My DIY Farmhouse Bedroom Makeover – Upcycling Old Furniture with Chalk Paint
Last year during quarantine, I was bored and tired of my old bedroom furniture. I wanted a change, but didn’t want to spend a lot of money on new stuff. I scoured the classifieds and Marketplace, but just didn’t like anything I saw of used stuff. So, I decided to give my old furniture (which I really do like) a facelift. I had a 5 gallon bucket of paint from a Reuse Center (Habitat for Humanity store). And, I had bought a huge bag (10#) of chalk – for adding to paint – a few years back. So, I made my own Homemade Chalk Paint Recipe. Why not? I had basically everything I needed to embark on this project!
Can you really paint old furniture and have it look decent?
More than 15 years ago, I bought some discounted bedroom furniture and got a great deal. I decided on the Louis Philippe cherry wood sleigh bed and matching furniture. The style and design under King Louis Philippe I of France (1830–1848) was a more eclectic development of French neoclassicism. (-Wikipedia) In short, I really love the look, and it has held its appeal well — not going out of style.
But, since I bought it at a super cut-rate discount furniture store in Los Angeles – which was more of a guy with a shipping container, it was not what you’d call well-built heirloom furniture. It held up alright over the years, but it was definitely showing its age. That’s a huge reason why I wasn’t afraid to try chalk painting it! I thought, since it’s pretty beaten up anyway, what do I have to lose? Side note: many of my projects start this way! LOL!
There are several chalk paint recipes online. By trial and error, I devised a the BEST recipe for chalk paint which works very well and has held up very well for a year already.
So, the answer is – YES! You can do it! You can paint old furniture to look so good, you will be amazed!
Recycling an old sleigh bed with Farmhouse Chalk Paint
My first project in my bedroom DIY remodel was my gorgeous California King Louise Phillipe cherry sleigh bed. Given that the wood was stained a medium-dark cherry, I was concerned that the paint might not cover well. Or, that at some point the stain would bleed through. Covering a dark stain with white paint can be challenging! Add to that the fact that my dog(s) had scratched the heck out of the footboard when jumping onto the bed. (But we still love you, Mickey Moo!) So, I had some prep work to do before I could get started. Read my journey to chalk paint my cherry sleigh bed to see how it went!
Upcycle beat-up old nightstands with homemade Farmhouse Chalk Paint
When I bought the bedroom set originally, it came with two bedside tables. They’re very pretty and compliment the set, plus add the functionality of having somewhere to charge your devices and set your glasses (eye and water!) Our nightstands had seen better days by the time I was ready to revamp them. They were scratched, had water ring stains from glasses, and chipping veneer in some spots. I wasn’t sure how I was going to pull off a good look. And, painting the tops of tables seemed like it might not turn out like I wanted. For example, I know that inevitably a glass of water will be set on the top for an extended time; what would that do chalk paint? I imagined tacky, sticky paint (a mess!) and instead chose to go another route. I love the inspiration pics I found of the dark wood tops with white chalk painted bottoms. So, I studied up on how to chalk paint old nightstands and learned exactly what product to use, ordered some and off I went! The results are so wonderful and they’ve held up so well!
Creating Apothecary style Dresser from Two Outdated & Oversize Nightstands
I had found these cool, funky burl nightstands on Marketplace. My sister picked them up, which was no small feat because they weighed about 100 pounds each! They are really cool, and definitely a higher-end quality than the rest of my bedroom furniture. And they don’t match the style at all with more modern lines. But, I am partial to apothecary style, and the false fronts give a feeling of many little drawers. There are actually three drawers per unit, but each looks like 4 small drawers. I was hesitant to paint them, but finally went for it. All of the adornments made painting a little more challenging, but I was not disappointed! Read how I transformed this old dresser into Farmhouse chic!
Breathing Farmhouse Life into a sad old Hope Chest with Chalk Paint & Burlap Texture
Back when I first bought my bedroom set, I also bought a hope chest. This is not Lane quality, as a matter of fact it’s not quality at all! (Giggle!) But, it’s cute and it is in a similar style to the French bedroom set. At different times, I used it other places in the house, such as a bench by the front door where you could put on your shoes. But, I thought it would be great back and the foot of the bed. The cushion was so flat that it wasn’t much more than the fabric, so I did away with what was there and started over with burlap and pillow stuffing. I painted the whole thing in white chalk paint, and then added sticker wallpaper to the back, which I got on Amazon, for a finished look. Check out how I revamped this old hope chest into Farmhouse modern!
Matching a Mismatching Entertainment Center with DIY Transformation
The Entertainment Center started its life with us in our living room. But, when we moved and got new living room furniture it went under the TV in the bedroom, since it was the same cherry color as the bedroom set. I’ll be honest, this was the hardest one to start. It was SO pretty in the cherry wood and I just didn’t know if I had the heart to paint it. The other furniture was beat up and needed a face lift. This really didn’t. However, there was one circle on the top which had lightened from a wax warmer that had somehow removed the finish. That was just the push I needed to dive into redoing my entertainment center to mach my Farmhouse bedroom. That, and my niece going into labor during Covid – so we couldn’t be there! I was so nervous, I painted the whole thing while constantly checking for updates in our family group chat. Danny boy was born, and the entertainment center was done! Don’t miss how to transform an old entertainment center with Farmhouse chalk paint!
Revamping a retro Jewelry Armoire to Farmhouse Chic
One of the smaller pieces in this total bedroom transformation, but one of the most challenging, was the jewelry armoire. It’s long legs and carved crest made it much more ornate and intricate than the other pieces. In other words, the English Queen Anne style doesn’t match the bed and nightstands’ French Louis Philippe style. The only thing that matched was the color, and even at that it was more of a mahogany than cherry stain. But once it was chalk painted, top stained and hardware sprayed it could not look better in my Farmhouse bedroom! Check out how I revamped this retro jewelry armoire to farmhouse chic!
Creating Farmhouse Signs, Shelves & Decor on a Budget
After a visit to Hobby Lobby and some serious time on Pinterest, I had all the inspiration I needed to design some pieces to tie the room together. I also found a gorgeous rug on Amazon which completed the picture perfectly. I made a list of sayings that I loved, and got to work making them on the cheap. After attempting to buy shelves which arrived damaged, I grabbed three non-matching floating shelves at a thrift store (cheap!), painted them all in my homemade chalk paint, and you’d never know my chalk painted Farmhouse floating shelves were not a match. I created framed Farmhouse word signs, a lovely Mason Jar and Pallet sconce vase, Dollar Tree Letter Dice, and my favorite, my ultimate masterpiece that I’m so proud of: my Pallet Framed, Oversized Farmhouse ‘The Snuggle is Real’ sign.