Nowadays beloved solution to use old barn doors as interior partitioners
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Reupholstering
Our antique chairs, armchairs, ottomans and other upholstered furniture that are worn by use, can be the ornament of our home again after a small prettification. If the wooden parts and joints are in good condition and the color of the frame is also adequate, it’s time to reupholstering. Any style of furniture can turn fashionable again by upholstering with a new fabric.
If it is a real antique piece, the job should be done by a professional! The upholstery made using old, forgotten, manual techniques is worth to be restored or changed in the same way. There are many techniques in the history of upholstered furniture that are not in use anymore, for example strung linen bands, horsehair padding and tumbler. These are replaced by foam in modern furniture which can worn out in a couple of years.
The most exciting task is choosing the new fabric. It’s important for the fabric should bear the strain of hard using, it should be thick and dense woven. The fabric shops can help you for choosing one. The pattern and the color of the textile should be fit both to the interior and the furniture! Let’s be brave but keep the character and the history of the object. It doesn’t worth to make an antique piece of furniture garish by an extremely modern upholstery. We can use more fabrics in the case of a sofa or armchairs, the back and the seat can be different. We can choose also different but matching fabrics for the back and the front of an upholstered-back chair. Cushions of a sofa can be also different from the upholstery, rather complementing it. The variations of possibilities and fabrics are almost infinite.
In case of uncertainty, ask for help of an interior designer for furbishing your old upholstered furniture!
My project 1.
One of my prior projects: 38 sqm block apartment in calming blue
Further pictures: https://classicinteriors.hu/en/references/21-references/35-references02
Old objects’ new functions
In most of the homes there are many old objects in the attic, in the basement and hidden in the garage which are though not attractive and not useful, they are not thrown out because „it will be good for something” or just simply because of laziness for walking to the dump with them. Nowadays it is more and more fashionable to give new life to old household objects and after a makeover giving them a completely other function as originally they were designed for. Here are some examples which fit firstly to country styles or Scandinavian-like interiors but can be fit to any environment up to taste:
If baskets are hung on an old ladder, it can be a perfect storage in a gardrobe or bathroom. Putting shelves between the steps of a single ladder, it will be look very good in the living room as a bookshelf. A smaller ladder can be a nightstand also.
Let’s pad the old leather or textile-leather suitcase, fix short legs on it and it can be used as a coffee table. If a big soft pillow is placed in it and its lid is fixed open, it can be a comfortable bed for our pets. We can spare the price of a side table near the reading armchair with putting some old suitcases on top of each other.
Old wooden window frames from a wrecking can be reused as mirrors for example above the console table in the hall or above the fireplace. Putting mirrors in the old doors instead of the inner panels, they will be full-body pieces in the gardrobe. They can be interesting headboard also with which a simple bed can be popped up.
Old wooden crates and boxes fixed on the wall can function as perfect bookcases. If there is a collection of many smaller wooden boxes, fix them on the wall in a shape without their lids, this way they can be showcases for smaller memories also.
An old metal bucket can be reused as a vase for flower bouquets or plants can be directly pot in them too. Log can be stored in them for the fireplace or can be transformed to industrial style lampshades.
The possibilities are almost countless. If you have an old object which you would like to make a part of your home again but have no idea, ask for help of an interior designer for planning.
Painted wood
Painted wooden furniture – have a go at it bravely!
Buying antique furniture
Purchasing antique furniture is always risky if we are looking for original, old pieces. What can we do before going to a shopping trip, if we haven’t got sufficient professional knowledge?
First read about it. If the style, age and type of the desired furniture is decided, let’s search some comprehensive, furniture history books which detail the specification of a given piece or a given ages. They describe the types of pinnings, the thickness of varnish, or the applied materials specific to the era. Not necessary to purchase all these books, they can be borrowed from a library, but we can find lots of sources also on Internet. The essential pages should be copied or printed to be available at shopping.
If we don’t want special pieces, but simple old furniture, there are also some issues to deal with. Check the piece for possible damages, especially at marquetry and carvings, painting / varnishing and at the corners. If there is any damage, we have to decide to buy it or not, will it be fixed later or left as is for the old feeling. Restoration by the proper expert can be expensive! Let’s search the marks of previous fixes and restoration, e.g. parts made of different wood (like a part of the carved decoration or one of the legs etc.), or metal parts having different colours. In case of drawers, always check the pinning and try to pull the drawer. The weight of the furniture also can indicate if it is a modern copy. If the piece is extremely worn, later it can be renewed by painting, but in case of real old, unique furniture don’t change anything, instead of let them restored by experts, thus keeping or increasing their value. Common pest of wooden furniture is woodworm. Typical signs of it are the small holes on the surface. If these marks can be seen on a relatively great area, the furniture shouldn’t be bought.
If our budget allows, let’s purchase items at an official auction, because the authenticity of an object and its origin are guaranteed, but flea markets and internet auction sites also can be visited, since beautiful old furnitures can be found also there. In case of uncertainty, an expert can be involved when making the deal.
A unique, antique piece can be the decoration element in any home. For choosing the proper one, ask for help from an interior designer.
Kitchen renewal
The complete renewal of a kitchen is one of the more expensive operations. When we buy a new flat, the kitchen furniture is generally not fitting to our expectations. Not only the age can be the problem, but also the style or color. What can we do if we cannot afford large expenses, but still we would like a new kitchen?
The best situation is, if the furniture is made of wood. It can be painted to any color easily. First the surface must be sanded thoroughly. After a layer of primer paint, the final paint can be applied. For laminated or plastic covered chipboard, there are also paints available, with which they can be revamped. Doors can be decorated with moldings. A carpenter can cut and fit these to their place – we have just choose and paint the moldings to the color of the furniture – or to any contrast color as well. Wooden door panels can be removed and the carpenter can carve any pattern in them upon our need. This provides a little more classic feeling to the kitchen.
The fastest and simplest way to refresh the kitchen furniture is changing the handle knobs. The best if we can purchase knobs with the same hole pitch. There is a large palette of different colors, shapes and materials. Using patterned porcelain inlay or wrought iron (like) accessories, a vintage feeling can be realized. With copper or white porcelain, the result is more classic.
If we have no opportunity to change the wall and floor tiles, as a temporary solution, we can use a carpet fitting in color. Changing the water taps, implementing new blinds to the window (e.g.: Roman blinds), or purchasing decorative storing facilities mean low cost, but brings a great change. A real classic and spectacular view can be reached by using a smaller chandelier.
If you are not certain in the required changes in your kitchen within the budget available, consult an interior designer before beginning.
