DIY old cabinet decor: 11 ideas

Any furniture grows old over time, loses its previously attractive appearance. But do not rush to throw out a shabby chest of drawers or a wardrobe with an irrelevant design - you can still not just bring them back to life, but make them better, more original and more aesthetic than before. Today we will talk about how to make a beautiful decor of an old cabinet with your own hands, using available materials.

The most reliable, simple and effective solution, which at the same time gives a ton of visual options: from the palette to the method of applying paint.

You can completely update the furniture using one color. Or cover only certain parts of it, for example, drawers, doors, handles, sides. The wardrobe painted under an ombre looks modern: from saturated to dull shade in full height.

Owners of old rich wooden chests of drawers should think a few times before closing such a beauty. It is better to cover such objects with a thin, diluted layer, without hiding the luxury of antiquity.

Acrylic is considered to be the best type of paint for such work: it mixes well, rinses off, in case of errors during operation, and does not leave sharp smells. Acrylic soil is combined with it.

Of course, this kind of decor does not hide the imperfections of the surface of the object, so the latter must be prepared in advance. Usually, a little sandpaper work is enough for this. But as a result, you get a completely new cabinet!

Stencils or vinyl stickers are excellent proof that beautiful things can be created without outstanding artistic abilities. With their help, you will be able to decorate the closet with geometric patterns or more complex floral arrangements. The main thing is that it will look neat.

This decor fits well with modern design, especially if you use simple forms. With paint and stencil, you can turn a plain old cabinet into a bright accent of the room.

The image is applied to a bare prepared surface or a pre-painted background. You can create even lines by using duct tape to help draw clear boundaries.

If updating furniture is one of the stages of a recent repair, do not rush to throw away the remaining meters of wallpaper. They are perfect for decorating an old cabinet, hiding some of its shortcomings from prying eyes. Only the frame part will have to be pre-coated with paint, since the paper base does not adjust well to any bends.

However, a vintage ornament will look very appropriate in combination with the texture of an old tree. Wallpaper can be entered into almost any interior, as it offers a wide visual variety: not only colors, patterns, but also surface textures, as they are matte, glossy or embossed. You can decorate doors, sides, even internal shelving.

The rules for sticking depend on the type of wallpaper chosen. For some, you need to carefully align the coating, while others are able to cope with the imperfections of furniture themselves. For better safety of the finished product - it is coated with a protective varnish.

Wallpaper to decorate the cabinet is not necessary to choose, focusing on quality and environmental friendliness. Unlike the walls that form the “climate” in the room, they play only a decorative function.

You can decorate the cabinet with a pattern so that it merges firmly with its surface, you can use the good old decoupage.Everyone probably came across this method at school time in labor or needlework classes. Despite the “childish” simplicity, the finished product can look professional and even luxurious - depending on the accuracy of the work done.

You can use ordinary napkins with your favorite pattern, since today everything is depicted on them: flowers, animals, landscapes, even paintings by famous artists. The pattern may be clear or slightly translucent depending on the style of the chest of drawers.

Make sure that when applying thin paper, bubbles and wrinkles do not form on the coating - they need to be smoothed right away or started over again. After the napkin dries, do not forget to cover it with varnish, as it is quite sensitive to external influences.

As the main material, you can also use newspapers, letters, tram tickets - in general, everything that will look good on your furniture.

For the decor of the old cabinet, you can also use fabric, and even trimmings are suitable - to create a kind of craft look. Sheathe the item completely will not work, especially if it does not have a flat surface. But to close some details, making bright accents - a great solution.

Each type of fabric has its own texture: smooth silk for a refined interior or rough linen for provence. This property is its advantage over other materials, not to mention the rich assortment of colors.

A separate option is the use of lace that fits perfectly into the classics or complement the space of sophisticated nature. In any case, to apply fabric to the cabinet cover, it’s enough to buy ordinary PVA glue.

Mosaic decor looks very bright and aesthetically pleasing, especially in the style of art deco. A cabinet decorated with a picture of small details will become the main "hero" of the room and will attract the attention of guests. Especially when they find out who is the author of the product.

Pieces of “broken” ceramics or colored glass are traditionally used as mosaic details. You can expand this list by adding, for example, shells, sea pebbles or other material suitable for creating artistic compositions.

You can mount the elements on the surface of the cabinet using ordinary glue, in turn attaching them in the specified sequence. It is recommended to think over in advance not only the general drawing, having made a small sketch, but also the location of each piece. To do this, place them “dry”, and then start the gluing process.

A mirror is a very tricky subject that hides what is behind it and focuses on the interior reflected in it. Using it to decorate an old cabinet will transform the whole space.

A wardrobe with a mirrored facade is ideal for small rooms, which visually increases it. It is best to take a sliding wardrobe with a flat surface as the basis, which will allow you to mount the mirror in full height. In other cases, horizontal inserts, curly details, or even a mirror mosaic will look good.

Gold can adorn not only women's necks, but also your wardrobe. In this case, it is not necessary to give a lot of money for the sake of a luxurious look. Today there are many alternatives for decoration, one of them is gold foil.

It is good not only at the price, but also in its capabilities - to completely cover the subject or to "emerge" in the form of sophisticated patterns. It is simple to work with, and the result can simply be fixed with varnish for reliability.

But keep in mind that the cabinet facade for such material must be appropriate. Firstly, it is even and perfectly smooth, otherwise the foil will not adhere well. Secondly, dark - to emphasize the "luxury" of gold.

"School" boards, which many people since childhood see in nightmares, are very popular today, especially in loft spaces. They are interactive, can be used to develop creative abilities or plan a day. In any case, such an acquisition will never be superfluous. So why not fit it into the cabinet?

The easiest way is to paint the doors with a special slate paint, which makes the surface dull. The cabinet must be cleaned of dust and dirt, apply the product in two layers, and then wait until it dries completely.

There is also a slate film, but it still needs to be able to glue correctly, which is why this solution loses to the first.

What to do if you need to design an interior in the style of Provence, but your furniture does not look old enough? The answer suggests itself - to help her grow old! This process is similar to real art, and the methods of implementation range from simple to complex, from imitating to realistic.

It is easiest to give the cabinet a vintage look using craquelure lacquer, which cracks after drying, creating a characteristic antique look. For provenance, respectively, you need to take white paint or other pastel shades.

Furniture looks good with a facade painted with a dry brush, leaving a small amount of paint, which seems to have faded over time.

For a more realistic effect, it is necessary to process the coating, creating noticeable reliefs. Then apply acrylic, on top of it - glaze, the amount of which is regulated using an ordinary sponge. But for this method you will have to completely disassemble the cabinet.

Sometimes all that is needed for old furniture is a few accents that will make it aesthetic. Some styles like rude, brutal objects with history and character, especially loft or steam punk. In this case, to enhance the effect, you can decorate the cabinet doors with metal rivets, as well as brackets that completely change the concept of a battered chest of drawers.

The necessary parts are easily attached with glue to the wooden facade. But if you cover it with leather, you will have to use nails to nicely fix the rivets.