Upcycled Furniture
26/10/2025
When I first moved into my property, I had to quickly buy furniture that was cheap and fit the bland colour scheme of the previous landlord. Now, after upgrading the decor to my personal taste, those original flatpack purchases were ruining the space. Design is about care (if I may mince one of Jony Ive's key philosophies) but the veneered chipboard panels and mass moulded plastic no longer showed care.
I wanted something a little more rustic (cliché, I know) and preferably with decorative metal handles. However, I couldn't justify the environmental nor financial sacrifice of replacing perfectly fine furniture.
So I figured: why not upgrade it myself?
I sanded the veneer panels by hand and recoated them with Rust-Oleum Ink Blue furniture paint. Unfortunately, I applied the second coat while the first was still sticky and suffered terrible drip marks on the wardrobe. It could be corrected with a quick sand and mild patience but it's only visible in strong light and otherwise just resembles wooden knots.
Copper handles are expensive and I couldn't find the right style so bought a few twin packs of D-shaped nickel-effect handles for £3 each from B&Q. I painted them with Painter's Touch Penny Bronze. The first layer was difficult but - after airing on my ingeniously improvised drying rack - the second coat adhered well... and I suspect this may have gently reignited my desire for scale model making.
I'm pleased with the finished furniture. It really pulls the room together. I should've slowed down and achieved a nicer finish on the paintwork but living without a wardrobe or drawers is infeasible for extended periods.
