Re-Style Old to New - Making Your Inherited Stuff Stunning

I was chatting with my longtime friend 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. 

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

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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.

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.

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Don't haul that old sofa, chair or ottoman out to the curb - instead, have it reupholstered. If you have a vintage piece of furniture that you just love, it’s comfy, just the right size and it’s made fantastic - reinvent it instead.

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.

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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.

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I'd love to know what you have done with your old stuff - Please share on the comment area of this post!