You can use various techniques to decorate a room. One of the common ones is using old furniture. There is no need to rush to throw out outdated bedside tables; you can turn them into a stylish design element with your own hands. For such decor, ordinary materials and paints are used, the main thing is to immediately decide what result you want to get.
To decorate an old bedside table, you can use various attributes: paint, fabrics, buttons and even stones.
Classic decor
When decorating a bedside table with your own hands, it is best to stick to a strict and restrained classic style, which is perfect for any interior. Such furniture is not only attractive, but also very functional and comfortable.
It will be ideal for any bedroom, and its design and color scheme will be pleasing to the eye.
To decorate a bedside table in a classic style, you need to prepare:
White paint and a thin layer of glaze will give the furniture an antique effect.
- Wood paint, glaze in soft, pastel colors. Depending on the overall color scheme of the bedroom, you can take any shade, but it is best to give preference to light green, yellow, and sand. It is recommended to use white paint for the ends of the cabinet, and paint the door, top, and individual elements with color.
- Moldings made of wood or plastic of small thickness.
- Glass pebbles or crystals to decorate the outside of the cabinet. It is best to take them transparent; the handle for the door should be selected to match the overall shape of such crystals.
- For the top part you need to prepare a transparent piece of plastic or glass; you can use stained glass or frosted glass.
You can use different decoration options:
Figure 1. A piece of silk or brocade, selected to match the bedroom upholstery, is attached to the surface of the bedside table with a stapler.
- The cabinet is decorated using two, three or even four colors. But the shades must be selected in such a way that they stand out. This is especially true for painting the molding that will decorate the door.
- If there is a need to use an oriental, for example, Chinese style, then the cabinet should be painted red, and the molding black, and then varnished. But this style should be combined with the overall decoration of the room, and not stand out from the rest of the furniture.
- You can also decorate a bedside table in the Baroque style and apply monograms to the door. For this, a pre-prepared stencil is used.
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When choosing paint, you must take into account the features of the overall interior; you cannot arrange light furniture and make the cabinet dark.
Decorating cabinets and cabinets in the kitchen using napkins
To refresh the look of an old kitchen set, buy paper napkins with a contrasting vintage pattern, cut out the pictures you like and start creating “updated” furniture.
- High-quality three-layer napkins with a bright pattern;
- Sandpaper;
- Sharp scissors;
- PVA glue;
- Acrylic paint and varnish.
If you are decorating old furniture, then clean and level the surface with sandpaper and degrease with an alcohol-containing product.
Then cover the selected surface with acrylic paint and let dry. Then, cut out the design you like and separate the two bottom layers.
Apply glue to the place where the picture will be glued and place the picture, carefully straighten its surface, remove air bubbles. Using a natural brush, cover the top layer of the design with glue - this will protect it from tearing after subsequent paintings.
When the pattern is dry, carefully apply acrylic varnish. Its advantage is that it dries quickly and does not “stink” of chemicals, which makes it possible to varnish furniture indoors. After 3-4 hours you have a new vintage cabinet.
Following the given step-by-step instructions, you can decorate the doors of bedside tables, wall cabinets, and the visible part of the pencil case.
Japanese style nightstand
Oriental-style decor is popular today; you can turn an ordinary old nightstand into an elegant table with a drawer underneath; it will decorate any bedroom. To make such a piece of furniture, you need to prepare the following materials:
- Dark stain, suitable cherry color, reddish, burgundy shade. Red stain will also look good, but the color must be deep.
- A piece of rice paper with a pattern for door decoration. The background should be light, and the drawing should be dark and stylized. Hieroglyphs, images of bamboo, birds, and fish are excellent.
- For the upper part, which will serve as a table, you need to take a piece of bamboo fabric of a light shade.
- Glue for canvas and decorative handles.
To decorate in Japanese style, you can use various options:
Using a stencil, you can decorate the door leaf with bright motifs in oriental style.
- You can apply a design to the door leaf yourself using a stencil. Bright colored motifs in oriental style are perfect. If you don’t have rice paper, you can also use a piece of natural silk or brocade. The fabric is attached to the surface using a conventional stapler. This option can be selected in accordance with the rest of the bedroom upholstery to make the interior harmonious and stylish. An example is shown in Figure 1.
- Small hidden lamps are often used for such a bedside table; they are made of LEDs. From an old and time-worn cabinet you can get a modern, stylish piece of furniture that can also be used as a lighting element.
Handles are suitable metal or wooden, square in shape . They can be massive.
The first stage of making a cabinet
First of all, you need to think about the design of the cabinet and calculate its dimensions. In order to successfully cope with the task, you need drawings of the cabinet.
A well-executed drawing will help calculate the amount of material for work. Ready-made templates can be found online and modified to suit your needs. It's easy to make a detailed drawing yourself.
Having a ready-made drawing, it’s easy to decide on the types and quantities of furniture fittings needed for the job.
Before starting work, you must ensure that you have the necessary equipment and tools.
Glamorous option
A glamorous bedside table in a delicate shade is suitable for a girl’s bedroom. To make such furniture you need to take:
- Glaze with glitter or light satin paint in a soft blue color.
- To decorate the door leaf, you need to take straws or light fabric in a small floral pattern. Tapestry, velvet, and brocade are perfect for this.
- Elegant metal door handle.
- For the outer part of the bedside table, you need to take 3 special elements that will play the role of a parapet.
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For the cabinet you can use a variety of design elements:
- Instead of blue, it is good to use a pale pink or lilac version, but a rich burgundy or fuchsia shade also looks great. It all depends on the overall interior and its color scheme;
- To decorate the door, it is allowed to use gold or silver paint, but in this case, a subtle contrasting pattern must be applied to its background. This is done using a stencil;
- For the top, which can be used as a tray, frosted glass with a pattern works well.
Materials for decoupage of a wooden bedside table or chest of drawers
Wooden products are a little more expensive. But you can make them yourself. On sale you can find various materials and modifications suitable for any interior, but using the decoupage technique will allow you to create an ideal and exclusive item.
To work you need to prepare:
- Sandpaper;
- Shatlevka;
- Glue;
- Paints;
- Varnish.
These are the basic necessary equipment. The choice of the rest depends on the chosen style. The work process may seem very long, but in fact, everything is very easy. Since the area is small, it is worth treating the entire surface, both internal and external. The work takes a long time because each layer must be dried.
The use of antique varnish is very popular. The combination of artificially aged coating and gold acrylic paint looks exquisite.
Decoupage using fabric and decoration with photographs is popular. All work done is fixed with several layers of varnish.
Accessories
Having decided on the design of the product, it is easy to calculate the necessary furniture fittings.
These include:
- door hinges,
- pens,
- drawer guides,
- fasteners.
The modern furniture fittings market makes it possible to equip a homemade cabinet with magnetic door latches, elevator mechanisms for ease of use, ready-made legs, and wheels.
Tools
It’s not difficult to make a homemade cabinet if you have a standard set of tools for carpentry on hand:
- hacksaw or electric jigsaw,
- hand saw,
- drill,
- screwdriver set,
- electric screwdriver,
- grinding machine,
- sandpaper,
- roulette,
- simple corner,
- pencil for marking.
An electric cutter and a special electric iron for attaching edges to the ends of parts will be an excellent assistant.
