Refurbed from the curb: how I turned trash into treasure

How many times have you driven past a tatty old chair or a three-legged table sitting (would a three-legged table ‘sit’?) on the curb and thought, ‘What a waste!’? When it happens to me, I pull over (or, more accurately, drive right past it because I notice it too late, and then keep driving until I can safely make a u-turn and then try and remember exactly where I saw it) to rescue it. More often than not, hidden beneath the scratches, dust, and sometimes neglect, is potential – potential waiting to be found. In honour of fast-approaching Earth Day (22nd April), I’m sharing five of my favourite curb-side rescues - pieces that went from discarded to dazzling. If these transformations don’t make you rethink tossing old furniture, I don’t know what will! 

1. From lopsided to loved 

   

   This little one was left out on the curb, missing a foot, a drawer knob, and all her hope. She was sitting next to her friend, an unpainted pine chest of drawers, who looked a little happier. I found them whilst out walking, so by the time I’d returned with my car, the pine friend had already been taken, leaving the lopsided one on her lonesome. I picked her up and took her home, already excited with my vision for her. But we tripped up on the first hurdle – I pulled out the top drawer to clean and it disintegrated into 10 or so wooden pieces (definitely no longer fit for purpose). So, as furniture refurbishers are often forced to do, I changed my vision for her, switching out the broken drawer for a sheet of timber, wrapping in Laura Ashley floral wallpaper, creating open shelving. She was listed for sale for quite a few months before she was purchased – but my goodness, that was the perfect home for her. My customer needed a unit with open shelving to store her large art paper – and the shelving was the perfect size for it. 

   

   
   

2. From curb to creative

   

   A neighbour (also a client and wonderful friend!) sent me a photo of these bedside tables she’d found whilst out and about, and sent me the address so I could collect them. I jumped in my car and made the quick 2-minute journey to their location and packed them safely in my car. They sat in storage for a while whilst I focused on other projects – and then came along a client who required two pine bedside tables for her children (one each), and I knew these bedsides would be perfect for their requirements. I designed each bedside table, both as unique as the other, matching the kids’ newly renovated bedrooms. The boy’s bedroom was jungle-themed, and the girl’s was pink and white weather-themed. This project quickly became my favourite creative project to date. 

   

   
   

3. A drawer-stop rescue 

   

   A different neighbour sent me the photo and location of this chest of drawers, left on the curb, which she also discovered whilst out and about. This time, I knew I couldn’t manage it on my own, but luckily my dad was around to help me with it. I rounded him up, we jumped in my car, and located her. This was one of my first drawer-stop repairs, so I was a bit nervous – I don’t think I knew exactly what the issue was at the time, but I investigated when I returned home, and fixed her up good. I still marvel at how sophisticated she looks – a quick repair, a change of colour, and new handles can make the biggest difference.  

   

   
   

4. The Ducal discovery 

   

   These bedsides were in such a state that I initially didn’t realise how well-made they were. They were half-painted and half-primed (I think it was an abandoned upcycle project) and it really was quite the challenge to strip all that product. Only after removing the drawers did I notice they were Ducal bedsides – a fabulous British furniture designer. This project became an interactive feature in my newsletter, The Conscious Consumer, where I asked my readers to vote on their colour, design, and knobs. You designed them so beautifully! It seems that I’ve adopted them now – we planned to use them temporarily as our bedside tables whilst we renovated our bedroom, but I don’t think I'll be able to let them go – I've fallen in love with the calming pastel green, the spacious drawers, the delicate plants, and I love that they’re on castors. 

   

   
   

5. The chest with chopped corners 

   

   This was an interesting one! A neighbour (the one who’s a client and wonderful friend) also bumped into this chest of drawers at the bottom of our road. My dad was unfortunately not around for this one, so I roped my neighbour into helping me with it (she’s truly wonderful). We lugged it into my house, not before realising that the corners had been sawn off (years later, I’m still not sure why).

   

   And so, I had to figure out how I’d rectify it (the solution was using high-performance wood filler to mould new corners and shaping them with sand paper). I didn’t love the texture of the filler so I went for a unique painted pattern with gorgeous matte blue paint, enabling me to paint over the wood filler without it looking ridiculous(!) and showing off some of the wood grain. 

   

   
   

I’m so grateful that I picked up these pieces before they made it to landfill. I created five happy pieces, had four happy clients (and a happy me), and seven pieces kept out of landfill (the bedside tables are single entities, okay?). So before you throw out your next piece of furniture, stop and think - “what could I do with this?” - and if you’re not sure, get in touch with me!