Decorating Home Makeovers Furniture Makeovers 24 DIY Furniture Projects to Personalize Your Home on a Budget By Jessica Bennett Jessica Bennett Instagram Jessica Bennett is an editor, writer, and former digital assistant home editor at BHG. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Updated on October 6, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Jason Donnelly Give old or boring items a new look with these furniture projects. Fresh colors and clever redesigns turn tired bookcases, chairs, dressers, cabinets, and more into stunning showpieces. Use these DIY furniture projects to personalize your furnishings with polish. 01 of 24 Side Table Makeover Carson Downing This DIY furniture project started with a low-slung side table that cost only $12. We added legs and a shelving unit for height and a more modern look. Secure the sides of the shelving unit to the cabinet using L brackets before priming and painting in your color of choice. 02 of 24 Bar Cabinet Furniture Project Carson Downing With the addition of squared-off metal legs, an inlaid cement-tile top, and a coat of blue paint, this thrifted bar cabinet became a stylish serving station. Its short stature wasn't a problem—it was easy to add legs to make it the perfect height. Clean, contemporary touches like Lucite door hardware update the piece's paneled doors. The cement tile offers an on-trend sunburst pattern and inspiration for the azure hue. 03 of 24 Chalk-Painted Hutch Adam Albright Chalk-finish paint and wallpaper adhered behind the shelves update this wood hutch. Leaving some areas unpainted and keeping the original hardware preserve the traditional look, but the new matte black finish and pop of pattern inside make a modern statement. Requiring no priming or sanding, chalk-style paint is a no-fuss solution for DIY furniture projects. 04 of 24 DIY Cane Side Table Blaine Moats Update a simple side table with a touch of caning for an on-trend accent. With the table base disassembled, cut pieces of caning material slightly smaller than the outer measurements of the frame. Staple the material to the edge and assemble the table, sandwiching the material between the base and the tabletop. 05 of 24 Colorful Dresser Update Jason Donnelly Peel-and-stick wallpaper in a vibrant floral pattern updates the drawers on this basic dresser. A coat of black paint gives the frame a cohesive look, while a teal hue makes the upper drawers pop. New gold hardware completes the DIY furniture makeover with modern flair. 06 of 24 DIY Bookcase Makeover Jason Donnelly Transform a basic bookcase into a convenient cocktail-making and serving station. To create angled shelves: Make nonparallel 45-degree miter cuts on the short ends of a shelf. Angle the shelf inside the bookcase, securing one end to a horizontal shelf and the other to the side. Repeat this process with shorter shelf sections to create additional cubbies. Outfit the unit with stemware holders and adhesive cork shelf liners to boost function. 07 of 24 Gold-Leaf Furniture Makeover Adam Albright Emphasize a favorite part of a furniture piece with gold leaf. Here, metallic gold highlights these small tables' leggy, geometric bases. Be sure to clean and sand the surface before you apply metal leaf; porous surfaces might also need sealing. Because sheets of metal leaf are very thin and tear easily, consider wearing smooth cotton gloves. 08 of 24 Painted Desk Project Michael Partenio Previously sporting a beat-up finish, this desk was in desperate need of a furniture makeover. Glossy red paint and new hardware elevated the piece with a shiny new look. With the addition of a mirror and storage for jewelry, the desk now serves as a pretty vanity area. 13 Before-and-After Vanity Makeovers You Need to See 09 of 24 Updated Storage Console Edmund Barr This storage console previously housed an old-timey television. Blogger Beckie Farrant of Infarrantly Creative removed the workings of a vintage console TV cabinet for this furniture project before painting and glazing the frame. Open shelves now provide handy storage for an entryway or living area. 10 of 24 Kitchen Entertainment Center Blaine Moats The once ubiquitous entertainment center has fallen out of favor in our era of flat-screen TVs, making these units prime candidates for DIY furniture projects. Removing the door of this former entertainment center created easy-access storage for kitchen essentials. Pegboard turns the open back of the TV shelf into hanging storage. To create wine storage, 4-inch PVC pipe cut to length and painted was adhered to the former VCR shelf with construction adhesive. A bright blue paint job provides a striking finish. 15 Brilliant Pegboard Ideas to Organize Your Life (Not Just Your Garage) 11 of 24 DIY Desk Karla Conrad Blogger Diane Henkler of In My Own Style turned a simple dresser into a clever desk with a drop-down front. Painting the interior blue and attaching false drawer fronts with vintage-style pulls to the bottom drawers gives the piece a unique look. Caster wheels provide easy mobility as needed. 12 of 24 DIY Inlay Table Ray Kachatorian Stenciled designs recreate the look of an expensive bone inlay table in this DIY furniture makeover. A laminate top that had been kicked to the curb was rescued and restored with a stencil kit ($40, Cutting Edge Stencils) and new legs. "I did it in an afternoon," says Los Angeles designer Kim Myles. "It shows the beauty and power of stencils." A sponge roller, rather than a stencil brush, sped up the process of applying bone-color acrylic paint over the black painted top. How to Stencil a Wall So the Paint Doesn't Bleed Through 13 of 24 Changing Table Redo Scott Little Once used as a changing table, this dresser was ready for a new purpose and finish. Creamy white paint, which matches the closet doors of the room in which it resides, lightens the look of the bulky piece. Inexpensive new knobs and metallic dotted details complete the makeover. 14 of 24 DIY Pet Bed Steven McDonald With a few extra pieces of lumber, an old chair becomes a DIY pet bed: Dismantle the chair, cutting the chair back and legs away from the seat. Build a frame of inexpensive pine and plywood to the size you need for the bed, adding a lip to hold the cushion in place. Use wood glue and screws to attach the chair back as the headboard and the legs as the footboard. Finish by painting everything a unifying color and adding a comfy, washable pet bed or cushion. How to Turn Your Old Jeans into a Cozy (and Durable) DIY Dog Bed 15 of 24 Painted Furniture Project Adam Albright The honey-hue finish on this table needed a style makeover. A soft gray stain gives the piece a more contemporary feel. A stenciled design with lighter gray paint adds pretty detail to the top. 16 of 24 DIY Nightstand Makeover This midcentury-modern nightstand had a great shape but lacked polish. An easy furniture painting project added just the right amount of color and personality. Watch and see how a simple paint makeover updated this piece for the 21st century. 17 of 24 Antique Finish Dresser Adam Albright The simple white finish of this dresser begged to be reimagined. Milk paint and an antique finishing glaze give the dresser a throwback feel. Vintage-inspired dresser pulls complete the antique look. 18 of 24 Colorful Chair Makeover Adam Albright With an interesting shape and stylish design, this chair just needed a quick fix to take it to the next level. Painting just the vertical spindles gets a custom look without the hefty price tag. To recreate this DIY furniture project, tape off the parts of the chair you want to leave unpainted. Apply interior/exterior latex primer, let dry, and then apply latex paint in your color of choice. For tight detail work, use a 1/2-inch flat detail brush. 19 of 24 DIY Bathroom Storage Jay Wilde This cabinet was destined to store more than just knickknacks and china. With a new back and fresh paint, it provides stylish storage in the bathroom. The shelves are perfect for stashing frequently used items and stacks of folded towels, while drawers hide other necessities that are accessed less often. 20 of 24 Hutch Makeover Jay Wilde With a formal profile and a dinged-up finish, this hutch was begging for a modern revamp. Pale khaki paint and white hardware launch this old-fashioned hutch into modern-day style. Wallpaper along the back provides a pop of color. 21 of 24 DIY Entryway Storage Jay Wilde With six drawers and a closed cabinet, this generously proportioned hutch had tons of storage potential but lacked style. Removing the cabinet door and installing custom shoe racks transform the piece into a clever entryway storage solution. New knobs and paint give it a cohesive look, while freshly installed hooks house a collection of scarves on the side. 22 of 24 Upholstered Chair Makeover Gordon Beall A beautiful shape was hiding behind this chair's worn finish and worn-out upholstery. Bright red paint shows off the chair's shapely silhouette, while new upholstery in black and white fabric ups the fun factor. When looking for your own diamonds-in-the-rough for a DIY furniture project, look for sturdy and well-constructed pieces. Paint and new fabric work wonders, but a shoddy structure is less easily remedied. How to Pick the Best Upholstery Fabric for Furniture 23 of 24 DIY Office Storage Greg Scheidemann Turn an end table into a go-anywhere office with a few simple modifications. Choose a table the width of a standard hanging file (about 15 inches wide) and then sand, prime, and paint it. Screw metal strips to the sides to accommodate hanging files. Use a jigsaw to cut holes in the top for glasses or small storage buckets, and attach casters to the legs. 24 of 24 Painted Nightstand Project Gordon Beall Boxy and somewhat dull but with a pretty brass handle, this nightstand was a prime candidate for a makeover. Fresh white paint remedied the dull brown finish, but a geometric design in gold paint took the nightstand to the next level. Use a ruler and a pencil to stencil on a design, and then use painter's tape to mark it off before you paint. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit