Everything old is new again!

Before you discard your old chair, table or sofa see if there is any way of  updating it. An old piece of furniture beautifully updated can make a modern room look gorgeous. By adding an antique or an old furniture piece you give the room soul, character and warmth and the room will look less like a hotel room where everything matches and bought from the same furniture store.

Here is a vintage chair which was very much unloved. As soon as I saw it I immediately visualised it being stripped of the ugly fabric and filling and replacing it with a funky Merimekko fabric for a young women’s bedroom.

Here is the ‘before’ shot in all its ugliness.

Before refurbishment

 

Here is the ‘after’ shot.

The foam was replaced and covered with an iconic Unikko pattern. This Marimekko pattern was created in 1951 and has a lovely rebellious story behind it.

The owner of Marimekko insisted on bold colours but decreed that there would be no floral designs. In her opinion natural flowers were so beautiful they were unsuitable as motifs. But one of her designers, Maija Isola designed Unikko and a whole range of floral patterns in protest at being told what to draw. The patterns were so gorgeous and distinctive that it has been one of the best selling Marimekko fabrics for the last 65 years.

Rebellious initiative leading to success! Perfect fabric design for a young University student.

The timber was painted with Porter’s Paints chalk paint which is ridiculously easy to use.

So if you are considering whether to update an old furniture item, here are a few things to consider:

  • Make sure the furniture item is solid. The first thing an upholsterer will do is to give it a good feel and shake to ensure that it is sturdy and worthy of updating.
  • Replace the foam or filling.
  • Choose modern fabric designs  rather than traditional patterns to really give the furniture a bit of pizzaz.
  • If the timber colour does not go with the modern furnishings give chalk paint a try. You do not have to use a primer and more often than not, you do not even have to sand the piece!

A single vintage furniture item in a room full of modern furniture will give the room soul.

Go on! Have fun and experiment especially since second furniture and vintage pieces are going for a song nowadays!