10 Ways to Repurpose Vintage Furniture

updated Jul 16, 2020
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(Image credit: Lonny)

Maybe you fell in love with a unique piece at a thrift store or estate sale that doesn’t really fit into your lifestyle. Maybe you have a beautiful china cabinet that’s been passed down through generations of your family, but hardly any china. As the way we live changes, sometimes certain pieces become a bit obsolete — but that doesn’t mean you have to throw them out. Here are nine ways to repurpose vintage furniture for your modern lifestyle.

Above: As seen on Lonny, a secretary can also make a great home bar.

→ A Vintage Secretary Makes the Ultimate Home Bar

(Image credit: Design Sponge)

Closet not big enough? House the overflow in a vintage china cabinet, as seen on Design Sponge.

(Image credit: Lonny)

A smaller display cabinet is great for storing shoes, as in this image from Lonny.

(Image credit: Urban Outfitters)

A vintage armoire is a lovely and creative way to organize an existing closet, as seen on Urban Outfitters.

(Image credit: Flodeau)

A demliune hall table can make a great workspace or laptop desk in a small space. Image from Flodeau.

(Image credit: BHGRE)

A vintage table or cabinet also makes a great bathroom vanity, as seen on BHGRE.

→ More Inspiration for Using Vintage Furniture as Bathroom Sink Cabinets & Consoles

(Image credit: Refinery29)

If you love plants and are at a loss as to where to put them all, try repurposing an old piece with lots of drawers as a planter, as seen on Refinery29. (You’ll probably want to line the drawers to keep the wood from rotting.) Bonus: you can still use the other drawers, as long as your plants don’t grow too wild.

(Image credit: The Farmer’s Almanac)

Here’s another example of the same thing outside, from The Farmer’s Almanac.

(Image credit: KK Living)

Put an antique table to work as an island in your kitchen, as seen on KK Living.

→ 8 Ways to Use Vintage Furniture in the Kitchen

Use an old china cabinet or pie safe for extra storage in the kitchen (or to show off your home bar. Image from My Domaine.

Re-edited from a post originally published 12.28.15-NT