Reusing Furniture Pieces to Create a New Space

If you have lived in your home for any length of time, chances are you get tired of seeing the same set up. Styles change and so do our tastes and that’s ok. If you have pieces that are neutral in color, you can change up the accessories around it without breaking the bank.

One client asked me to come over and help her rearrange two of her living spaces using her furniture. She had a long room that some might consider a formal living room and another square shaped room they used for more family gatherings.

Here we will focus on the long room that only had a tall bookcase flanked by 2 chairs on one long wall and a piano on the opposite wall. I wish I had a before picture to show you, but we started moving things before I could get one! She had no idea what to use the room for and it was a shame that she had this space and yet no one spent any time in it!

After discussing the family interests, we decided to turn this long room into a travel/music/reading area. They loved to read and had many fond memories of their family travels. Now comes the fun part…moving everything into place.

We moved the large bookcase to the left of the window and then took another bookcase from the kitchen and placed it to the right of the window. Notice they don’t need to match but must be similar in height so the room is not off balance. We reused some of the books on the shelves but also used some favorite awards, pictures and other items to fill the shelves.

Now the wall space above the chairs is available for their travel pictures. I suggested mounting some favorite pictures on canvas or enlarging them and framing them.

The piano stayed in the same spot, but I added another comfy chair in the corner of the room for extra seating. The other suggestion I made was adding a rug to bring in some color and reduce the echo effect in the room. They didn’t have one but that is something they were willing to buy.

In the end, the client had almost everything they needed to update the look of the room. Sometimes it is just a matter of deciding how to use the room and then finding the pieces you need.