30 Mind-Blowing Upcycled Thrift Store Decor Transformations

Looking for some inspiration for your next upcycle project? Look no further! This article features 30 mind-blowing upcycled thrift store decor transformations. From old furniture to outdated accessories, these projects will show you how to transform thrift store finds into one-of-a-kind pieces that will add personality to your home.

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Thrift Store Transformations: Furniture

Do you like vintage apothecary cabinets or card catalogs?

Anything with little drawers will capture my attention. However, they are hard to find and, therefore, very expensive.

So when I find a cheap piece of furniture while thrifting, my first thought is, how can I transform it to work within my home?

Let’s take a look at some of my favorite Thrift Store Furniture Transformations.

Amazing Thrift Store Transformation – Before & After

Wait until you see the $40.00 Thrift Store Chest before. Even before the transformation, this was a great-quality chest and a great find.

Check out all the details on this before and after post.

DIY Kitchen Island

We decided to use a thrifted sideboard for a kitchen island, which prompted finding a piece of furniture to create the size island we wanted.

After thrifting in Wilmington, NC, we found what we thought we needed. You can read all about the process of transforming two different size pieces of furniture into our unique farmhouse kitchen island.

DIY Faux Apothecary IKEA HACK

After building our greenhouse, we finally found a spot for this IKEA 16 Cube Storage Unit. However, it needed a little update. It now appears to be two pieces with a 32-drawer Apothecary cabinet.

Don’t miss the before and after on this step-by-step tutorial.

Thrifting with the Gals

Today’s post is part of our monthly series Thrifting with the Gals.

If you are new to our series, we are friends who share a love for vintage and thrifted decorating.

We all live in different parts of the country, but we come together once a month to share thrift store shopping ideas and how to decorate with your treasures.

Here are the Gals:

• Ann from Dabbling and Decorating finds her treasures as she travels between Vermont and Maine. She decorates both homes with so many vintage treasures.
• Kristin from White Arrows Home loves thrifting in Minnesota and adds some of her finds to her vintage store.
• Robyn from Robyn’s French Nest loves to travel and bring her vintage treasure to her lovely Florida Home.
• I am from North Carolina, and love filling my farmhouse and beach cottage with thrift store finds. I focus on budget-friendly decorating and DIY projects.
• This month’s guest is our Canadian friend Bree from My Little Black and White House.

Be sure to check out all their thrifting adventures at the end of this post.

The Real Truth About Deconstructing A Chair

When I shared the real truth about deconstructing a chair, I realized it was harder than I had imagined. That’s why I have three chairs waiting to be deconstructed. Maybe one day. LOL

Cozy Industrial Loft Ideas

The industrial loft is our personal hang-out space, filled with DIY projects.

The first project was the bar area which includes a nesting box to hold extra supplies. However, the bar itself was made from two thrifted hospital carts. A single top was added, and the original cart tops provided shelving between them.

In addition, a thrifted commercial cart was transformed into a TV cart. Shelving was added to provide extra storage below the TV.

Home Decor Dupes

Have you ever drooled over a new home decor trend or accessory only to find that the hefty price tag wasn’t budget-friendly? Well, look at these thrift store finds that were transformed into Pottery Barn, Anthropologie, or high-end boutique dupes.

Thrift Store Lamp Makeovers

I love finding old lamps and transforming them into stylish home decor.

The first lamp was an Anthropologie Dupe. I specifically looked for a lamp of this shape and size. You can see all the details on Easy Thrifted Lamp Makeover.

A $1.00 lamp is completely transformed,, and you can see the step-by-step tutorial on How to Make A Distressed Napkin Decoupage Lamp.

Pottery Barn Dupes

These coastal-inspired candleholders were an easy Pottery Barn Dupe. The thrifted vases were wrapped with inexpensive raffia, and the sand was free. See the super easy DIY instructions here.

A $4.00 Thrift Store vase is easily and inexpensively upcycled into an Earthenware Vessel Pottery Barn Dupe.

Expensive Boutique Dupe

Outdoor Thrift Store Transformations

One of our biggest thrifted projects was our DIY Greenhouse/She Shed. Repurposed French doors provide all the light necessary for the fun space. Wait until you read the whole story of how we were able to build the greenhouse during the Covid lockdown.

In addition, there are several upcycle projects within the greenhouse.

The $10.00 chandelier was upcycled with fresh paint and Dollar Tree Solar Lights for the she shed. This thrifted vintage chandelier tutorial is available here.

In addition, old windows and porch posts were used for an easy potting table thrift store transformation.

Upcycled Thrift Store Decor

While out thrifting with the gals, I always look for good quality wooden items such as old wall shelves, peg boards, shutters, and architectural salvage for future projects.

Here are a few more budget-friendly upcycled Thrift Store Decor projects.

The large wooden wall shelf was an easy upcycle project. It was transformed into a peg board and included in the DIY Accent Wall for the beach cottage.

In addition, the nautical mirror was also a DIY project. Every single item used was found while thrifting. Wait until you see the before and after.

Another old shelf was transformed into a Peg Rail Shelf Thrift Store Flip for the beach house kitchen.

When You Can’t Find What You Are Looking For!

I used thrift store shutters next to our front doors for several years. When I couldn’t find tall door shutters we had been searching for, we decided to upcycle the existing window shutters. See How to Make Door Shutters that are tall enough for the front doors.

More wooden upcycle projects include the Corn Hole Score Board made from a $4.00 TV Tray Stand and the DIY Wall Plate Rack, finished with two thrifted wooden porch spindles.

Another Upcycled Thrift Store Decor is a vintage champagne crate repurposed as the beach cottage coffee table. See more about this find and how we repurposed it on Dirt Road Adventures.

Repurposed Thrift Store Transformations

Sometimes you need to rethink the purpose of your thrifted finds. For example, a wooden flower box display is now used as a plate rack for our screened-in porch.

A library card catalog was updated with a new base, fresh paint, and hardware. Tucked under the staircase, it serves as a wine bar in our dining area.

In addition, we didn’t have a space for our thrift mantel in our new farmhouse. Instead of selling it, we flipped it and used it as a shelf above the bed. Can you guess what we did with the mantel legs?

Repurposed Vintage Home Decor

Here are some additional repurposed vintage items that are part of our home decor.

A vintage funnel serves as a light fixture on the screen porch. A set of 8 thrifted glass jars were added to hold flowers and other seasonal decor.

Another fun find was this coffee table made from reclaimed barn wood and old industrial metal.

In addition, this unique upcycled project is a vintage gas can repurposed into a decorative lamp.

Believe it or not, all 30 of these projects are in our farmhouse or tiny beach cottage. When I started writing, I began with 15 projects and then realized that my whole house was decorated with repurposed thrift store finds. Plus, I didn’t share them all. Can you believe it? My mind was blown as well.

If you are budget minded and love a deal, I hope these projects have inspired you to look for the good in second-hand shopping. Let me know what upcycle -projects and ideas you are working on.

Thrifting with the Gals

Now it’s time to see what all the thrifting gals have been up to this month. Next up is Ann at Dabbling & Decorating with her old-fashioned bargains. Be sure to click on each link below to follow along.

Ann at Dabbling & Decorating / Robyn at Robyn’s French Nest

Kristin at White Arrows Home / Bree at Little Black and White House

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I look forward to sharing my next adventures with you.

Pin It To Remember It

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