ReStyle Old to New - Making Your Inherited Stuff Stunning

January 01, 2015

to Read (

Words)

I was chatting with my longtime Chicago friend yesterday about her brother tucking away Dad's inherited watch in a safety deposit box rather than wearing it. He said that he was only going to use it on special occasions; I was totally puzzled why he would do that. Why not wear it every day to celebrate his Dad’s memory?

It made me think back to eyeballing a perfect little velvet loveseat at a thrift shop - perfect because it was encased in a plastic slipcover. I had thought to myself, the old owner never got to experience the joy of sinking into that sofa and feeling the lush texture of the velvet. I envisioned a hard crunched rather than a soft, cozy sink when (if ever) someone sat down.

Please don’t tuck away your fabulous things! From Grandma’s silver service to old stuff sitting in the basement, don’t hide it - celebrate it. Your home should make you happy each day, be filled with a layered collection - rich with finds of every delicious chapter and morsel of your life. Don't store things behind glass, wrap them away or like the owner of the loveseat, encase them in plastic. That loveseat should of had a worn spot where the owner curled up on Saturday afternoons to read her next murder mystery novel!

Celebrate it, use it, restyle it and make it your own. How? Here a few examples of how you can reinvent what is inherited, old or unused into something with purpose and loved.

One of my clients was struggling with her husband's gifted grandparent's dining set. They really wanted to honor it in the dining room, but the dark wood wasn't appealing and the table wasn't going to work with daily use. The restyle solution was to purchase a new table and have the rest of the set painted to match. The celebrate what you have result is the perfect mix of old and new. And the big bonus is they now get to love that set as much as his Grandparents did.

Inherited Hutch

Restyled Hutch (Photo: Julea Joseph)

Why not get ready every morning in vintage style and maybe a wink and nod to Mom with a lovely vanity vignette of your makeup necessities organized in old silver serving pieces.

Silver Serving Pieces ( Photo: Source)

Don't toss the collection of unused encyclopedias collecting dust in the basement bookcase - Repurpose and reuse them as accessories or style accents with a can of paint.

Painted Encyclopedias (Photo: Jennifer Rizza)

Aunt Millie's tea cup collection boxed in tissue somewhere? Unwrap them, head over to a craft store and cook up a batch of wax to make them into candles. They'll warm your heart with their romantic flicker on your sofa's end table as you settle in for the evening.

Tea Cup Candles (Photo: Source)

Transform an antique photo of your heritage with a blown-up image updated in a wrapped canvas technique. Add a few more in various sizes to create an unique gallery wall.