When you buy your first home it is exciting, but it can also be expensive and stressful. Homes need to be furnished, and you want to decorate in a way that is unique to you and your taste, but spending more money on new furniture for a whole home can really add to the cost. A lot of people can find old furniture in thrift stores, online marketplaces, and from family members looking to get that old couch out of their basement.
However, not all of these items are going to go together or be to your taste. If you can hire a custom home builder, why not also customize your furniture? Aside from repainting or staining furniture a new color, there are a lot of DIY furniture projects you can do right at home to add a different touch to your home. Here are some easy and budget-friendly projects anyone can do.
Dresser Drawers as Side Tables
Thrift stores are filled with dressers that you can get for a really good price. However, while you might not need a dresser this isn’t the only thing they can be used for. One way to repurpose an old dresser is to use only the drawers to create side tables for your home. All you have to do is glue four wooden legs to the bottom of the drawer with the handle side facing up. Now you have a creative and unique end table perfect for any room in your house.
Desk to Nightstand
Have you ever considered cutting a desk in half to create two brand-new pieces of furniture? If you can find a desk with a drawer on each side, this is perfect for a project like this. All you have to do is cut the desk in half, then refinish the edges and add two new legs on each one. Now you have matching bedside tables that you can use in any bedroom. If you don’t like the color of the tables you can always stain or paint them a new color after you’ve finished sanding and gluing.
Make Your Own Vanity
A vanity is a beautiful and useful piece of furniture, but they can be very expensive, new and even vintage. Instead of buying a vanity, all you need is a mirror and a desk. There are a lot of gorgeous vintage mirrors in perfect condition at thrift stores and second-hand websites. If you don’t want to take up space with a desk, you can hang the mirror on the wall and install floating shelves underneath it to keep your supplies on. Now you have a vanity space without needing a bulky desk.
Old Door as a Headboard
Old doors, especially vintage ones, are beautiful pieces that you can use in your home as more than just a way to close off a room. If you need a headboard but want something unique, an old door is a great option. Just remove the doorknob and sand off the paint and any rough edges to remove splinters. Now you can paint it any color that you want, and even add some crown molding if you want to give it more detail. Just add the door to the wall behind your bed, and you have uniquely updated your bedroom.
Old Ladder as a Coat Rack
Having your coats lying around everywhere makes them difficult to find, and your home untidy. Instead of just laying them on the side of the couch or the back of a chair, you need a coat rack. A coat rack is a really useful but often overlooked piece of furniture to have in any house. Instead of buying a traditional one, you can make it out of an old wooden ladder. All you have to do is sand the ladder down so no splinters can poke through your clothes or skin. Then you can paint it any color you like, and prop it up against a wall near the entryway of your home. Now you have somewhere to keep the coats you wear frequently, and it looks great too.