Upcycleable pieces of furniture are your best bet if you’re looking for a budget-friendly way to put together a truly fabulous home. Just think about it – all of those fab timeless pieces, at least a few amazing DIY projects and tons of useful trinkets all waiting for you and all you have to do is start visiting yard sales. Now, I’m not going to give you a lecture on haggling nor try to give you tons of reasons why yard sales are great – I’m sure you’ve figured those out on your own. I am, however, going to give you a few pointers and hopefully help you take a few marvelous pieces home even if you have absolutely no experience in yard sales. And, with that said, here are some seriously upcycleable pieces of furniture you should consider:
1 Wing Chairs
First on my list of upcycleable pieces of furniture are wing chairs, of course, and, trust me – it takes just one look at both upscale and DIY home décor ideas to get the idea why. They are absolutely timeless, totally easy to work into all kinds of homes and, if you snag a good, basic piece, you can even get away with not having to do any major work.
Frequently asked questions
2 Consoles
These interesting pieces of furniture are such a worthy investment if you know what to look for. Vintage pieces are actually my favorite because you’ll get materials such as solid wood, brass and wrought iron for a price that’s absolutely silly considering how much these cost nowadays.
3 Thonet Pieces
Thonet pieces are much-loved even nowadays, all thanks to their decorative, curvy design, quality and tradition. Don’t shy away from slightly damaged pieces, as long as the damage in question is not structural. Inspect the wooden base – if there are no cracks you can proceed to buy the piece and spruce it up by painting it and replacing seats/tabletops.
4 Large Chests
Yard sales are nothing short of a treasure hunt and if you manage to score a big old chest, you’ve basically hit the jackpot. These babies are so versatile, look so good and will definitely provide a stylish solution for de-cluttering your living space.
5 Ornate Mirrors
Depending on their shape and size, ornate metal or wood mirrors can be upcycled as bed posts, cool chalkboards, picture frames or used for their intended purpose. Don’t shy away from haggling – mirror surfaces are way too delicate and prone to age discoloration to remain in pristine condition and that gives you plenty of room for negotiations.
6 TV Armoires
As commonly seen as your average rodent – TV armoires give you a perfect opportunity to outfit your home with something new-to-you without having to spend big bucks. Go for structurally sound armoires with cosmetic damage if you’re looking for a cheap DIY project, or consider paying more for a well-kept, good quality piece you know exactly how to repurpose.
7 Salvage Finds
The fact that something didn’t start its life as a beautiful piece of furniture doesn’t make it useless. Have this in mind when shopping for salvage finds, such as pieces of wrought iron fences or columns, and even marble slabs. A creative friend of mine used the bottom part of a coat rack for a coffee table base and it turned out looking better than anything store-bought.
Have you ever found anything particularly interesting in a yard sale? I wish these things were more popular in Greece – I could definitely use a cool piece of furniture or two and maybe even something to encourage me to do more DIY projects.
