One of the hardest parts of up-cycling furniture can be deciding what to actually do with your piece. So many colors, decoupage designs and techniques – the list is endless. In fact sometimes it’s easier to just forget about it altogether rather than choose a design.

How do we get around this and make it a little easier for ourselves?

I came up with an idea to allow you to at least narrow down the possibilities. It is simply called the 3 R’s.  Reuse, Repurpose and Revamp. Once you are able to put your piece under one of these headings it will help reduce the design options for you.

So to explain I will start with Reuse:

Reuse is when you have a piece of furniture that you would like to paint and still use in the same place and in the same way. It is the most classic and simple style of upcycling.

Some examples of Reuse: You have a solid wood coffee table in your sitting room. It is old but in perfect condition. It just doesn’t go with anything in the room anymore but it is too old/sentimental to throw out. You have it painted cream and now it’s like brand new.

The kitchen table and chairs are solid oak and were very expensive when bought 15 years ago, but you have just got a new kitchen built in. You have them painted cream with the chair seats covered in new material and now the whole kitchen is new.

Next up is Repurpose which to me is an important one as sometimes it can’t be helped if furniture has to be thrown out but if it can be salvaged and used for something else then fantastic.

Some examples of Repurpose: The kitchen table and 4 chairs are on the last legs (pardon the pun). The table is broken and 2 of the chairs are no longer useable. The only place they can go is the dump. But you have 2 good wooden chairs that are still perfect so you paint them different colours/designs and now one sits in the corner of your bathroom as a feature with the towels folded on it. The other one now sits in the corner of your landing with a house plant on it.

The old pine bookcase is no longer needed in the sitting room but is still in perfect condition. You have it revamped and put it in your bedroom where now you display your high heels on it.

Lastly my personal favourite Revamp: The piece of furniture you revamp is going to be like the art on a wall. It will be a focal point in the room. It will be designed with your personality in mind and will be a complete one off and nothing is of limits. It is designed not to match the room but to stand out in the room. Revamp may seem like opening up an endless list of possibilities again but it is easier than you think because you are not restricting yourself to matching anything else.

So guys I hope this helps with your design decision making the next time you are having furniture revamped.

Marianne