Before & After: Subtle & Smart Changes to a Thrift Store Shelf

Written by

Jennifer Hunter
Jennifer Hunter
Jennifer spends her days writing and thinking about decor, food and fashion in NYC. Not too shabby.
published Sep 15, 2014
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Post Image
(Image credit: Odile van der Stap )

The refresh of this little shelf shows off the power of small changes. Odile recently moved to a new home and while searching for new furniture came across this piece at a local thrift shop for 40 bucks. 40 minutes (and one long journey with a borrowed cart) later, Odile had it safely home.

(Image credit: Odile van der Stap )

Subtle yet powerful changes just makes this whole project a win in our book.

From Odile:

I sanded the whole piece, removed the back so I could properly stain the inside, bought a new piece of thin wood for the back, removed the bottom and added new legs, 3 coats of stain, one coat of yacht lacquer and added a new key.

I am really pleased with the end result. It’s exactly what I wanted for my dining room and it costed less than what I would have spent in a vintage furniture store. Besides, it’s an unique piece!

Thank you Odile!