Amy Antoinette

Motherhood & Authentic Living

Filed Under: Interiors, Uncategorized

Shabby to Chic – Transforming Second Hand Furniture

It’s been just over a year since my husband and I bought our beautiful 3 bedroom Victorian home and besides the occasional glimpse in a photo I’ve not yet dedicated any blog posts to the interior of our home. When we moved in the house was completely empty save for the pieces below as we couldn’t wait to be rid of the cheap (and pretty useless) furniture which had seen through the two years we’d lived in our tiny rented flat. Our house was a blank canvas and we couldn’t wait to make it into a beautiful home!
Being a fan of country cottage, shabby chic style decor has its perks. The look can often be achieved with very little cost. Although the shops are full to bursting with shabby chic paraphernalia, they most often come with a steep price tag. However, if you have the time or inclination to shop around and regularly visit charity shops and car boot sales, you can find some lovely pieces for a very small cost.
The walls have been decorated with Laura Ashley wallpaper and Farrow and Ball paint and we splashed out on new furniture for our bedroom, but a large part of the house has been decorated using second hand furniture which I adore. Each piece is unique and irreplaceable which makes our home feel all the more special.

Welsh Dresser – £30
We spotted this in our local Sue Ryder store when we still lived in Loughborough and I was so delighted to find a Welsh dresser for such a low price. It was a pain lugging it up 3 flights of stairs and having to store it in our tiny hall, but since we’ve moved it’s had a nice home in our spacious kitchen. We sanded it down, applied an undercoat and a couple of coats of matt white paint before adorning it with pretty things.
Before
After
Standard Lamp – £2
We picked this up at a carboot sale for a mere £2, much to my delight. We re-wired it to be on the safe side and I painted the base in a white eggshell paint. The shade was pretty grubby and we had planned on recovering it, but the cream and duck egg went well with our Laura Ashley wallpaper. This is where our Miele vacuum cleaner came in handy! I popped it on the upholstery setting and the dirt just vanished!
Before 
(How teeny was the old kitchen!)
After

Breakfast Stools – 3 for £5
These stools were a brilliant find in an old factory building selling all kinds of second hand furniture. Our kitchen has a breakfast bar but I’d only seen modern breakfast stools being sold so these were perfect for keeping in with the country cottage theme. We roughly sanded them down to make the seat a lighter rustic colour then I painted the back rest and legs with an undercoat and a coat or two of white eggshell paint. It was immensely tedious but I love the finished result.
Before
After
Pine Bookcase – £70
We had a lot of books stored in the cellar so I was desperately seeking a reasonably priced pine bookcase that would suit our home. I eventually found this one on eBay and it looks perfect in our dining room filled with a few of our favourite books!
Anyone else like sprucing up old furniture?
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Comments

  4. Me says

    I would highly recommend Annie Sloan paint for such products. It is expensive, but the results are second to none – I always used Farrow and Ball and Fired Earth, but it's Annie Sloan all the way now!

  11. kirsti_r says

    I looove these kind of DIY projects and cant wait to get my own home so i can do more 🙂

    I'm currently on the hunt for a vintage 'boudoir' chair and a small chest of drawers or bedside tables to complete my bedroom.

    xoxo

  16. A Lauren to Herself says

    Absolutely stunning! Who knew you could spruce up old charity finds like that. I have an old telephone table from the 60s (picked up on ebay and featured in a blog post when I moved out). I didn't do anything to it but it could really do with a lick of paint and maybe some new fabric on the cushion. Thanks for the tips x

  17. Jessica Beautician says

    This was fantastic to read and see the photos! I'm currently decorating my beauty salon in shabby chic and have had to rub down oak wood, paint it cream then rub slightly along the edges to create the effect and it looks really good. The Welsh dresser you transformed is absolutely stunning! x

  23. Kate says

    Wow, you've made that dresser look so pretty. I am majorly into shabby chic too – would have loved to have done our whole house in it but my boyfriend wouldn't let me so I just had to settle with my make-up room, see mine here -http://http//aworldfullofprettiness.blogspot.com/2011/11/my-shabby-chic-dressing-room-storage.html

    I'd love to see more interior posts!
    x

  24. Kitty Read says

    You have done an amazing job with everything! looks wonderful!

    We move into our new home next month and I cannot wait to start revamping the place, I am more an old meets new type of person but lean to an art deco style … i am hoping i can pick up some amazing vintage pieces as well as some new bits and bobs. Your post has certainly inspired me xx

  31. Jess says

    I've never spruced anything up myself but I absolutely love what you've done with them all, especially the dresser – it's amazing what can be done.

    Jess
    @ditzyglamour

    x

  40. Kellven says

    Transforming second-hand furniture has gained a lot of ground these days, and this trend has picked a lot amongst people who sway by old and traditional, royal-looking furniture. I had also bought a transformed second-hand furniture for my home last month from The Apple Barn; which has added a lot to the charm of my home interior.

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