Planning a successful furniture transformation
- Gina Gaurisas-Wilson
- Sep 11
- 3 min read
Are you wondering if the idea for your furniture transformation project is worth it? Typically people see the usual solution but not the unique or unexpected one—the one that will make your piece stand out.
Let’s imagine some examples of different possibilities of transforming old furniture into interesting and practical pieces:
An old baby crib can be repurposed into a baby bench, an adult bench, a piece of art, or something different.
An armoire can become a sophisticated bar, a crafts storage with a workstation, an additional pantry, or something else. Possibilities abound.
The success of furniture transformation comes with good planning. Investing time in the creative process will help you shape something extraordinary. Design decisions are fundamental because they make a difference in the results. For instance, small details can be used to emphasize something important and relevant in the piece of furniture and direct the eye to it. But like anything done to excess, when details are overdone they loose their purpose and make the piece look busy and redundant.
Sometimes less is more. Simplicity adds beauty. That is translatable to most styles of furniture.
Here’s how I make these ideas real in a client consultation.
I ask:
About esthetics: What do I like and/or dislike about the existing piece?
About functionality: How do I intend to use it?
About placement: What part of the house is it going to be in? It needs to be in harmony with what else is in the room. A furniture piece does not exist in a vacuum, but in relation to what’s around it. A previous post about Mixing old and contemporary furniture explains this in more detail.
If you are a DIYer these additional questions will be helpful:
How much time do you want to spend doing this project?
What’s your budget? The cost of supplies, if not planned, can add up enough to cause you to drop the project.
What’s the skill level needed to do this project? Stripping, sanding, repairing, prepping, finishing, etc. If you are a novice, learn the basics well and practice on scrap boards before moving into the furniture piece. It will save you time and aggravation. Practice makes perfect!
Am I adding value to my furniture? Value means design, functionality, and quality in execution. Will it be better? When properly done, this will extend the life of furniture.
Once you have a rough idea of what you want, it’s time to have a visual plan. Prepare a Design/Mood Board with the before photo, a sketch of the vision for the after, and any existing and planned-to-purchase furnishings. This will be very helpful to see if all elements tie together and to be able to tweak a little if necessary.
I hope you are feeling ready to take your old furniture into a new chapter!
I know I’ve given you a lot of things to think about. That’s the reason I started ‘Ask Mondays’ in 2023: a free online event to ask questions about the hidden potential in your furniture and how to improve your design idea. What’s possible? What’s worth it? How can you make the best of your piece? What’s obvious and what’s not? You get good and practical design advice from a Pro, tailored to you. Free. No strings attached.
Whether it’s a DIY project or a piece that you want a professional do for you but are unsure of the direction, you are invited to join in! Learn more about Ask Mondays free design advice and get a feel for all that I’ve said.
Almost every piece of furniture can be refreshed or repurposed to meet your needs and to give you years of pleasure. Furniture can be completely reimagined to become different in use and/or style. It all depends on what you would like.
Planning a successful furniture transformation should be exciting and rewarding. In addition to the tangible rewards of beauty and usefulness after it’s done, furniture transformation has additional rewards—the ethical and moral kind. We are preventing furniture from entering the landfill. We are preserving trees that should stand as nature intended. We are preventing the displacement of animal species and the disappearance of vegetation that depends on those trees. Our choices have an impact on nature’s delicate balance, and we can make a difference.
Enjoy the planning! I would like to help you at the next Ask Mondays!
Thanks for reading.
I would like to hear from you. I don't monitor this post, but feel free to contact me with questions or comments at gina@furniturerestyler.com
