Repurposed Furniture: Best Videos On YouTube
If you are a DIYer looking to save some money while saving the planet, then stay tuned because you’re going to like what we have in store for you today. In this video, you will get our curated list of the best restored and repurposed furniture videos on YouTube. No need to go searching yourself because we have done it for you. These are some awesome creators and we’re really excited to share them with you.
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Hey folks, welcome to the Aamodt/Plumb YouTube Channel where we give you tips and advice for creating a Slow Home that is Good, Clean, and Fair. If you are a DIYer looking to save some money while saving the planet, then stay tuned because you’re going to like what we have in store for you today. In this video, you will get our curated list of the best restored and repurposed furniture videos on YouTube. No need to go searching yourself because we have done it for you. These are some awesome creators and we’re really excited to share them with you. I am Mette Aamodt, cofounder of Aamodt/Plumb Architecture, Interiors and Construction, and we design eco-friendly, Slow Homes for our clients every day. Hit the subscribe button and the notification bell so you don’t miss any of the new videos we will be putting out.
Mette Aamodt: This is a six part series on sourcing eco-friendly furniture. In the first video, where we talked about the goals and sources for eco-friendly furniture, we mentioned that restoring and repurposing furniture is the most sustainable option. The reason is because it requires no new production, pollution, and waste, it reuses existing materials, and, in some cases, it provides jobs for local restores. And since we are not DIYers ourselves, or at least I’m not, and there are tons of great creators on YouTube already doing this, we thought we’d be best to give you a roundup of our favorite restored and repurposed furniture videos on YouTube.
MEGAN BELL
The first one is this video from Megan Bell. On her channel, she does a lot of DIY, macrame, and other home projects. In this video, she repurposes an old dresser by painting it with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and Annie Sloan Wax. This paint is low VOC, non-toxic, and water-based, and has a matte finish that is beautiful for furniture. The wax is made from beeswax and it dries in a hard finish but has a velvety touch.
PERSPECTIVE DESIGN
The next one is from Perspective Design. Matt and Heather Hallum are a really cute couple selling repurposed vintage items. They’re focused on items that have a history and help you tell your story. They have a monthly market in their shop in Hobbs, New Mexico, and they travel around to furniture fairs like Junk in the Trunk Vintage Fair in Pomona, California, and Marburger Farms Antique Fair in Round Top, Texas. They have an online shop and an Etsy store as well. In this video, they show us how to use things you find in a flea market, like old rope and a dough bowl that you can use as a sculptural centerpiece, or old chicken feeders that can be repurposed into interesting industrial lights or a dish display or a mail sorter.
DIY PASSION
Next step is DIY Passion. Aaron shows us how to clean thrift store finds. In this video, she picked up an old buffet cabinet that’s in pretty rough shape. It has gouges in it, one of the glass doors is broken, and it has a really bad thrift store odor. She talks about how to remove that old furniture smell, first of all by using sunlight, which is a great natural deodorizer, and then using baking soda and vinegar. If that doesn’t work, she does have some more toxic options if it’s really, really bad.
Quick question. Are you a DIYer or do you prefer to let other people handle the messy stuff? If you’re a DIYer, type “DIY” in the comments below. If you’re not a DIYer, type “No DIY” in the comments. I, myself, am a no DIY, but I do occasionally get inspired to do something. Now, let’s keep going with the list of videos.
DASHNER DESIGN AND RESTORATION
The next video is from Dashner Design and Restoration in Minneapolis. Steve Dashner restores vintage mid century modern furniture. Many people have commented that he is the Bob Ross of furniture restoration and watching his videos is like doing a guided meditation. He likes to go thrifting and pick up really beat up pieces like this one and then restore them himself, and he does an amazing job.
I chatted with Steve when asking him if I could feature his video and he mentioned that his cousin Alice owns Long Leaf Lumber right here in Cambridge, Massachusetts where we’re located as well. What a small world. We love using Long Leaf Lumber for their reclaimed wood and other amazing finds. And Steve agreed, we should definitely do a video over there. In this video, Steve purchased a mid century modern Lane Cedar chest for about $75 at a flea market. He strips off all the old finish, which is really disgusting but also satisfying in a kind of gross way, and he even makes new wood knobs because one of them was missing.
THOMAS JOHNSON ANTIQUE FURNITURE RESTORATION
The next video is also from a master restorer, Thomas Johnson Antique Furniture Restoration in Maine. This guy is amazing. He starts every one of his videos with footage of local animals running around his property in Maine. He has a lot of videos restoring that old dingy brown furniture that people leave out on the side of the road. In this video, he is doing a restoration of a set of Hans Wegner mid century modern chairs. Next up is this video from Ed and Cindy Hammond of Peerless Rattan. We chose this video on weaving a cane seat because rattan and cane are gaining in popularity, and this seems like an easy way to restore this kind of furniture. It also looks really fun and like a really calm and slow thing to do.
Now you have a great list of repurposed and restored furniture videos that you can bookmark and refer to when you’re DIYing or hiring someone else. Repurposed furniture is our top choice for eco-friendly furniture sources because it’s good for the planet and good for your budget too. Please subscribe to our channel, give the video a thumbs up if you liked it, and share it with someone who you think might find it valuable. We will switch themes after this video to talk about slow gift ideas and winter hygge. And then, after the new year, we’ll be back on topic with this series. The next video in the series will be about sustainable furniture sources when buying new. You can find all these videos in this playlist. Thanks for watching and see you next time.
