Second Hand Furniture With a Past and Unfinished Furniture With a Future
If you’re a do-it-yourself, roll up your sleeves kind of person, then unfinished furniture might be the perfect project for you. You can buy the furniture either fully assembled or awaiting construction, and then paint, stain, stencil, or otherwise finish it as you please. Whether you simply prefer the look of natural wood, are looking for a family crafts project, or are just trying to lower the costs of furnishing your home, buying raw wood furniture and finishing it yourself can be exactly what you’re looking for.
Unfinished bedroom furniture is a great option for a child’s room. Consider including your child in the project. If you are going to paint the furniture, you can either go for a carefully planned out scene from your child’s favorite book or fairy tale, or opt for a fun and free finger painted frenzy. If you choose the first option, you can trace the outline onto the furniture to begin with, and have your child paint in the background colors. Then you can go over it afterward and add in more intricate shading and details.
For a more childish look, give the whole piece of furniture an initial paint job in a solid color. Then you and your child can paint the palms of your hands and then press your hands onto the furniture, creating a hand print. For the best results you will need to have a good contrast, so if you used a dark color for the background, use a light color for the hand printing, and visa versa. You can then add in favorite phrases and quotes for a truly personalized creation.
Of course, unfinished wood furniture doesn’t have to be painted and fun. You can also finish with elegant stains that let the natural beauty of the wood shine through. Whether you are working on a simple step-stool or a full set of a dining room table and chairs, you can be as elegant, frivolous, or original as you want to be. That’s the beauty of this method.
If you’re all gung-ho to get started, then grab your credit card and start surfing. While there are brick and mortar stores that carry unfinished furniture kits, the easiest way to purchase them is online. From Mom and Pop stores, to major retailers like Ikea, you can find exactly what you’re looking for on the internet. Just remember to count in shipping costs, and you’re set!
Tags: furniture, unfinished bedroom furniture, Unfinished Furniture, unfinished furniture kits, unfinished wood furniture
Posted in Unfinished Furniture · December 7th, 2009 · Comments (0)
Welcome!
Why does unfinished furniture or even second hand furniture appeal to so many of us? It is a common held belief that most of us prefer or at least would enjoy the finer things in life. Isn’t that what TV shows like “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous” and MTV’s “Cribs” are all about? Maybe there’s more to it than that.
It’s a well-known real estate fact that an unfinished basement increases home value more than a finished basement. Why is that? I think it’s because we are dreamers. We love potential. A basement with possibilities is far more exciting than a finished game room or well stocked bar. As Americans, we love freedom. More than that, we love freedoms. The freedom to choose unleashes creative thought processes. In much the same way that an empty canvas inspires the painter, so does unfinished furniture to that do it yourself minded individual or couple. The desk or chair or TV stand can match or contrast our existing decor if we so choose, because it is our choice. Light or dark, textured or smooth, indoor or outdoor is the destination or potential, and we get to select the journey to get there.
We also love transformations and improvements. From remodeling our homes with carpentry and decoration to remodeling our bodies with plastic surgery and weight loss pills we are in love with improvement. How else can you explain the overabundance of self help literature on the market today? How else can you explain TV shows like “Extreme Makeover”? It’s the American dream really. To come from nothing or nowhere and become something or someone, this is the American fascination. Could that be why second hand furniture is so appealing to us? Of course, most of us are frugal and can see the value without waxing philosophical. Many times it is a great value, above and beyond potential, that appeals to us. In today’s economic climate we can hardly afford not to be frugal or to take advantage of great value. That being said, I believe there is more to it than our thrifty nature would imply. We want to see how we can breathe new life into this inanimate object that once belonged to someone else. We want to see just how we can take advantage of something that someone else felt was unneeded. Potential.
We will talk more in future articles about the advantages and drawbacks, the challenges and excitement when adding unfinished furniture or second hand furniture to your home, garden, patio, or favorite place. I believe you will find that few pieces of home decor can be so rewarding.
Tags: chair, decor, desk, frugal, game room, home decor, Second Hand Furniture, thrifty, TV stand, Unfinished Furniture, value
Posted in Second Hand Furniture, Unfinished Furniture · May 4th, 2009 · Comments (0)