you can put a white pillow on the seat and your new reading chair is ready.
5. Picture frames
Many years ago it was fashionable for pictures and paintings to be presented in large, ornate and impressive frames.
You can perfectly reuse these beautiful frames. For example, you can use them as a picture frame for a great photo (of course, you should remove the old picture beforehand). To do this, carefully sand the frame and then remove the dust that has formed. Then you can paint the wood in a color of your choice.
Another idea is that you can make a great mirror out of it. To do this, you simply have to get a suitable mirror glass and attach it to the frame. But you can also put a modern painting or a nice poster in the frame.
Simply design according to your personal taste and depending on the room and environment in which you want to decorate this object.
6. Old chests
Among the vintage furniture, old chests in particular are still in great demand as they are easy to remodel and reuse.
If your chest is getting a bit old and you no longer like the look that much, then you can refurbish it a little.
First, you should clean it thoroughly and then polish it up with a high-quality furniture polish. After this treatment, your chest will shine again in its old splendor.
Another idea is that you just put your chest on a nice brightly colored rug. You will surely like the contrast between the vintage furniture and the modern carpet.
7. Cable reels
Cables used to be rolled up on very large wooden rolls. If you are lucky enough to get such a wooden cable reel, you can make a really original and special garden table out of it.
First of all, you have to rub the roller very well so that there are no more wood splinters sticking out on which someone could injure themselves. Then you can prime the surface, for example with a green paint. Now you can paint it with lots of colorful flowers, for example.
In the middle of the cable drum there is a hole that is not too big. Either you cover it with a slate or you plant it and create a small mini garden. Let your imagination run wild!
8. Old doors are also vintage furniture
If you’re buying a new front door and don’t know what to do with the old one, we have an idea for you here. You don’t have to throw away the old door. You can often reuse them and convert them into a small table or a dining table, for example.
First of all, you should remove all metal parts from the door, then cut the size you want. Then you smear it off and polish it. Now you can paint your old door in an unusual color to create a good contrast between the old door and the new use. You can make the table legs out of metal, which also gives a nice effect.
House doors are large and very solid, so you can easily reuse them and use them to build a new, durable and robust piece of furniture. Old furniture and vintage furniture offer you numerous opportunities to design new things and use different techniques. So you will enjoy them for a long time to come.
Best of all, they don’t have to be perfect at all. Often they are even more beautiful when they have a slightly used look, because that is exactly what makes these unique pieces so charming!
