DIY old cabinet decor: 11 ideas
Any furniture gets old over time and loses its attractive appearance. But do not rush to throw away a shabby chest of drawers or a wardrobe with an irrelevant design – you can still not just bring them back to life, but make them better, more original and more aesthetic than before. Today we will talk about how to make a beautiful decor of an old cabinet with your own hands using available materials..
1. Painting
The most reliable, simple and effective solution, which at the same time gives a lot of visual options: from the palette to the method of applying paint.
You can completely renovate your furniture with one color. Or cover only certain parts of it, for example, drawers, doors, handles, sides. A wardrobe painted in an ombre looks modern: from a rich to a dull shade at full height.
Owners of antique wooden chests of drawers with a rich texture should think several times before covering such beauty. It is better to cover such items with a thin, diluted layer, without hiding the luxury of antiquity..
Acrylic is rightfully considered the best type of paint for such work: it mixes well, washes off, in case of errors during work, and does not leave pungent odors. Acrylic primer is combined with it.
Of course, this type of decor poorly hides the imperfections of the surface of the object, so the latter must be prepared in advance. Usually, a little work with sandpaper is enough for this. But as a result, you will get a completely new wardrobe.!
2. Stencils and stickers
Stencils or vinyl decals are great proof that beautiful things can be created without extraordinary artistic talent. With their help, you will be able to decorate the closet with geometric patterns or more complex floral arrangements. The main thing is that it will look neat..
Such decor will fit well with modern design, especially if you use simple shapes. With paint and stencil, you can turn a nondescript old closet into a bright accent in a room..
The image is applied to a bare prepared surface or a pre-painted background. You can create straight lines with duct tape, which will help you draw clear boundaries..
3. Wallpaper
If updating furniture is one of the stages of a recently carried out renovation, do not rush to throw away the remaining meters of wallpaper. They are perfect for decorating an old cabinet, hiding some of its shortcomings from prying eyes. Only the frame part will have to be painted in advance, since the paper base does not adapt well to any bends.
However, the vintage ornament will look very appropriate in combination with the texture of the old wood. Wallpaper can fit into almost any interior, as it offers a wide visual variability: not only colors, patterns, but also surface textures, as they are matte, glossy or embossed. You can decorate the doors, sides, even inner racks.
The gluing rules depend on the type of wallpaper selected. For some, you need to carefully align the coating, while others are able to cope with the flaws of the furniture themselves. For better preservation of the finished product – it is covered with a protective varnish.
It is not necessary to choose wallpaper for decorating the cabinet, focusing on quality and environmental friendliness. Unlike the walls, which form the “climate” in the room, they play only a decorative function..
4. Decoupage
You can decorate the wardrobe with a pattern so that it firmly merges with its surface using good old decoupage. Probably, everyone came across this method during school time in labor or needlework lessons. Despite the “childish” simplicity, the finished product can look professional and even luxurious – depending on the accuracy of the work done.
You can use ordinary napkins with a pattern you like, since today anything is depicted on them: flowers, animals, landscapes, even paintings by famous artists. The drawing can be clear or slightly translucent, depending on the style of the chest of drawers.
Make sure that no bubbles or wrinkles form on the coating when applying thin paper – they must be smoothed out immediately or started over. After the napkin is dry, do not forget to varnish it, as it is quite sensitive to external influences..
You can also use newspapers, letters, tram tickets as the main material – in general, anything that will look good on your furniture.
5. Fabric
You can also use fabric to decorate an old cabinet, and even trims are suitable – to create a kind of craft look. It will not be possible to sheathe an item completely, especially if it does not have a flat surface. But to close some details, making bright accents is a great solution..
Each type of fabric has its own texture: smooth silk for a sophisticated interior or rough linen for Provence. This property lies in its advantage over other materials, not to mention the rich assortment of colors..
A separate option is the use of lace, which will ideally fit into the classics or complement the space of a refined nature. In any case, to apply fabric to the cabinet covering, it is enough to buy ordinary PVA glue..
6. Mosaic
The mosaic decor looks very bright and aesthetically pleasing, especially in the Art Deco style. A wardrobe decorated with a picture of small details will become the protagonist of the room and will attract the attention of guests. Especially when they find out who the author of the product is.
Pieces of “broken” ceramics or multi-colored glass are traditionally used as parts of the mosaic. You can expand this list by adding, for example, shells, sea pebbles or other material suitable for creating artistic compositions..
You can mount the elements on the surface of the cabinet using ordinary glue, attaching them in turn in a given sequence. It is recommended to think over in advance not only the general drawing by making a small sketch, but also the location of each piece. To do this, place them “on dry”, and then start the gluing process.
7. Mirror
A mirror is a very tricky object that hides what is behind it and draws attention to the interior reflected in it. Using it to decorate an old wardrobe, you will transform the entire space..
A wardrobe with a mirrored front is ideal for small rooms, which visually enlarges it. It is best to take a wardrobe with a flat surface as a basis, which will allow you to mount a mirror in full height. In other cases, horizontal inserts, curly details or even a mirror mosaic will look good..
8. Gilding
Gold can adorn not only women’s necks, but also your closet. At the same time, it is not at all necessary to give a lot of money for the sake of a luxurious look. Today there are many alternatives for decor, one of them is gold foil..
It is good not only for the price, but also for the possibilities – to completely cover the object or to “appear” in the form of sophisticated patterns. It is easy to work with it, and the result can be simply fixed with varnish for reliability..
But keep in mind that the front of the cabinet for such a material must be appropriate. Firstly, it is even and perfectly smooth, otherwise the foil will not adhere well. Secondly, dark – to emphasize the “luxury” of gold.
9. Slate surface
The “school” boards, which many people see in their nightmares since childhood, are very popular today, especially in loft spaces. They are interactive and can be used to develop creativity or plan a day. In any case, such an acquisition will never be superfluous. So why not fit it into the closet facade?
The easiest way is to paint the doors with a special slate paint, which gives a matte surface. The cabinet must be cleaned of dust and dirt, apply the product in two layers, and then wait until completely dry.
There is also slate film, but you still need to be able to glue it correctly, which is why this solution loses to the first.
10. Aging
What if you need to decorate the interior in the Provence style, but your furniture does not look old enough? The answer suggests itself – to help her grow old! This process is similar to real art, and the techniques of implementation range from simple to complex, from imitating to realistic..
The easiest way to give your wardrobe a vintage look is with craquelure varnish, which cracks after drying, creating a characteristic antique look. For Provence, respectively, you need to take white paint or other pastel shades..
Furniture with a facade painted with a dry brush looks good, leaving a small amount of paint, which seems to have worn off over time.
For a more realistic effect, it is necessary to process the coating, creating noticeable reliefs. Then apply acrylic, on top of it – glaze, the amount of which is regulated with a regular sponge. But for this method, you will have to completely disassemble the cabinet..
11. Rivets
Sometimes all old furniture needs are a few accents that will make it aesthetically pleasing. Some styles like rough, brutal items with history and character, especially loft or steam punk. In this case, to heighten the effect, you can decorate the cabinet doors with metal rivets, as well as brackets, which will completely change the concept of a shabby chest of drawers..
The necessary parts are easily attached with glue to the wooden façade. But if you cover it with leather, you will have to use nails to beautifully fix the rivets..
