Restyled furniture

The creative mind behind Revised Edition, Nikki Astwood, gets creative with paint, pattern and furniture

Upcycle an old piece of furniture with a new coat of paint

Taking something old that has a story and transforming it into something that suits your home and current style is extremely satisfying

You will need

Your selected piece of furniture
General purpose painter’s tape
Paint brush/roller
Fine sandpaper
Ruler
Paint, I used Resene Dali with a Resene Double Alabaster pattern

Instructions

I love to up-cycle furniture – taking something old that has a story and transforming it into something that suits your home and current style is extremely satisfying. Lately I have been experimenting with the addition of pattern to my up-cycled goodies; this is a simple and effective way to give furniture a one-off design that looks impressive.

I chose an old retro-style bookcase for my latest transformation. I had planned to just paint this one colour but my imagination got the better of me and I had to continue. When choosing a pattern to adorn your furniture the pattern options are endless. I simply don’t have the patience for anything too intricate so for this bookcase I went for something ridiculously simple.

If you’re painting onto a surface that has paint on it already be sure that the bottom coat of paint has had the recommended time to cure. Once you have chosen your pattern you will need to tape it up, remembering that where the tape is laying will remain the original colour. A ruler is definitely handy at this stage to ensure that your lines are an even distance apart or your shapes are the same size.

Once everything is taped up, lightly sand the area that you intend to paint with a fine sandpaper. Depending on how much ground you have to cover, you can then either use a paint brush or roller to apply your paint. It may require a couple of coats but don’t remove the tape until all paint is completely dry – removing it too early could cause the paint to run. I sanded the edges of my pattern slightly to give it a vintage look but clean lines also look fantastic.