Whether you have some ancient furniture that is on death’s door and no longer has a place in your home, or you have some lovely vintage furniture that you want to keep but are struggling to incorporate into your modern interior, we have outlined a simple guide on how to embellish and renovate your vintage furniture to suit modern purposes.
Replace furniture legs
You may not know it but furniture legs can completely redefine the entire look of your furniture. For a table, keep the same-old vintage table frame and top but swap out the antique table legs with some modern ones and you have a table that boasts a modern aesthetic. The same applies to chairs, stools and other items of furniture.
Wood furniture is often associated with a vintage style, yet wooden table tops and benches are seen quite often in a lot of modern interior design nowadays – only they’re usually fitted with a set of hairpin or industrial legs. Hairpin legs are skinny, thin and metal, providing an industrial look – but they’re all the rage right now and help to make your vintage furniture fit for modern purposes.
Reupholster old furniture in fresh fabrics
Completely reinvent your vintage furniture and give it a new lease of life through reupholstering it with new fabrics – simple. Reupholstering your antique furniture can revitalise them since the fabrics and materials on them tend to look worn and faded since they have endured a lot of time and wear.
You don’t have to replace any of the antique furniture’s wood or other elements – just the fabrics which are always going to somewhat deteriorate over time. Opt for contemporary and modern fabrics such as natural tones and earthy hues to really boast the modern look.
If your old furniture is in desperate need of a spruce up, add some upholstered features for a quick, simple, and affordable upgrade. For a completely different look, you might also want to consider getting upholstery nails and applying them to your old chairs.
Refinish old wood furniture
Using chemical strippers to clean and refinish your vintage wooden furniture is by no means a wise idea. Use a method to easily recover your furniture that does not require the use of possibly harmful chemicals. Your chairs could be repaired, cleaned, and restored to their former glory without the use of dangerous chemical strippers.
You might be able to refinish and sand your chairs if they are constructed of solid wood. Right now, there are several sealants and coatings available – all you need to do is select the one with the texture you want for your new finish.
Strip old paint and add a splash of modern colour
To renovate your vintage furniture so that it suits modern purposes, it would be a good idea to paint the old furniture so that it complements the current colours of your room and existing furniture.
Your furniture will instantly make its current coating of paint bubble up when you apply some stripper. Use a scraper to get rid of the old paint coating. To remove all traces of the stripper and other debris, spray a mineral solution on the area or apply a coat of it.
And there you have it – some top tips for anyone thinking about renovating vintage furniture for modern purposes.