Thrift Flip Furniture Makeover Ideas
Welcome to today’s roundup! I’m sharing a whole bunch of different furniture thrift flips I’ve done over the years. Whether you’re interested in simple updates like new contact paper and hardware or dramatic transformations, I’ve got something for you! Giving an old and unloved piece of furniture a brand new life where it will be loved and cherished is one of my favourite things to do. I hope one of these projects inspires you to do the same for your next DIY project!
Let’s get to it, shall we?
DIY Apothecary Cabinet
I finally tackled an epic project that I had my eye on for a long time! I hacked a thrifted hutch and turned it into the apothecary cabinet of my dreams. I found the perfect hutch on Facebook Marketplace. Then, I used a few simple tools, paint, new hardware, and a few new-material updates to make this old cabinet into something totally new. I’m so happy with how it turned out!
Maximalist Garden-Inspired Dresser Makeover
In this episode of Love It or Thrift it, I tackled a dresser project for the lovely Katelyn. She loved the function of her bedroom furniture but it no longer suited her. So, she asked me if I could make over her dresser to fit her maximalist garden-loving style. I painted it a beautiful garden green and added stenciled birds, flowered, and fruit for a gorgeous folk art, maximalist touch. To see the full reveal with new hardware, a custom stained glass feature, and to see the dresser styled in place, check out part 2 as well!
A Fantasy Inspired Cabinet
In this EPIC DIY diary, I thrift-flip a large paper cabinet into a beautiful fantasy inspired piece for my office space. My nerdy self guided my creativity to turn this into something far more magical and far more fantasy inspired - I am obsessed with it. All it took was some paint, new hardware, and simple yet beautiful details to completely transform this boring old paper cabinet into something beautiful that could live in the world of Harry Potter! I couldn’t be happier with this magical outcome.
Transforming an Old Secretary Desk
On this episode of Love It or Thrift It, I take a beautiful old secretary-style desk and transform it using a dramatic new paint colour, funky hardware, and a wall mural design to finish! Will my clients love it or decide to let it go? Watch the video to the end to find out!
Vintage Desk Gets a Modern Makeover
When my photographer friend reached out with a plea for a new desk that worked for her space and her needs, I jumped at the chance to help her out! She wanted a vintage-meets-modern vibe for the space and had visions of a white piece of furniture. I found an old wood desk with the right feel, painted it a beautiful white and added some modern features like new brass hardware. I also redecorated the entire office because you know I can’t help myself! Check out the video to see the finished product and my friend’s reaction.
Zelda-Inspired Nerdy Display Cabinet
In this episode of Love it or Thrift it, I mashed my clients’ love of Zelda and their mid-century modern style together to transform a plain pine cabinet into a Zelda-inspired nerdy display cabinet of their dreams. I added glass display doors and shelves plus some peekaboo nerdy elements that I was so excited for my client to discover. Did they love it as much as I did? Watch to find out!
Identical Lounge Chairs Get Dueling Makeovers
In this thrift flip, I took two identical maple wood lounge chairs I got for a steal of a deal at my local Restore and transformed them in completely different ways. It’s amazing what paint or stain plus some new DIY cushion covers can do! Which one do you think you’ll like better? Watch the full transformation to find out!
Antique Barrister’s Cabinet Makeover
When I found this antique barrister’s cabinet at an estate sale for a very decent price, it was in really bad shape. But I knew I could transform it into something new and beautiful! My mother-in-law requested copper details and blue tones to match the rest of her office, and I think I delivered. I don’t know if my favourite part is the copper top I installed or the beautiful navy-toned wallpaper that lines the back of the shelves! This was a lot of work but so worth it in the end.
Dark Academia Apothecary Cabinet
Sometimes you find a piece with great bones that you just KNOW will work perfectly for your space. That was the case with this thrifted hutch I found online! My friend needed an apothecary cabinet to hold sewing notions and other small items for her small business, and we used this giant thrifted hutch to make our vision come to life. I painted it, added new hardware, and created an attached rolling ladder system so my friend could reach all the shelves with ease. This was a real one-of-a-kind project and I could not be happier with it.
Fun and Easy Chifferobe Makeover
Need to make a closet out of nothing? Try my chifferobe hack! Compared to some of my furniture building DIYs that I've been doing of late (check out the headboard I made for the same guest bedroom or the coffee table/ottoman I created for my living room area), this chifferobe makeover was super simple. It was really just about making it match the rest of the spare room! I cleaned it up, added a beautiful mural scene to the outside of the door, added new contact paper to the interior, changed the hardware, and styled it beautifully. This really was the perfect way to give my guests a place to put their things without losing floor space to a traditional closet that we would just never use.
Albert Einstein’s Living Room Side Table
For this episode of “Mad Lib DIY”, my audience determined I would be creating a side table for the living room of Albert Einstein! While it was challenging to figure out exactly what his home decor style was (I guess he had other things going on?), I’m happy with what I created. I took an old thrifted end table that I thought Albert might like. I used my router to install a gorgeous antique-look clock in the centre and cut a series of rings moving outward to show time in motion (clever, right?). I added epoxy and painted the table a beautiful deep turquoise. I love the quirky result and I think Albert would too!
Costco Barrister’s Bookcase Gets Elegant White Wash Makeover
I found this beautiful barrister’s bookcase on Facebook Marketplace for $150, and I could not pass it up! I found out later that it was not an antique, but just a Costco special from a few years ago. Does that mean I couldn’t make it beautiful? NO! It just meant I had to pivot and try a technique I’d never done before. I stripped the whole thing down and white washed it! I also added a beautiful cosmic Japanese print paper and navy paint to the interior for an extra unique touch. And of course, new hardware completed the project. I am so happy with how this piece looks, antique or not!
Bedside Tables: From Old and Dated to New and Modern
These bedside tables were the perfect project to bring me all kinds of joy! They had both elements I wanted for my spare bedroom bedside tables: a drawer and an open shelf on the bottom. And, even though they weren’t solid wood, they LOOKED like wood. I can work with that! I added legs, veneer, and new tops, then stained them to create a new look for tired old tables. They look absolutely perfect in my guest bedroom and no one would guess what they looked like before! A perfect DIY solution.
Turn an Antique Headboard into a Custom DIY Range Hood Cover
There's nothing quite like the thrill of transforming a secondhand find into a one-of-a-kind masterpiece! I’m excited to show you how I turned a gorgeous antique headboard from Facebook Marketplace into a custom vent hood. I took the headboard apart so I could rearrange and cut the pieces as necessary. I built a frame around the fan above the stove and attached the pieces of my headboard to it. Once it was assembled, I stained and waxed the wood for a gorgeous finish. You would never know that this custom piece was actually a thrifted headboard! I love this project so much.
I hope I have shown you that there is beauty to be discovered in old & ugly thrift store furniture if you’re willing to use your creativity to find it. What’s your favourite thrift flip project you’ve ever done? Leave a pic in the comments or tag me @diydanie, I’d love to see it!
Until next time, happy DIYing!