Add Style With Hand-me-downs

You'd never know this bedroom is full of old stuff. Revamp yours with these ideas.

Don't throw it away, rework it!" could be Cynthia Hill-Wilson's mantra. This queen of hand-me-down makeovers turns the undesirable into the chic throughout her house in McKinney, Texas. It helps that she prefers the eclectic and unexpected, allowing her to pair furniture and accessories with different styles and finishes. "Almost everything old can be made fresh again," says Cynthia. Her bedroom sports several winning examples.

Give It the Strip

A chest from her grandmother was coated with multiple layers of paint. After being stripped and sanded, it now has that coveted weathered look with bits of the blue paint showing through. Cynthia didn't even replace the hardware, so the transformation was low cost as well.

Give It the Slip

An old chair of her mother's sits pretty in the bedroom, showing off a pale pink slipcover with bullion fringe trim. To give the chair even more kick, Cynthia added a pink-and-chocolate brown pillow in a harlequin design. "I love pillows," she says. Tm always changing them around for a different look."

Give It a New Top

Cynthia also likes to put furniture in unlikely places. She took two garden tables with iron bases and gave them an interior life as bedside tables. She upped the style quotient by replacing the wooden tops with marble ones for a cost of $120. This room proves that working with what you have yields beautiful results. -ALICE WELSH DOYLE

For More Info

Sources:

southernliving.com/april2007

above: This bedroom shows off a pleasing blend of pale blue walls, simple bedding, and sheer draperies. below: A fringed skirt gives this pink damask chair a flirty look.

Copyright Southern Progress Corporation Apr 2007
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