Discovering the Joy of Upcycling: How I Furnished Our Home with Character

Have you discovered the joy of upcycling yet? I’ve been passionate about upcycling furniture for about 15 years now. It started in our old house, but since moving into our Victorian semi-detached home—a much bigger space to furnish—I realised I didn’t want to fill it with mass-produced, flat-pack furniture. Instead, I wanted to bring in unique, characterful pieces, and upcycling seemed like the perfect, affordable solution.

Over time, I’ve sourced furniture from all sorts of places. I love scouring auctions and car boot sales, but most of my finds have come from Facebook Marketplace. I’ve even picked up some beautiful pieces for free! One of my best finds is a gorgeous vintage wooden trunk that my Dad passed on to me. He’d originally been given it by someone he was working for and he knew I would give it a new lease of life. I painted and upcycled that trunk during lockdown and give it a real tropical feel. It was inspired by Lucy Tiffney’s amazing botanical designs. 

Some of the furniture in our home has been handed down through the family. For example, the wooden Art Deco set of drawers in our bedroom originally belonged to my Grandma, and we also have a lovely sideboard that came from my Husband’s Nana. Admittedly I’ve left the sideboard in its original condition because it’s beautiful as it is. 

Scouring marketplace has allowed me to find very unusual things like the beautiful arched glass cabinet with have in the bedroom which only set me back £20. I also picked up the Art Deco dressing table for £50 after spending months looking for the perfect shape. I then upcycled it using masking tape to create the pink and white stripes. 

Honestly, if I hadn’t learned how to upcycle, we simply wouldn’t have been able to furnish our home to the standard we wanted—and we certainly wouldn’t have achieved the warm, lived-in character that the house has now.

My Top Tips for Upcycling Furniture

There are a few key things to remember when you’re upcycling, and the most important one is prep. Some paints don’t require sanding, which can save a lot of time, but you should always make sure the furniture is clean and smooth before you start. I always give my pieces a good clean with sugar soap to remove any dirt or grime. If there are any rough patches or splinters, it’s essential to sand those down properly—paint won’t hide them, and they’ll show through in the finished piece. An amazing primer to use is Zinsser B-I-N. It hides stains and means you don’t need to sand if something has layers and layers of paint on top. 

My Favourite Paints

My go-to paint for upcycling is Annie Sloan chalk paint. One of the best things about it is that you can paint it directly onto varnished wood with minimal prep—just a good clean and some light sanding if needed. It has a thicker consistency than other paints, and you can apply it straight on without the need for lots of sanding and priming. If you get any varnish bleed (when the orange comes through the paint) you can simply sand back and do a coat of Zinsser B-I-N and carry on. 

Another brand I’ve loved working with is Earthborn chalk paint, which I used for one of my more complex projects—a vintage trunk we keep in our loft. I actually worked on this as part of a collaboration with Earthborn, and I wanted to create something really special. I took inspiration from the palm tree wallpaper we have in the loft and gave the trunk a kind of jungle, tropical vibe with a checkerboard tiled floor effect. I carefully taped it all out to create clean lines and added square sections on the top where I painted different plant pots filled with ferns and greenery.

Upcycling has not only saved us money but has also filled our home with pieces that have stories, history, and are completely unique. Whether I’m working on family heirlooms, free finds, or marketplace treasures, every item I upcycle feels like it truly belongs here.

If you’ve been thinking about giving upcycling a go, I can’t recommend it enough—it’s an amazing way to add personality to your home, at the same time as being kinder to your budget and the planet.