27 Genius Repurposed Furniture Ideas for Every Room in the House

These repurposed furniture ideas include all kinds of smart, creative ways to upcycle old, unwanted stuff into useful and beautiful furniture pieces for your home.

Repurposed projects have always been my favorite. I love to paint things and make the old and outdated beautiful again. But repurposing is so much more than that.

It’s taking something that’s no longer useful or needed and giving it a whole new purpose.

That’s pretty magical all on it’s own. But there’s also a whole bunch of other reasons I love repurposed projects.

• Repurposing furniture is usually way cheaper than buying new – or even buying already ‘nice’ used pieces.
• Repurposed furniture is pretty much always one of a kind. Nobody else is going to have the exact same thing as you.
• Repurposing furniture is a great way to recycle outdated furniture pieces and give them new life rather than sending them off to the landfill.
• And finally, most repurposed furniture is wildly creative. When I’m in the mood to just browse projects and see what grabs me, repurposed projects are always my favorite.

I’ve repurposed quite a few pieces of furniture in my own house and I’ve also found all kinds of inspiring repurposed furniture ideas from other creators. So I decided to gather them all together here in one place.

Repurposed Furniture Ideas

Hopefully these ideas will help inspire you to look at the old furniture in your own garage or basement in a whole new light! And if you don’t hoard old furniture like me, yard sales and Facebook Marketplace are full of super cheap furniture pieces just waiting for someone with a vision to transform them.

You can find more details about each furniture project along with the full tutorial at the link below each photo.

This is one of my favorite repurposed projects I’ve ever done. When I got this old dresser from a family friend, it was in very rough shape, but the proportions and curves were beautiful. And it just happened to be the perfect size for a bathroom vanity. Turning an old dresser into a bathroom vanity does take a bit of work but I share all the nitty gritty details of how to do it in the post. And in the end, it was so worth it!

Here’s another clever repurposed dresser idea. Ann from Dabbling and Decorating combined an old dresser with some shutters and reclaimed wood to create this super cute grilling station.

Heather from The Heathered Nest turned a simple potting bench into the perfect outdoor bar cart. With some fresh paint and some very simple changes, this is now the perfect serving piece for cookouts and outdoor get togethers.

This is a repurpose I never would have thought of! Stephanie from Abbotts at Home cut a tall dresser in half to create two pieces: a side table and a small bathroom vanity. Such a smart way to turn the furniture you have into the furniture you actually need.

I never would have guessed these kitchen cabinets started out as a very 1980s china cabinet! Ann from Reinvented Delaware repurposed the old cabinet into a base cabinet with a washbasin sink and a set of upper cabinets for her kitchen. Such a smart way to repurpose a super dated piece of furniture.

Carrie from Thirty-eighth Street had an extra table when what she really needed was a pair of desks for her kids. So she cut here table right down the middle to create two desks and they work so well!

Maria from Simple Nature Decor gave this traditional buffet a whole new life as a fresh, white dresser for her guest room. There are so many pieces of storage furniture like this that can be easily used for different purposes in different rooms with just a few easy updates.

When Juliet from A Loverly Life saw these two scratched, chipped side tables, she knew they would make an awesome console table/TV stand. She gave the two worn pieces a full makeover and then combined them to create a gorgeous media console. And best of all, they can easily be converted back into two tables in the future if needed.

I’ve seen several old dressers repurposed as a kitchen island, but Stephanie from Celebrated Nest had a different idea. She repurposed an old bathroom vanity that had been removed in a bathroom renovation to create an island. With a new back panel and a butcher block top, it looks like it was always meant to be in the kitchen!

If you love a simple project, you’ll love this easy bedside table idea. All you need to do is add a couple of simple shelves to a barstool. This is a great solution when you don’t have a lot of room next to your bed for a larger nightstand.

This is another great sewing machine table repurpose by Sara from Birdz of a Feather. She updated an old worn out sewing machine table and added a new top along with with fresh paint, a new top, and vertical space to hang plants. Now it’s the perfect accent table or small desk and I love that colorful Hudson Bay Blanket inspired paint design.

When I found an old wooden vanity with no mirror at a yard sale for less than $10, I couldn’t leave it behind. I didn’t really need a vanity, but I knew it would make the perfect matching pair of nightstands. Turning an old vanity or dressing table into nightstands is actually a pretty simple project. These nightstands were one of the first projects I ever shared here on the blog and I am still using them in our bedroom more than ten years later!

This cute little bookshelf was made from one lonely dresser drawer that Amber Oliver found at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore. With some new shelves, feet, and a fresh coat of paint, now it’s the cutest little bookcase.

I never would have thought to turn unneeded cabinet doors into a headboard! When Anita from Unique Creations by Anita was given these cabinet doors, she knew she could turn them into something useful for her home. I love how this headboard turned out – it looks just like an expensive wood headboard from a furniture store!

Rachel from Tea and Forget me nots made this simple desk using the top from an old broken sideboard and a set of hairpin legs. Hairpin legs are a brilliant way to turn basically any flat surface into a desk or table and I love that she was able to reuse this piece that would have otherwise gone straight into the trash.

I’ve always been fascinated with cheese crates – the round boxes that cheese is stored and transported in. Ann from Dabbling and Decorating added casters to a pair of old cheese crates and turned them into a cute little bed side table. It’s the perfect little table, plus there’s lots of hidden storage inside.

I’ve seen several old kneehole desks separated to make two side tables, but Gail from My Repurposed Life took things a step further. She dismantled an old desk and then stacked the two drawer sections to create this beautiful lingerie chest. Such a clever idea!

This is a slightly different type of repurposed furniture. This cute caned bench was originally an upholstered settee that was definitely only meant to be used indoors. I stripped away the 80s details and old upholstery and turned it into the perfect outdoor porch bench.

This bright, colorful upholstered bench actually used to be a very 70s coffee table. (I’m pretty sure my great grandmother used to have the same one!) With some fresh paint and colorful upholstery, now it’s the perfect shoe bench for an entryway.

Finally, Jasmine from Feeling Nifty turned a basic IKEA bookshelf into a comfy upholstered bench with lots of extra storage. She even shares tips for scoring a used IKEA bookshelf to use. This one’s a great reminder that furniture doesn’t have to be old or vintage to be repurposed!

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