Furniture Revivals~Tips For a Great Makeover

At the end of this post, tell me which one of these makeovers is your favorite. 

Happy Friday!  While I'm busy working in the design studio today I have a special guest, Jamie from Southern Revivals, posting for me.  I stumbled upon Jamie's blog last year and was captivated by her furniture revivals.

I love a good furniture makeover.  Most times it's not only a budget friendly alternative to new furniture, but it usually results in a unique, custom piece.  Whether it's a family heirloom, a unique thrift store find or a frugal re-purpose, Jamie rocks it.  I invited her to share a sampling of her projects along with a few tips with us today.


Take it away, Jamie...

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"Hi Everyone! I'm Jamie from Southern Revivals. I am beyond honored to have been invited to be a guest here on Sarah's blog. Truthfully, my mind is blown. I'm so excited to be able to share some of what I do here with you all today. I consider myself a  furniture revivalist. I revive, repurpose and renew old, ugly or vintage furniture. I have a  'use what you have' approach to home decor but still, it has to be awesome." 

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 How do you decide when to replace and when to repurpose? 

"Haha well, that's a really good question! I'm not sure I have that down to a science yet myself because usually I'm pretty convinced that I can repurpose everything. Of course I can't, but that doesn't keep me from trying. So I guess that, in part, is the answer. Trial and error. But also I believe if a piece is good and solid it can be reused and revived in such a way that no one, not even you, will recognize it once it's done.  I think the trick is getting past the ugly...and seeing the potential…"

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 Where do you usually find the pieces you use for your projects?

"I will take it anywhere I can get it and I can't tell you how many times that has included the roadside.  I get far more excited than any grown woman should when I see someone has tossed furniture to the curb…" 

"I use Craigslist. A LOT. Usually people are just so ready to be rid of their stuff (because they haven't learned the secret) they sometimes practically give it away."

"...My all time favorite source for great finds are family heirlooms. Now I'm not talking about painting your great, great, great grandmother's Tufft table.  I just mean those hand-me-downs or inherited pieces that you'd never put in your home they're so ugly, but you'd lose sleep at night from the guilt of getting rid of it. You'd be surprised how gorgeous these pieces turn out and they're even lovelier knowing where they've come from. They tell great stories."

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 Do you have any "go to" colors or favorite paint brands?

"This is my biggest secret and you heard it here first.... I regularly use mis-tinted paint in any brand {as long as it's a color I like!} from any store that has a mis-tinted paint section and that includes Wal-Mart.  There. I said it…"

"...I'll tell you like someone once told me: it's only paint. If you don't like it, you can paint over it".

{This one is my favorite, isn't it beautiful?}

Great advice, Jamie!

Thank you, for sharing your inspiring makeovers and tips with us today. 
Please be sure to stop by Jamie's blog, Southern Revivals for more project inspiration. 

I'll be back next week with new online design projects to share, another hint at my big upcoming announcement and I'll begin addressing your most common design challenges (as I mentioned in this post). 

So, which one is your favorite?

*For information on my affordable online design service, please click here. 

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