flea market flip upcycling

Furniture, Product, Room, Table, Drawer, Floor, Interior design, Chest of drawers, Home, Chair,

It's daunting, not to mention expensive, designing a home that's both drool-worthy and personal. A decorator's best-known hack? Flea markets. Instead of spending a fortune on new items that everyone and their mother owns, give a secondhand item a new life. These easy (and stylish!) flea market flips are proof that you don't need to spend a lot of money for a unique home.

Furniture, Chiffonier, Drawer, Chest of drawers, Wood stain, Plywood, Wood, Chest, Hardwood, Antique,

Courtesy of Prodigal Pieces

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Before: Beat-Up Drawers

Larissa, the blogger behind the Etsy shop Prodigal Pieces, scored this Art Deco chest of drawers for free from the owner who said it was "junk."

Furniture, Transport, Fictional character, Room, Door, Bed, Metal, Interior design,

Courtesy of Prodigal Pieces

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After: Volkswagen Bus

Beep beep—creative makeover coming through! Larissa used paint and stencils made out of cardboard and plastic lids to turn her flea market dresser into a cute Volkswagen bus.

Learn more about this makeover.

Table, Lamp, Metal,

Courtesy of Serial Do-it-Yourselfer

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Before: Gaudy Lamp

When challenged to transform this flea market lamp, Confessions of a Serial Do-It-Yourselfer blogger Christy didn't know what to do—until she came across a thrift store picture frame, that is.

Blackboard, Chalk, Room, Furniture, Home, Table, Wall, Living room, Shelf, Interior design,

Courtesy of Serial Do-it-Yourselfer

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After: Chalkboard Memo Board

Talk about better together! The picture frame and lamp base combined forces to become a handy kitchen memo pad, the perfect spot to leave a friendly reminder for family members.

Learn more at Confessions of a Serial Do-it-Yourselfer.

Furniture, Wood, Cupboard, Plywood, Wood stain, Hardwood, Cabinetry, Table, Sideboard,

Courtesy of Sawdust2stitches

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Before: $5 Cabinet

If you've visited a garage sale lately, you've probably seen a wood cabinet just like this one.

Product, Furniture, Room, Floor, Table, Major appliance, Cupboard, Flooring, Home appliance, Door,

Courtesy of Sawdust2stitches

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After: Kitchen Island

Sawdust 2 Stitches blogger Corey stripped the cabinet down to its frame and then added paneling to give it a whole new look—and function. We're impressed by the overall design of this island, but it's the way it hides trash cans that really gets us.

Learn more at Sawdust 2 Stitches.

Furniture, Drawer, Nightstand, Chest of drawers, Hardwood, Table, Chest, Wood stain, Chiffonier, Dresser,

Courtesy of Bubble Stitch Quilts

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Before: Tired Nightstand

Do you believe this tired old $10 flea market dresser has the potential to become an adorable child's toy?

Yellow, Furniture, Room, Drawer, Kitchen, Play, Table, Nightstand, Kitchen appliance, Toy,

Courtesy of Bubble Stitch Quilts

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After: DIY Play Kitchen

Believe it! After a good cleaning and cutting out holes for the sink and oven door, the dresser was transformed into an adorable DIY play kitchen.

Get the details from Bubblestitch Quilts.

Picnic table, Table, Furniture, Outdoor table, Wood, Grass, Chair, House, Tree, Outdoor furniture,

Courtesy of Kleinworth & Co

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Furniture, Room, Shelf, Product, Property, Table, Interior design, Floor, Wall, House,

Courtesy of Kleinworth & Co

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After: Console Table

Coated in blue chalk paint and topped with a maple-stained board, Gina's free shipping pallet became a completely functional entryway piece.

Learn more about this makeover.

Table, Furniture, Vehicle,

Courtesy of Magazine Your Home

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Before: Vintage-Style Washtub

Once glance at this washtub, and most people would pass it by.

Furniture, Desk, Table, Room, Floor, Kitchen, Interior design, Writing desk, Hardwood, Flooring,

Courtesy of Magazine Your Home

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After: Rustic Kitchen Island

Magazine Your Home blogger Teresa gave the washtub a new life as a rustic island would look at home in any country kitchen. Bonus: The addition of a vintage wood tray to the bottom area acts as a handy display shelf for storing cookware.

Find out more about this makeover.

Furniture, Table, Wood, Desk, Wood stain, Plywood, Hardwood, Floor, Drawer, Coffee table,

Courtesy of ToastnEggs/Bored Panda

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Before: Basic and Boring Table

This plain ol' kitchen table was basically begging for a whole new look! When Bored Panda member ToastnEggs was brainstorming ideas for a new DIY project, she saw this piece as a blank canvas.

Floor, Wood, Flooring, Table, Coffee table, Furniture, Plywood, Beige, Hardwood, Rectangle,

Courtesy of ToastnEggs/Bored Panda

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Furniture, Table, Stool, End table, Wood stain, Coffee table, Wood, Plywood, Hardwood, Shelf,

Courtesy of Scavenger Chic

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Before: $5 Side Table

In an attempt to conquer the Route 11 Yard Crawl, a 40-mile yard sale in Virginia, blogger Joan of Scavenger Chic picked out a side table for $5. She then bought a round table top to help give it a whole new look.

Furniture, Table, End table, Outdoor table, Room, Nightstand, Interior design, Wood, Wicker, Coffee table,

Courtesy of Scavenger Chic

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After: Clock Table

A clock-style top gives this table an original look while a distressed finish keeps the design country.

Learn more at Scavenger Chic.

Wagon, Cart, Vehicle, Grass,

Courtesy of

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Before: Antique Tea Cart

This tea cart's rusty red paint couldn't be saved—it had to be stripped completely.

Yellow, Cart, Wagon, Wheelbarrow, Vehicle, Vegetarian food, Advertising, Wheel, Yard,

Courtesy of Rustic Restoration

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After: Lemonade Stand

Restoration success! A run-down antique is now a cute lemonade stand, perfect for spring-get togethers.

Learn more at Rustic Restoration.

Furniture, Chair, Room, Slipcover, Couch, Club chair, Classic, Living room, Antique, Interior design,

Courtesy of Artsy Chicks Rule

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Before: Threadbare Thrifted Chair

The old-fashioned, faded pattern on this chair was in desperate need of an upgrade.

Furniture, White, Room, Chair, Blue, Interior design, Living room, Pink, Couch, Slipcover,

Courtesy of Artsy Chicks Rule

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After: Pretty and Sophisticated

Believe it or not, this chair wasn't reupholstered! It was actually a blend of white and blue chalk paint that gave it a whole new look.

Learn more at Artsy Chicks Rule.

Product, Chair, Wood, Furniture, Hardwood, Room, Stairs, Wood stain, woodworking, Shoe,

Courtesy of Liz Marie Blog

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Before: Wooden Box

This flea market find actually started off looking pretty cute—all it needed was a fresh coat of paint to spruce it up.

Flowerpot, Room, Furniture, Interior design, Home, Wood, Table, Hardwood, Living room, Shelf,

Courtesy of Liz Marie Blog

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After: Shabby Chic Planter

Thanks to a chippy coat of white paint, it's now the perfect spot to display greenery in a dining room. Now this cute planter reminds us of Joanna Gaines' shabby chic style on HGTV's Fixer Upper!

Learn more at Liz Marie Blog.

Chair, Furniture, Slipcover, Room, Textile, Floor, Interior design, Flooring, Interior design,

Courtesy of Liz Marie Blog

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Before: Dated Florals

The floral print on this $10 flea market ottoman was definitely not a match for this blogger's home.

Furniture, Room, Chair, Couch, Interior design, Wall, Living room, Slipcover, Floor, Wood,

Courtesy of Liz Marie Blog

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Glass, Vase, Pitcher, Transparent material, Drinkware, Tableware, Beaker, Barware, Plastic,

Courtesy of Prodigal Pieces

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Before: Old Glass

Prodigal Pieces blogger Larissa took one look at these unwanted pieces of glassware and saw potential.

Porcelain, Vase, Ceramic, Pink, Tableware, Flower, Artificial flower, Plant, Cut flowers, Jug,

Courtesy of

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Furniture, Chair, Purple, Room, Slipcover, Interior design, Plant, Couch, Hardwood,

Courtesy of Prodigal Pieces

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Before: Purple and Scratchy

In addition to being a bold color that's hard to match, these chairs had a scratchy texture similar to carpeting.

Furniture, Chair, Room, Slipcover, Interior design, Outdoor furniture, Wood, Cushion, Pillow,

Courtesy of Prodigal Pieces

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After: Feed Sack Chair

We can't imagine a farmhouse that wouldn't be instantly improved by this charming chair.

Get the tutorial at Prodigal Pieces.

Shelf, Furniture, Shelving, Table, Metal, Cart, Kitchen cart, Vehicle,

Courtesy of Snag

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Before: Flea Market Bar Cart

A bar cart is majorly helpful when it comes to entertaining guests, but this shabby find was in no condition to be shown off.

Shelf, Furniture, Table, Coffee table, Shelving, End table, Houseplant, Room, Sofa tables, Interior design,

Courtesy of Snag

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After: Modern and Fun

Painted in a modern color scheme, this unique piece will brighten up any room.

Learn more at Snag.

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Rebecca Shinners Social Media Editor Rebecca was the social media editor at CountryLiving.com and WomansDay.com.

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