Furniture

The MALM line at IKEA is a true furniture workhorse: it’s inexpensive, it’s practical and best of all, it’s endlessly customizable. Just take a look at what these readers did to their chests, dressers and beds. You won’t believe the humble beginning of these unique pieces.

With chipping wood and torn silk, this bentwood bench was unloved. Lisa revived it into a total statement piece, where it turns heads and causes smiles: From Lisa: My friend fell in love with this gorgeous bentwood bench when it was languishing unloved in a workplace powder room! The original silk covers were torn and the strange olive stain to the timber was chipped and ruined. The boss said she could have it!! How lucky!

This vintage Danish chair didn’t make it through the ’90s unscathed, yet Lisa saw past its poor choice in upholstery and restored it with a more period appropriate style. From Lisa: I recently got this Danish modern lounge chair as a partial trade for something I was selling on Craigslist. It had been re-upholstered in a fabric that was not period appropriate, and it was missing two buttons, but I saw potential.

When Cate spotted this bamboo dresser, it was in bad shape, sporting a dual-finish black paint job and lots of wear and tear. But with elbow grease and a bold new hue, this piece sports a proud new look: From Cate: I found this bamboo dresser hiding behind a clothing rack at Goodwill on a furniture sale day. My first reaction was YIKES.

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Allow me to present our favorite Apartment Therapy Valentine’s Day tradition, the sex chair roundup. Introduced in 2001, the Tantra Chair is the best of breed (and I’ve put it below the fold this year), and has the most convincing argument that this thing is truly romantic. Its stated purpose: “The Tantra Chair is a modern chaise designed to enhance the advanced sexual positions of the Kama Sutra.

Whew, that was a whirlwind of a month! Did you finish your January Cure project? I’m happy to report that this wall is no longer bare, and my books are no longer in boxes. Check out my “built-in” bookshelves: This wasn’t the bargain project I was expecting it to be (it cost about $125 total, since I had to do some stocking up on basics like screws, sandpaper and paint brushes) but no out-of-the-box shelf would fit just like these do.

After Dana graduated from grad school, her plain IKEA desk was more of an embarrassment than something she enjoyed. With the trusty DIY combo of spray paint and contact paper, this blank slate goes glam: From Dana: I had this desk sitting in my apartment for years and while it was useful to do homework on, once I graduated from grad school, I didn’t really have a need for the plain desk anymore.

When a local mill was closing down, Ashley snagged their stock of industrial carts. See how she refinished one for her living room: From Ashley: These carts were in rough shape when I got them and were in desperate need of a deep clean. This was the kind of job for a power washer. However, it is important not to get carried away with the power washer to the point where it starts splintering the wood. Once the cart was clean I sanded the whole thing down.

This old dresser had lovely detail and potential, but badly damaged drawer fronts prevented a traditional restoration. Some fresh coats of glossy white later: From Nicole: This dresser had a badly worn veneer with chipped edges and deeply scratched surfaces. The drawers were in bad shape, so they were sanded, patched and painted. The top was in decent shape so it was sanded and oiled along with the legs and decorative trim on the drawer fronts.

Jenna Sue tackled this wall as part of a larger makeover of her entire master bedroom. The entire room lacked any special features, yet she wanted to make it a rich, interesting, and inviting space. With that in mind, she set out to make this wall a focal point of the room… Previously flat as a pancake, the wall now has texture and architectural interest, and elevates an otherwise bland bedroom into a sophisticated space. The gray adds a lot of warmth, making it cozy and relaxing.

Carroll really wanted a narrow cart in the kitchen to act as a coffee station. When finding something already made was going to be more than she wanted to spend, the decision was made to DIY, starting with this table that was a little on the short side. From Carroll: My projects almost always start with a functional purpose.

We know that some of you have very…err…strong opinions about painting wood furniture, but the owners of these dramatic before and after projects might disagree with all you naysayers. Especially on damaged or cheap wood, a coat or two of paint is an easy, cost-effective and super-cute strategy to refresh tired pieces. Watch me prove it seven times. Claire’s campaign nightstands got a new blue and a new purpose in another room.

This children’s rocker had definitely seen better days… like during the bygone decades when marbled vinyl was a thing. Charlotte plans to reupholster a lot this year, and thought she’d literally start small and tackle this kids chair. See how she did: From Charlotte: I’ve had this yellow vinyl rocking chair in the basement for… a while. But 2015 is going to be the year of upholstery for me so I decided to start out on this little piece.

A $20 IKEA “as-is” bed frame had served its purpose, but Kerry decided to give it a new use. By adding cushions and wrapping the mattress, she now has a sweet reading spot: From Kerry: I’ve had this ultra bland Lillehammer IKEA twin bed frame for several years. I’d gotten it in the ‘As Is’ section for only $20 to help stage our home when we sold it.

After facing decades of moves and time in storage, Sheila decided to restore this chair her husband’s parents bought in the 60s. It’s now ready to take on another 50 years: From Sheila: My husband’s parents bought this chair around 1960 shortly after they were married. It eventually landed in my husband’s childhood room and then followed him as he grew up. During most of our life together the chair was stored away.

A simple shoe cabinet was becoming a dumping ground for recycling— and not much style. Jeremy decided to use temporary wallpaper to transform this little corner into something more rustic mid-century: From Jeremy: I bought the shoe cabinet from Wayfair to, obviously, reign in our (fab) shoe collection. While it’s been great and done its job admirably, it’s not very attractive (and it ends being a place to dump our recycling!).

Many might have passed over this sad vintage sofa, but not Janet. She had glam plans for this junk shop find, including a BIG seat refresh: That oversized seat cushion makes it all the more glamorous, don’t you think? From Janet: I found a fabulous, battered, worn out vintage French Louis XV-style sofa at a local junk shop. So I stripped it down, sanded and painted the woodwork and reupholstered, with a little help from YouTube and my Dad.

When Rachel found this chair in her parents’ garage, she just had to save it. Once belonging to her great uncle in the 1940s, this former home for mice had such stunning arms, it needed a new lease on life. From Rachel: I found this chair in my parents’ outdoor garage a couple of years ago. I was immediately drawn to it because, just look at those gorgeous arms! It looked like it had been a house for mice for a while.

Although her boyfriend was not convinced that this was the sofa for their apartment, Miranda had big plans. First to go, that dated skirt: With a black slipcover, a graphic black and white fabric, and an ottoman to match, the sofa feels fresh and modern with more room to stretch out. From Miranda: We looked for a couch for what felt like forever!

Janet was looking to replace her IKEA LACK coffee table with something with a little more style. She saw some potential in an unlikely find — the BABORD shoe rack. From Janet: I had just moved into a new place, and I was dying to replace my ever-ubiquitous Ikea “Lack” coffee table with something more unique. Seeing as how I didn’t have any funds to purchase the slat bench of my dreams, I used my old, beaten up (also Ikea) shoe rack to make this!

Claire scored a deal on a pair of campaign nightstands, that, despite the brass being in good shape, could use some refinishing. She didn’t really need the bedroom storage, so she put them to use in the living room: From Claire: I came across these two nightstands in a booth at the Mission Antique Mall in Prairie Village, Kansas. The booth’s owner was there and she gave me a great deal on the set (less than $150).

What to do when your place is a total blank space? Kristin overcame the unlimited possibilities of her white-and-concrete living room, and went big and bold with graphic wallpaper. See how it looks now: From Kristin: There are good things and there are bad things about moving into a house with white walls (not even a backsplash in the kitchen!) and concrete floors. The good: It’s a totally blank canvas.

These IKEA nightstands were still in good shape, if not particularly stylish. Aya tackled them with a quick and easy refresh that’s totally on trend: We can’t get enough white-and-wood mix, and it looks particularly great here. From Aya: I’ve had this Ikea nightstand for several years and since it was still in really great shape I didn’t quite want to get rid of it. It had turned a little drab and boring so to spice things up, I painted the drawer fronts a matte white.

Lucia found this old wooden cabinet with sliding glass doors, and immediately saw an alternate use for it. Instead of a wall-mounted unit, she transformed it into freestanding furniture that better suits her needs, all for a minimal cost… The transformation wasn’t technically difficult, just time consuming. After sanding off all the varnish, Lucia spray painted the inside white. The exterior got several coats of water-based wood stain.

I spotted this gorgeous Thonet-esque chair while strolling through an antique mall a few months ago. It was in supremely rough shape, but I had a vision and at $8 I just couldn’t pass it up! If the chair had a makers mark I might have thought about restoring it and finding someone who wanted it in original condition, but it didn’t —so I grabbed some sandpaper and a can of spray paint and got to work!

Project by: Brittany and Justin Location: Springfield, Missouri The TV room in our 1930 bungalow is the room in the house that gets the least amount of natural light, so we wanted to create a bright space with a colorful touches to hang out in the with our three chihuahuas. The previous owners had installed several built-in pieces—including a desk, shelving, and a decorative room divider—so we started by clearing the room.

Parents are proven problem-solvers and potential-seers. That’s why some of our most amazing Before & After furniture transformations are for nursery and kids’ rooms. Let’s look back at some of 2014’s best rescues and restorations: Click on the slideshow to see the projects. To learn more about each project (and see more pictures), click the links in the captions. → Welcome to Apartment Therapy’s Best of 2014 roundup!

Luann spent just $40 on this thrift store chair and a great deal on discounted fabric to boot, but you’d never know it. Check out the expensive-looking (and, dare we say, nature-inspired) final results. From Luann: The finish was worn down on the arms and gunked up with…gunk? I sanded the wood completely down and stained and polyed it. I got a good deal from a fabric outlet on this fabric which is, in my opinion, perfect for this MCM chair.

Since Shehzeen picked up this media console for free, anything she did was gonna be added value. Even so, we never thought it could look this good. From Shehzeen: I had it for about two years before I decided that it needed a bit of a facelift; it was way too dark for me suddenly. I painted it over in a white, added some gold to the legs, installed them asymmetrically and I think I’m sufficiently thrilled. See more at The Desi Wonder Woman. Thank you Shehzeen!

Tanya did something amazing to find exactly what she was looking for: she asked. She posted a want ad to her local classifieds and lo and behold, someone was looking to unload this beauty. We bet the seller wants it back now! Check out the transformation. From Tanya: I wanted it so much, I didn’t even haggle (she was asking $250). I saved up, and then spent $400 on a professional upholstery job. Years later, this is still a favorite chair.

Pam found this love seat in a thrift store and fell in love with its great bones. It was in perfect condition except for the dated, faded upholstery so crafty Pam gave it some love. Pam says, “All it needed was a good cleaning and a tailored slipcover in a sassy blue cheetah print to spring back to life.” Hear that, folks? This is a slipcover! Masterful work, indeed. See more at Pam Morris Sews. Thank you Pam!

If you’ve ever come across a painted wood storage piece and wondered how you could restore it to the naturally beautiful look of wood and do something fresh and unique to it, you’ll find inspiration in this credenza Martha got creative with. From Martha: The original finish on this piece was a fading white with many scratches all over it.

Sam, a friend of the blog Flutter Flutter, wanted to change up her chairs and table in her dining room. She mixed together some old cans of chalkboard paint she had lying around and purchased a bundle of wood from her local hardware store. The whole project cost her under $10 to complete. Check it out below. You can find more of the project details over at Flutter Flutter. Thank you Sam and Rosa!

Lauren is on a tight budget so when she found this sofa at a thrift store for $60, she knew its makeover would also have to be a thrifty affair. From the look of the final project, you’d never know just how much she saved. From Lauren: I ripped out the old fabric, stripped the speckled varnish on the wood frame, sanded it down but kept the bare wood instead of varnishing again. I like how it looks more rustic that way.

Reeves was drawn to the simple style and gorgeous hardware of this dresser on Craigslist, but when she saw it in person it was a little more beat-up than she anticipated. So how did she cover the damage without being boring? Check it out. From Reeves: The top was extremely worn and scratched and a few places had pieces of veneer missing. I wanted a look for the piece that had clean lines, but wasn’t same old same old. Something new and different.

Rosalind lost her first home to a fire back in February and, although heartbroken at the loss of her 1940’s home, she found a unique way to pay homage to it in her new house by reusing some of the original vintage windows that were saved. From Rosalind: We’re in the middle of a whole house renovation right now, so I needed to do something to get my creatives juices flowing.

Jade got this Swedish chair for $30, not realizing that his cats would quickly use it as their scratching post. So, he decided that this horrible brown, fur-magnet needed an upgrade, stat. Wow! Looks like a certain feline creature still has a soft spot for this chair, but it’s looking so much better. From Jade: Instead of succumbing to our cats, I decided to upholster for the first time using heavy duty outdoor fabric and reducing the buttons because our cats tend to pick on them.

Renters and those not willing to make permanent changes to their stone fireplaces, rejoice! There is a way to meld your modern sensibilities with an outdated fireplace that might feature a material that overwhelms. Lidy came up with a simple and chic DIY way to add a modern feel to her stone fireplace. From Lidy: Our fireplace was a little outdated and it had no mantel. Although I was perfectly content with that, I debated how we could modernize it just a bit.

Nicole tells us, “When the seller of our new home asked us to trash the book shelf and storage unit she deemed too battered and bulky, I thanked her kindly for her wasteful ways.” Nicole wasn’t nearly so quick to discount these useful shelves; she knew they just needed some love. From Nicole: We have a LOT of books so I knew we would need lots of shelving in our home office.

I passed by this sad little table at the thrift shop about a half dozen times before deciding to bring it home and give it a new life in our new house. With a little spray paint and some adorable laminated cotton (it was originally my idea to use oil cloth, but I couldn’t pass up this fabric), this little table received quite the transformation! We kept this project super simple and didn’t worry about removing the original fabric.

Not long ago, Linda spotted a picture of a Mid-Century Ercol armchair on Pinterest and completely fell in love. It didn’t take her long to find a similar style chair but it was in massive need of an update. Not only were the original cushions sporting a suuuper fashionable needlepoint-style print, they were torn to bits from decades of sitting. From Linda: I spent some days browsing fabrics and finally settled on an upholstery fabric from Clarke and Clarke featuring a large tulip print.

Purchasing real estate in Manhattan is not for the faint of heart. Not many people would think of making a commitment after 15 minutes, but after a single visit — and about that much time — Elizabeth was ready to put down a bid on her West Village co-op. Her boldness paid off: she got the apartment. But it needed a little bit of work. The first order of business? The bathroom.

Lucy didn’t have a headboard. And she didn’t have a crib. But when she saw one being thrown away by neighbors the wheels started turning and she snatched it up. But how to make it into a colorful headboard for herself? Clue: she didn’t use paint. Lucy shares: Dilemma: I didn’t have a headboard for my bed, but I also didn’t have the money to spend on one. Solution: My neighbors threw out pieces of a baby crib by the dumpster in my alley. They saw trash.

Steph was in the market for a little record cabinet and found this veneered chipboard ‘60s cabinet. The varnish was shot — scratched, faded, and bubbling where it had been left in the rain — and the veneer had chipped off in a couple places. Never fear! Handy Steph worked her magic and performed a wood resuscitation. From Steph: I replaced the broken veneer with pieces of new blackwood veneer, sanded off the old finish, and gave the cabinet a varnish all over.

What to do when one of your old vintage finds or IKEA chairs is looking sad and worn? Well you could reupholster it, of course! Lisa gave not just a new look to her old IKEA chair, but a custom one. From Lisa: As an unstoppable chair rescuer, and self taught upholstery DIYer, I love to sink my teeth into new challenges as they come along. This dilapidated IKEA (Lunna) swivel chair, grabbed on Gumtree (Australia’s Craigslist!

Vicky and her husband had this blank basement wall just crying out for some pizzazz and they knew exactly how to get it there. Hint: it has to do with one of their favorite activities. From Vicky: My husband and I like to collect books. There is just something important about holding a real book in your hands, putting it on your bookshelf when you’ve finished it, and lending it to someone else if it’s worthy.

Erin first noticed this “lawyer’s chair” style rocker at an outdoor antique market and kept right on moving. It was covered in flaking paint (what she called “legitimate shabby chic”) and had a water damaged seat so it didn’t seem worth the $85 asking price. But after wandering the antique stalls for a few more hours, she just couldn’t forget it. Though obviously neglected, it had such grand potential. She had to have it.

You know you love the satisfaction of seeing other readers transform their boring befores into amazing afters so join in! We want to see YOUR projects. If you’ve published your project on your own blog already, great! We’re happy to give you a shout-out (and link, naturally!) you crafty blogger you. You can collect the compliments and inspire others to take on their own DIY.

Project by: Heather Location: Denver Our third bedroom is used as a home office/guest room and was in desperate need of a face-lift. It had beige walls, an IKEA desk, a leftover kitchen chair and a butchers rack—a seriously uninspiring space for a home-based creative professional. As with most decorating projects, there were some design challenges to overcome: • This room has two functions—office and guest room.

Amanda spotted this round cupboard while trolling Craigslist and scooped it up for just $25. While it may not look like much to you and me, when Amanda saw it, “a lightbulb went off in my head.” Props Amanda, we would never had thought of this unique use. From Amanda: New dog bed for Mazzilli!! I love the idea of a small little nook for Mazzie that will look good in the middle of the living room.

If you’ve ever not been able to afford a design you spot in a catalog, look instead to your thrift store, and keep your eyes peeled for a piece that shows potential. You just might be able to shape it to look more like your dream furniture piece without spending as much money!

Jean and Ruthie bought these chairs nearly 20 years ago from a mother-daughter duo who were selling the entire contents of their home. The creepy house was filled with an assortment of oddities and at one point they noticed piles scattered throughout the house – only to realize later that they were, in fact, piles of hundreds of wigs! They say, “The whole situation was a bit Grey Gardens.” When they went back the next day, the house was deserted.

This Verner Panton cone chair surfaced as Andrew’s friend was cleaning his garage. It had been rained on and was in danger of disintegrating beyond repair. Not if Andrew had anything to say about it. In fact, this graphic transformation was also a surprise to Andrew! From Andrew: I rescued the chair, putting it in a dry place until I had the time to restore it.

Beth says, “I love a good challenge.” She would have to! She bought this mess of a desk from Craigslist for only 15 bucks. It had been sitting out on a balcony and the wood was in shambles. From Beth: There was no way to save it the bottom portion. The top was stained beyond recognition and the drawers were beat to hell and back. Why did I buy this? It’s how we learn, people! So feast your eyes.

Project by: Jacqueline Wheeler Interiors Location: Charlotte, North Carolina Clients: Candice Langston and Felix Von Uklanski This family room has one big virtue: its large size, but, as you can see, not a lot of effort has gone into making it an appealing space for the family to spend time in. Jacqueline Wheeler was hired to brighten it up and and bring it to its full potential.

Karen found this table skeleton on garbage day and dragged it home. Creative soul that she is, she came up with an unexpected (and free!) solution to make it whole again. We can’t believe we’ve never thought of this one! From Karen: We are lucky enough to have a neighbor who is a flooring installer. He had leftover pieces of hardwood flooring. We chose a variety of wood grains and pieces. My husband helped me attach the flooring boards to the table top.

With the holidays almost on the way, you might be looking for ways to add both extra seating and storage in your small home. You’ll love this DIY project that turned a plain cocktail table into a modern ottoman with concealed storage! From Pam: I came across this sad little cocktail table made from cheap blistered laminate in a second hand store. Its only redeeming quality was the octagonal shape, which I thought would make for a cool little ottoman.

When Ian found this antique baluster oak armchair at a thrift store he could see it had been hastily reupholstered around 1950 (see that lumpy seat and vinyl?). He bought it anyway. From Ian: Instead of adding jute webbing and hand-tie coils for the seat (like I eventually did) the previous owner just dropped in an ill-fitting box spring system from another chair, added some foam and some ugly printed vinyl, and that is how it spent the last 60 years.

Carlos and his wife are two architects living in an old house where “everything is very big and brown.” Well they fixed that particular dilemma, at least with this cute console. See it now. From Carlos; We have gradually been transforming the inside of the house, trying to do so by spending the least amount of money possible. We have focused on using all elements that already exist in the house so we’ve tried to reuse most of the furniture and make it more fun.

Lucia in Italy proves once and for all that good bones and rich wood will always be a winner if you know how to look past a few dated details. From Lucia: This DIY project took just two afternoons. I took off the old trimming, the old fabric and the ugly clear plastic that covered the seat. The foam was quite good so I decided not to change it. I cut the new fabric and I stapled it with my automatic stapler. Then I bought gold pushpins and modern white trim.

Even though he’d already gotten plenty of use out of this dilapidated dresser (he’s had it since high school), Chris knew this baby had some life left. He says, “it was just asking to be redone.” From Chris: It’s a pretty heavy dresser so getting it out of the house was its own project. I bought some paint stripper, a scraper, sand paper and some Golden Oak wood stain. It was surprisingly easy to strip and I was amazed at the quality of the wood.

You might remember Lauren’s style from her bedroom before and after; she turned a kind of boring bedroom into an exciting nautical and rustic-themed retreat. Well she’s back on a smaller scale, infusing some serious fun into an inherited desk from the in-laws. From Lauren: This past summer, I made over a roll-top desk we inherited from my in-laws…and it’s my new favorite project!

Sometimes snooping pays off, at least it did for Breanna. She scored this beauty at a garage sale while investigating some odds and ends that weren’t yet pulled out for display. That’s one way to get first dibs! It was pretty cute to begin with but just wait until you see how Breanna jazzed up this darling dresser.

Leslie found this 1970’s Henredon Alvarado dresser at a thrift store. It was in perfect condition except for the “scraped, scratched, speckled yellow-brown sticky finish with the super-ugly, chunky pulls.” No problem, she could fix that. From Leslie: It was a lot of work to update it, removing the gummy old finish, filling the old pull holes (18), and sanding carefully. I used an edgy eggplant color I mixed myself, with a satin topcoat.

The best before & after projects are those that you will never guess in a million years what they’ll look like. Alex from Northstory completely changes the form and function of these two thrift shop mirrors into a fresh, modern and Scandinavian-inspired planter. Check out the reveal: Totally fabulous and unexpected, right? It takes a special eye and talent to visualize this when spotting those mirrors amongst the junk.

It takes a healthy dose of vision to look at this peeling cabinet and picture the chic, modern piece it would eventually become. But Reeves seems to be just that visionary. Take a look at her masterpiece. From Reeves: This piece took a lot of prep work up front before I was ever able to get to painting. The mustard paint it had was so easy to scratch off so just putting more paint over it would do no good. I sanded almost all of the paint off, cleaned the piece, and spray primed it.

We LOVE when folks take something pretty forgotten and with a little work, turn it into something unforgettable. That’s what Susan did with this beat-up and battered old bar cart. Twenty dollars and a makeover later, and she now has a pretty, golden bar cart! From Susan: This battered old cart was hanging out in my basement. After emptying its contents at a garage sale, I decided to give it new life, since I loved the style of the wire side pieces.

Nicole found this frumpy side table on craigslist for “almost free” and wanted to use it in her bedroom. But first it needed a spruce up and boy did it get one. From Nicole: Since the entire piece was made from plywood, the drawer front was replaced with 1/4 wood veneer for a nice wood accent that would match the new legs that were attached. Both the new drawer front and legs were stained with danish oil.

Jessica bought this dresser four years ago, as a college student. At the time, the entire dresser was painted green and naturally distressed (or “beat to death,” according to her mother) and worked with the shabby chic trend of the moment. After tons of elbow grease, it’s still chic but not so shabby. From Jessica: A couple months ago I finally decided to tackle the refinishing project. (The before picture is actually more of an in process picture, oops!

David told us this project was six months in the making, even through “most of it was procrastination.” We’re glad he finally got around to it because this is one unexpectedly cool stair upgrade. From David: We started with plain, light wood stairs. We wanted a dark, near black color to match our cast iron, gas fireplace on the other side of the room.