My dear friends, hello and Happy New Year!! Welcome to my end-of-the-year furniture recap where I share your favorite thrifty furniture makeovers from the past year! I always enjoy looking back to see what made the list, and there were some good ones this year!

It gets me super excited to dive into a fresh new year of makeovers! Hopefully, you too will be inspired to get creating in the coming year!

Here are some of the fabulous befores of what made the list…

I have linked to the original posts for each at the bottom of each makeover if you’d like to see more.

I’ve included a few affiliate links so you can find the products I love.

Enjoy!

13 Fantastic Thrifty Furniture Makeovers

13

Starting our countdown at number 13 is this bench I picked up at the thrift store for $20:

I grabbed it just as they were loading it onto the floor.

After removing the top, I gave it a base coat of Cotton. Then I applied Vintage Duck Egg Blue that I lightened 50/50 with Cotton. I love to get lighter versions of many colors this way.

I brushed that on using my mini angle brush:

Then, I cut planks to cover the top to replace the padded top. I painted those also and attached them with both wood glue and my Ryobi cordless nail gun to secure each piece in place further:

It doesn’t even look like the same bench!

Adding the wood planked top and painting it in this gorgeous blue totally changed the feel of it!

 

This is so my style and was one of my personal favorites!

See more of this bench makeover HERE.

12

In the number twelve spot on the list is this peice that I pulled out of the back of a barn at an estate sale:

(I also bought that HUGE mirror to the left…you can see what I did with that HERE!)

Everything was 20% off, so I ended up paying $32 dollars, which included free mildew!

After a very thorough cleaning with my go-to paint prep cleaner, White Lightning, I pulled out the Bonding BOSS in white to get ahead of any potential bleed through issues that these older, antique pieces like to surprise us with.

Then, I painted it in bright white Cotton by Dixie Belle:

I chose a nice, bright backdrop for this beautiful Magnolia Grandiflora transfer:

Here is how this one ended up!

While I thought this was just a petite dresser at the time, y’all let me know that it was likely a washstand, and that makes much more sense!

As you can see, I carried the transfer around the side. I just love this huge magnolia transfer! (I used it on a taller piece over blue HERE.)

I pulled the green from the magnolias and painted the inside of the drawers in English Ivy:

 

 

11

Next up is this dressing table I found at the thrift store that had been marked down twice to $49.98.

It was in excellent condition aside from some of the veneer coming off one of the bottom drawers:

After fixing the damage, I enlisted the help of my Homeright Super Finish Max which made it go much more quickly. And the color I chose is Caviar by Dixie Belle, a perfect, true black:

The drawers were hand painted as it was easier than taping off all the round fronts for spraying:

And here is the final look of this gorgeous dressing table:

I shared the chair in a separate post HERE. It was a redo of a redo!

And the black and gold is always an elegant pairing…

I kept the original pulls and just updated them with Gold Gilding Wax.

(Lisa, I hope you are still enjoying this lovely set!)

See more details of this set HERE!

10

Next up is this $10 table that was pretty trashed when I found it at the thrift store:

Although it’s difficult to see here, it had so many bumps and bruises! I ended up having to use Dixie Mud from Dixie Belle to fill it all in on practically the entire top! (It did not appear to be solid wood, so I wasn’t sure how far down I could safely sand.)

I even used it to fill in the drawer detail:

Finally, I was ready for paint and for this piece, I chose Fluff by Dixie Belle, giving it two coats for solid coverage.

I  knew it would make the perfect backdrop for this gorgeous Sunlit Serenade transfer:

Here is how the finished piece turned out:

The drawer with the transfer is much prettier than that original carved detail would have been but the inside stole the show with that gorgeous pop of yellow!

And i just love how the top turned out!

You would never know that it started out so sad!

See more of this pretty table HERE!

9

At number ten in the countdown is this French Provincial dresser that I lovingly dubbed “The Faceplant Dresser”:

It was in decent condition for $75 at the thrift store until I tried to unload it from the car and get it into the garage by myself…oopsie!

I had it out of the van and moved onto these rolling thingies I use to move heavy furniture, but when I tried to heave it up over the lip of concrete at the entrance to our garage, wham! It fell forward, hitting my minivan and landing on its face!

You can see all the damage up close at the link I’ll share in a bit, but fortunately, it was all sandable and fixable with a little Dixie Mud:

I ended up choosing Dixie Belle’s Caviar for this dresser, applying it with my favorite mini angle brush:

Once I had it painted, I embellished it with one of my favorite transfers, the gorgeous Vigorous Violet transfer.

Here is how this dresser looked when it was done:

I painted the hardware black so they would disappear but added two glass knobs to the top.

I am always so pleasantly surprised at how these transfers from Redesign really maintain their color, even over dark surfaces.

See all the details of this Trashy Treasure HERE!

8

Next up is this washstand cabinet I found at the thrift store for $14.99:

I loved the style of it and even though it may not have been a washstand originally, that is what it reminded me of.

There was a ton of filling and sanding needed on this one, and once that was done, once again, I created a 50/50 mix of Vintage Duck Egg Blue and Cotton:

Here is how this piece turned out:

How pretty is that resin piece as a backdrop for the glass knob? It adds such a unique detail to the drawer…

And the drawer got a splash of color with this leftover piece of Mystic Blue Florals decoupage paper:

Such a difference!

See more of this piece HERE.

7

Coming in at number eight is one of two Louis the XVI chairs that I purchased for $9.99 each at the thrift store:

I redid the first, the newer reproduction, in 2024 and you can see that one HERE if you like.

I redid this one a bit differently.

Once all the piping and some of the upholstery was removed, I chose Caviar by Dixie Belle once again, and then sealed with  Clear Coat in the satin finish…

Then, I upholstered it in this classic toile fabric to coordinate with the black…

I usually make my own double welt trim to hide all the staples, but I went for black gimp trim this time, which I purchased from Amazon HERE, and this makeover was complete!

Take a look:

The back got a large check to cooridinate…

Loving the gimp trim on this one…

 

See this makeover and the upholstery in more detail HERE.

6

After 13 years of thrifty makeovers on the blog here, one thing I had never done before was a set of nesting tables! I got that chance when I picked up this set at at yard sale for $20:

After cleaning and sanding, I chose this sweet Aviary Elegance transfer and then I chose Weeping Willow chalk mineral paint to coordinate with it:

Here is the final look of this set of nesting tables:

They look great stacked together or spread apart…

And I chose one very subtle piece of transfer for the top which felt just right:

This was such a fun set to redo!

See all the details of this set HERE.

5

At number six in our countdown is this stunning lingerie chest I scored for $15.99 at the thrift store:

Okay, it’s not so stunning there, but it really did turn out SO pretty!

This piece needed quite a bit of prep, including mudding, sanding, and even had a drawer I had to rebuild!

After all that sanding, I prepped with Bonding BOSS just in case any of those annoying tannins tried to come through…

Then, I chose Tea Rose, a lovely, muted pink:

Then to add some highlight, I did some shading on the drawers:

I did so much more, but let’s jump to the after of this one, shall we??

I told you it was a perty one! I added stripes to the top to balance it out.

The jumping off point were these knobs I found at Hobby Lobby:

Once again the Lavish Swirls moulds made for the perfect backdrop. They were painted Tea Rose also and highlighted in Gold Gilding Wax. I also added more mould details on the sides that you can see at the link to the original post below.

The final touch was the drawer lining using one of my favorite decoupage papers, Timeless Blooms:

See over 200 decoupage papers in my shop HERE.

I love how this one turned out!

See this full makeover including what moulds I added to the side HERE.

4

This next one was a fun one also! This is one of two pieces I found sitting outside the antique mall where I have my booth, and I got it for a steal at only $35!

This one needed lots of filling with Dixie Mud as well as it had been bumped around quite a bit…

We were having a heat wave at the time and to get it painted as quickly as possible, I used my sprayer and opted for Silk Mineral Paint in Anchor this time, since it has a built-in topcoat:

Here is the after of this very simple piece:

The inside is where all the pretty is on this one!

I painted the interior of the desk portion in Conch Silk Mineral Paint, the Silk version of Tea Rose.

And the little drawers got this Timeless Blooms decoupage paper:

After sitting in my booth for a bit, I decided that the front of the secretary needed a little something, so I added the Perfume Notes transfer:

I think that is just the finishing touch it needed!

See all the details of this one HERE.

3

At number three is this vintage dresser that I paired with this incredible antique mirror. This set also won my favorite Fixer Upper of the year! Both pieces together cost me $79:

These were such great finds, and I love that I was able to bring them together to be loved for many more years to come.

The main issue with the dresser on this one was that it was absolutely filthy on the inside. It got a major cleaning with White Lightning to start. Then, it got filled, sanded, primed with white Bonding BOSS, and finally, painted in Cotton, Dixie Belle’s brightest white chalk mineral paint…

(That’s the first coat going over the Bonding BOSS.)

The top was stained in Dixie Belle’s No Pain Gel Stain in Espresso:

Here is the final look of this perfectly matched pair!

They look like they were meant for each other!

I love the stained top with the bright white.

The top two drawers got some love with the Salon de La Gloire decoupage paper from Redesign:

And the rest of the drawers were made new again with Bay Breeze Silk Mineral Paint.

 

 

See the many details of this makeover HERE!

2

At number two is this hutch that I found in front of our Antique Mall along with the secretary desk I shared earlier:

They were asking $40, and I countered with $30. I was thrilled when they accepted!

The inside was just two thin metal hanging bars, and I built shelves to add to the inside to make it more functional:

Then, this one started giving me trouble! Remember how I filled those wierd carvings on the doors with Mud, and then sanded. Then, I primed, painted, and started adding a transfer to the doors?

But then, this happened while I was adding the transfer?

Noooo! It turned out that I needed to sand the entire door panels because the flaking finish underneath was not working with the transfer, and I ended up back here:

Such a bummer! I primed with Bonding BOSS in white once again, painted in Savannah Mist, and tried the transfer again.

This is the Sunlit Serenade transfer:

This time, it went on beautifully!

Here is how this lovely armoire looks now:

So charming! That decorative piece at the top is the Elaborate Finery Decor Poly and looks like it has always been there…

Decor Poly is a great alternative to moulds if you want something ready-made or need a larger piece! See all the Decor Poly appliques I have in my shop HERE.

Here’s a peek at the inside and the shelves I added…

This piece is the Josephine mould and it is finally back in stock! Only $8.99!

See all the moulds I have in my shop HERE.

And you know I had to add some stripes in there!

What a treat this one was to complete!

See all the details I left out HERE.

1

And finally, your favorite furniture makeover of this year was a favorite of mine as well for sure!

It was this curbside FREEBIE I found in my own neighborhood:

I loved it as soon as I saw it because of the style of it, but this thing was HUMONGOUS! I know I looked crazy trying to get it into my minivan lol!

That distressing was way over the top! I needed to calm that down to make this beautiful again.

I started by removing the bottom cushion and then removing the existing wax finish. I shared how I did that in the post.

Once I had that done, I lightly sanded all over to smooth out the exisitng paint finish.

I wasn’t sure if this would would be a bleeder, but since the wood did have a reddish tint to it, I went ahead and primed with Bonding BOSS in white. I then followed that up with  Fluff…

Then, I pulled out my Clear and Brown Best Dang Waxes to higlhight the details and seal.

It’s important to add a layer of clear wax first before adding the brown since chalk paint is very porous and it will soak up the wax. I used a clean cloth to remove the excess…

Finally, the fun part, upholstering this chair in the prettiest Amazon curtain panels ever!

And here is the final look!

Ooh la la! SO much better, right??

Here you can see the way the brown wax ever so subtly highlighted the details…

 

It was hard to let this one go, and it didn’t last long in my booth!

See the whole tranformation HERE.

And those are your favorite thrifty furniture makeovers from the past year!

And how about a BONUS??

This one didn’t quite make the top 13, but it was one of my personal favorites, so I’ll give it an honorable mention!

This dresser was a steal at the thrift store for only $29.99:

Remember the guy loading it dragged it across the concrete and then I tried to save it and it lead to my back going out the next day?

Luckily, I was able to fill and sand out the damage. It did look crazy though!

After sanding that, I prepped with Bonding BOSS to prevent the mahogany from coming through the sanded areas and also as a prep for Silk Mineral Paint:

I chose Silk for this one in  Salt Water and that was it since the Silk has a built-in topcoat!

Here is how this one turned out:

I love the simplicity of the white with a simple stripe across the top.

The stripes are Silk Mineral Paint in Baja Gray:

The top drawers got a little extra embellishment as well with the Delightful Labels transfer:

 

 

I make the top favorites list based on your interaction with the posts in the comments. If you really like something, leave some comment love, so it makes the list at the end of the year!

I’d love to know what your favorites are from this list!

And if you missed last year’s top 13, there were some good ones!

You can see them all HERE!

I’ll be back on Tuesday with all your non-furniture favorites:

Wishing you all the blessings the new year can hold and lots of creativity in the year ahead! Thank you for being here!

UPDATE: See these decor pieces now HERE!

XOXO,

 

 

 

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