"Preserving the treasures from yesterday for tomorrow."
More about Vintage Style: Upcycling Furniture is Money in Your Pocket
Upcycling Furniture is an inexpensive alternative to buying new, more expensive furniture. Vintage furniture — hidden gems at flea markets, garage and yard sales, second-hand shops, CraigsList, and Facebook Marketplace — is often generally built better than today’s modern furniture. Upcycling the pieces, in a theme, is a great way to decorate a room. Here is an example. I decided to re-style our family room. We reside in the dessert southwest, and our family room was initially furnished in southwestern furniture. We have, however, a very eclectic collection of artwork, and I had recently met a woman who refinishes vintage furniture in chalk paint (she has since become a very dear friend). So I decided to re-do our family room in vintage furniture to blend better with our artwork collection. I began my search for pieces on CraigsList and Facebook Marketplace. I was hunting for end tables, a coffee table, and perhaps some kind of storage cabinet. I ended up finding 3 pieces I could use as end tables, 1 coffee table, and 1 cabinet. I did not find the pieces all at one time. It was nearly a 16 month search. As I scored a find, I then had my friend refinish that piece until I had all 5 pieces.
This was the first “end table” I found. I picked it up at a neighborhood yard sale for $20.
My new friend refinished the piece in Navy chalk paint with gold accents. Cost to refinish: $45.
This was the second “end table” I found. It was listed on CraigsList for $10.
My friend also refinished the second piece in Navy chalk paint with gold accents. Cost to refinish: $75.
The third piece I found was the perfect size for the coffee table I wanted. It was also found on CraigsList for $20. I forgot to snap a before picture, so I only have a photo of the refinished piece. Cost to refinish: $50.
My friend picked up a piece, called me about it, and so it became our third end table. Cost: $60.
By far, the vintage Buffet was my “big” score. I purchased it for $100 from a Facebook Marketplace listing.
The time required to refinish this piece was a bit longer, and it was a more complex piece, but my friend only charged me $250 for the job.
My Vintage Re-style (5 pieces)
COST: $630
My new “vintage restyle."
A Modern Collection (3 pieces)
COST: $1720
I tried to find a “similar” look for comparison. This is called the Arlow Collection, sold by Birch Lane. The 48” Console is listed for $734. The Coffee Table is listed for $423, and the End Table is listed for $563.