Trash to treasure! Interior designer reveals tricks for ‘upcycling’ battered charity shop finds into swish furniture that’d cost hundreds on the high street
- Lynne Lambourne, an Interior designer from Oxfordshire, shares her tips
- British Heart Foundation stores have a large selection of second hand furniture
- Instead of wasting money and buying new you can create your own piece
An interior designer who loves to upcycle old furniture has shared her step-by-step guide on how to upcycle a pre-loved wardrobe.
Lynne Lambourne, an Interior designer from Oxfordshire, who owns company Love Nellie is the queen of upcyclying old furniture.
The Interior designer, who also works with the British Heart Foundation (BHF), who’s stores have numerous second hand furniture, has shared her expert tricks from using chalk paint as a base to using wallpaper inside of the wardrobe to give it a unique look.
She said: ‘With a bit of paint and some imagination, you can create something very similar to something in the shops. It’s all about looking at pieces with fresh eyes – one man’s trash can be another man’s treasure.’
Before: Lynne Lambourne, an Interior designer from Oxfordshire, found this second hand wardrobe in a BHF store
The finished result: The interior designer shared her expert tricks for upcycling old furniture
CHARITY SHOPS
Lynne advises that if you haven’t already got a piece you want to upcycle then visit a charity shop. She said: ‘If you see something in a shop or interiors magazine that you absolutely love and have to get your hands on, look closely – the chances are that you can find something very similar in a charity shop.
‘The BHF has over 180 home stores across the nation offering a wealth of amazing household bargains. Car boot sales or a second-hand online site are also good sources and you can always check out the BHF eBay shop if you can’t find anything in-store.
‘Be a savvy shopper and create something unique for your home at a fraction of the price of buying new; it’s also a much more sustainable way of furnishing your house.
CLEANING
‘Clean your piece of furniture with sugar soap to get rid of any old polish and dirt.
Lynne Lambourne, an Interior designer from Oxfordshire, who owns her own company Love Nellie is the queen of upcyclying old furniture.
The Interior designer likes to work with Annie Sloan chalk paint and applied a layer of Old White first
‘There is no need to sand or prime the furniture first if you are using chalk paint but it’s a good idea to sugar soap the piece in case there are any traces of polish that can affect the paint finish.’
CHALK PAINT
‘I like to work with Annie Sloan chalk paint and I applied a layer of Old White first and then a layer of Aubusson Blue and then finally two layers of my favourite colour at the moment, Graphite.
‘You don’t need to apply the layers too thickly, light layers built up provides a much better finish. I wanted there to be several layers of colour to add to the character of the piece so that when I sanded it back the different colour layers would be revealed.’
She also used cacti wallpaper on the back of the cupboard and the shelves to make it look a bit different
WALLPAPER
‘I wanted to create something special on the inside of the cupboard too so I used some cacti wallpaper on the back of the cupboard and the shelves. Often the inside of furniture is just left but I love creating an extra element to a piece to give it a really individual feel.
‘Cacti are so on trend right now and this particular pattern really complimented the dark grey paint colour on the outside.
SANDING AND PAINTING
‘Once I was happy with the coverage then it was time to sand the piece with fine sandpaper. I sanded more along the edges of the doors and around the detail of the wardrobe so that the paint colours showed through.
She also used blue paint as she wanted there to be several layers of colour to add to the character of the piece
Painting it with different colors gives furniture the effect of a real aged feel, as if the piece has been painted several times over the years
‘This gives the effect of a real aged feel, as if the piece has been painted several times over the years. You can use any colours you like to create this effect but at the moment the really dark colours are very popular in interiors and I wanted to show people how easy this is to achieve.
‘Spend a few extra pennies on good paint brushes. Cheap ones leave bristles in your work and don’t give good coverage. Most paint brands now have their own paint brushes which work well for their products.
‘Wrap brushes and rollers in tinfoil in between coats to keep the brush moist and then clean them as soon as you’ve finished painting or waxing.
The finished product: The wardrobe looks new ad has an authentic feel to it with the new colour and wallpaper inside
‘Dark painted vintage looking furniture can cost a fortune in lots of interiors shops but the same effect can be achieved easily by finding a great, cheap second hand piece from stores such as the British Heart Foundation. With a can of chalk paint, a bit of creativity and some elbow grease amazing things can be created.
WAXING
‘Finally, you need to wax your piece of furniture, I used Annie Sloan clear wax, applied two layers and then buffed the piece with a lint-free cloth. The wax protects the paint and gives it a really professional finish.
‘Once you’ve waxed it the job is done and a unique piece is created for your home with ease and with very little cost, by choosing something pre-loved and upcycling you are saving something an item landfill and creating something unique – win, win!
Every item sold in BHF stores will help to raise funds for research into heart disease, stroke, vascular dementia and diabetes. To find out more head to the BHF shop and to see some amazing BHF finds on social media search the #BoughtatBHF hashtag.
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