5 Cool Ideas for Upcycling Stuff Found in the ReStores

To DIYers and upcycling enthusiasts, places like Habitat ReStores are full of potential treasures and ideas. With some creativity and a little work, you can take used furniture items and turn them into something new and stylish that fits in any cool, eclectic home.
Looking for some inspiration from items you can regularly find in our ReStores? Let’s have a look at five ideas.

1) From stool to shelf
You can easily transform a set of stools into cool-looking floating shelves. First, unscrew the legs from the stool seat. Get creative and paint the seat any color you like — you can even get your kids involved in painting their own shelves!

Cut the seat in half and screw in a small wood beam at the diameter length. Then, use the beam to fasten the shelf to the wall. Make sure you use the proper fastening technique depending on your wall material.
The great thing about this simple project is that you can make two shelves per stool. Use them to store light decorative items like flower pots, mason jars, or a few paperback books.
Need some inspiration for transforming a stool? Here’s an in-depth article showing the steps one DIYer took.

2) From bench to nightstand
Another “cut in half and make two of it” project is turning a hallway bench into nightstands. As always, clean, strip and paint as needed. Then, cut the bench in half and fasten to the wall with two legs attached. Fancy legs make for a decorative boost; simple legs will keep the look functional and minimal.
Here’s an example of a DIYer cutting a bench in half, and using them as nightstands from the DIY Network.

3) From a lone chair to kitchen set
How many people have lone, single chairs that seem to have lost their set? Mismatched kitchen chairs can add a cool, eclectic style to your space.
Collect as many mismatched chairs as you need. Then, sand, paint and upholster them using the same color and fabric. The chair styles will bring visual fun, but the identical paint and fabric will unify them.
Need other ideas for the eclectic chair set? Here are 20 great crafting ideas for vintage chairs.

4) From headboard to coat rack
An old headboard doesn’t have to remain in the bedroom. You can reinstall it in your hallway as a stylish coat rack.

All you need to do is paint it in your desired color, screw in hooks, and install the headboard to the wall. A cool trick: cover a small area above each hook in chalkboard paint so family members can write their names to identify their items.
See more on how to create this headboard coat rack and try it yourself!

5) From dresser to vanity
A low dresser can be turned into the perfect vintage vanity for a bathroom. To match the color to you bathroom aesthetic, the first step should be to clean, strip, and repaint the dresser.
Next, cut a hole in the top of the dresser to insert a sink (you could also install a vessel sink) with a hole for the drain. Cut another hole in the back for accessing the drain in the wall. This may require removing the first drawer completely and gluing the front of the drawer to the dresser.

The dresser gives you plenty of drawer space for all your bathroom items. To add to the vintage look, install some retro brass hardware.
Check out this article from HGTV that shares how you can take a vintage dresser into a beautiful new vanity.

Let your imagination soar!
If you can think outside the box, you will find plenty of beautiful treasures to upcycle and modify to suit any of your needs. These are only a few ideas, but we’re sure you can come up with more! So what treasures are currently in our metro Denver ReStores, click below to see some of our incoming inventory. If you’re from elsewhere in the country you can click here to find your local ReStore.