5 Creative Ways to Turn Old Stuff Into Shabby Chic

Repurposing old furniture is sometimes better than buying a new piece. That’s especially true when you’re looking for shabby chic designs, some of which you can DIY (do-it-yourself, for those who don’t speak internet slang).

So, why not explore new ways to give life to your old stuff? Let’s get you started with the following:

1. Transform a Bulky Drawer Set Into A Useful and Stylish Piece

Signs of age in furniture pieces show up through whitewash or chipped paint. You can usually find this look in antique items. But if that is too expensive for you, you can make your own! Take your old set of drawers, remove the drawers, and start painting. You’ll need primer, paint, and stain as your primary materials. Easy peasy.

Check out this DIY post for the step-by-step procedure on how to achieve distressed furniture.

2. Refurbish Metal Containers with Some Paint

Don’t discard those tin cans, old car license plates, or copper statues yet. Use your imagination to turn them into something chic and functional. Try painting metal tubs, clocks, and even chairs with mint. It’s the perfect color to create the vintage-meet-countryside feel.

For copper and bronze items, recreate the natural wear-and-tear by applying faux patina effects. The rusted, worn look can make any ware fit into a corner as an accent or stand out as a centerpiece. Go to this blog for more details about this DIY project.

3. Add A Touch of Lace to Anything

A touch of lace enhances any room. But when you’re going for the shabby chic style, you can’t afford to exclude this element. For your decor ideas, let it complement cotton and muslin fabrics and items. Curtains, throw pillow cases, and pillowcases are your typical lace decors. So make magic out of those lace scraps. Spruce up an old sofa by adding some lace covered-cushions. Or craft something unique like the decor in the image above.

4. Mix and Match Colors

Repainting your bed frame, drawer sets, side tables, and others may be the idea. To make this overhaul a success, plan your color palette first. Creams and pastels are your go-to shabby chic hues. Begin with a neutral base of your choice, then add rose quartz tones and muted greens for the authentic shabby chic look.

Get inspired by the items and ideas on this website.

5. Wallpaper Wooden Chairs

Do you have wooden chairs that are still functional but feature scratches here and there? Don’t resort to throwing them away. Maybe you can still rescue these pieces with some wallpapers! Just look at what this blogger did to her vintage chair.

To give off that shabby chic vibe, choose from floral, paisley, striped, or damask patterns. You can even extend this project to decorating your wall with complementary wallpaper designs. Who knows? It’s your room, your rules.

But with these 5 simple DIY shabby chic projects, you’ll have a baseline to work on. Make sure to sketch your ideas and organize your makeover piece by piece. In time, you’ll finish the entire room (or house) and feel 100% satisfied.