30+ Mind-Blowing Upcycled Thrift Store Decor Transformations

Amazing Thrift Store Transformation – Before & After

Wait until you see the $40.00 Thrift Store Chest. Even before the transformation, this was a great-quality chest and a great find.

Take a look at all the details in this before-and-after post.

DIY Kitchen Island

We decided to use a thrifted sideboard as a kitchen island, which prompted us to find another piece of furniture to match the desired island size.

After thrifting in Wilmington, NC, we found what we thought we needed. You can read all about the process of transforming two different-sized pieces of furniture into our unique farmhouse kitchen island.

DIY Faux Apothecary IKEA HACK

After building our greenhouse, we finally found a spot for this IKEA 16 Cube Storage Unit. However, it needed a little update. It now appears to be two pieces with a 32-drawer Apothecary cabinet.

Don’t miss the before-and-after results in this step-by-step tutorial.

The Real Truth About Deconstructing A Chair

When I shared the real truth about deconstructing a chair, I realized it was harder than I had imagined. But don’t let me discourage you; in this post, I share all the lessons I’ve learned and the right tools for the project.

The chair has found a home in our living room and, occasionally, in our bedroom. So if you like this idea, the time and effort are worth it.

Industrial Side Table Transformation

One of the first projects I tackled after moving into the farmhouse was transforming this great side. I wanted to give it an industrial feel, and you can see how a one-drawer table was transformed into the image below. Don’t miss the before at #1 Industrial Table Makeover.

Cozy Industrial Loft Decorating with Thrifted Makeover Projects

The industrial loft is our personal hang-out space, filled with DIY projects.

The first project was the bar area, which includes a nesting box to hold extra supplies. However, the bar itself was made from two thrifted hospital carts. A single top was added, and the original cart tops provided shelving between them.

Additionally, a thrifted commercial cart was repurposed into a TV cart. Shelving was added to provide extra storage below the TV. See more cozy industrial loft ideas.

Thrift Store Lamp Makeovers

I love finding old lamps and transforming them into stylish home decor. The first lamp was an Anthropologie Dupe. I specifically looked for a lamp of this shape and size. You can see all the details on Easy Thrifted Lamp Makeover.

A $1.00 lamp is completely transformed, and you can see the step-by-step tutorial on How to Make A Distressed Napkin Decoupage Lamp.

High-End Dupes: Pottery Barn, Serena & Lily, & more

These coastal-inspired candleholders were an easy Pottery Barn Dupe. The thrifted vases were wrapped with inexpensive raffia, and the sand was free. See the super easy DIY instructions here.

A $4.00 Thrift Store vase is easily and inexpensively upcycled into an Earthenware Vessel Pottery Barn Dupe.

Inexpensive glass vases were transformed with rattan for Serena & Lily-inspired vases. Although I didn’t use thrifted ones, you could easily do so to create these high -end rattan Serena & Lily candlestick holder lookalikes.

Thrifted Wooden Box Makeovers

I love finding old wooden boxes because there are many ways to use them for storage.

Expensive Boutique Decorative Box Dupe

I found a decorative box at a high-end boutique, but the price tag was too high. The same store had some paper napkins with a similar design, so I purchased those instead. I then found a wooden box from a thrift store to recreate the design. I saved over $50.00 by using this napkin decoupage technique. See the easy decorative box tutorial.

Outdoor Thrift Store Transformations

One of our biggest thrifted projects was our DIY Greenhouse/She Shed. Repurposed French doors provide all the light the fun space needs. Wait until you read the whole story of how we built the greenhouse during the Covid lockdown.

Additionally, several upcycling projects are underway within the greenhouse.

The $10.00 chandelier was upcycled with fresh paint and Dollar Tree Solar Lights for the she shed. This tutorial for the thrifted vintage chandelier is available here.

Old windows and porch posts were repurposed into a simple potting table as part of this thrift store transformation.

Coastal Inspired Upcycled Thrift Store Decor

While thrifting with the girls, I always look for high-quality wooden items, such as old wall shelves, pegboards, shutters, and architectural salvage, for future projects.

Here are a few more budget-friendly upcycled Thrift Store Decor projects.

Repurposing Thrifted Shelves

The large wooden wall shelf was an easy upcycle project. It was transformed into a pegboard and included in the DIY Accent Wall for the beach cottage.

In addition, the nautical mirror was also a DIY project. Every single item used was found while thrifting. Wait until you see the before-and-after.

Another old shelf was transformed into a Peg Rail Shelf Thrift Store Flip for the beach house kitchen.

When You Can’t Find What You Are Looking For!

I used thrift store shutters next to our front doors for several years. When I couldn’t find tall door shutters we had been searching for, we decided to upcycle the existing window shutters. See How to Make Door Shutters that are tall enough for the front doors.

Another Upcycled Thrift Store Decor is a vintage champagne crate repurposed as the beach cottage coffee table. See more about this find and how we repurposed it on Dirt Road Adventures.

Repurposed Thrift Store Transformations

Sometimes you need to rethink the purpose of your thrifted finds. For example, a wooden flower box display is now used as a plate rack for our screened-in porch.

A library card catalog was updated with a new base, fresh paint, and hardware. Tucked under the staircase, it serves as a wine bar in our dining area.

Additionally, we didn’t have a suitable space for our thrifted mantel in our new farmhouse. Instead of selling it, we flipped it and used it as a shelf above the bed. Can you guess what we did with the mantel legs?

Notice the cabinet above the toilet in our guest bathroom? The side panels are made from the old mantel legs. As you can tell, I’m a “waste not” kind of girl, and I’ll find a use for every piece eventually.

Repurposed Vintage Home Decor

Here are some additional repurposed vintage items that are part of our home decor.

A vintage funnel serves as a light fixture on the screen porch. A set of 8 thrifted glass jars was added to hold flowers and other seasonal decor.

Another fun find was this coffee table made from reclaimed barn wood and old industrial metal.

Finally, this unique upcycled project features a vintage gas can repurposed as a decorative lamp.