Nate Berkus Shares An Easy Trick To Breathe New Life Into Old, Dated Furniture

There are some pieces of furniture that you simply don't want to get rid of, whether for sentimental reasons or because of how comfortable they may be. Even when redecorating a home, there are ways that you can repurpose old pieces of furniture to make them feel fresh and new again. It just so happens there is one design trick that HGTV's Nate Berkus uses himself.

If you're looking to give new life to a piece that seems outdated, you might want to consider reupholstering the fabric. According to an Instagram post from Berkus, "Reupholstering is one of my favorite ways to breathe new life into a piece of furniture. If you're investing in a professional, choose a neutral fabric you'll love for years and remember, you're not limited to traditional upholstery textiles." Basically, you don't have to be boring when it comes to changing the fabric of your favorite pieces; you just want to think of what will work in your space for a longer period of time.

Another thing that the designer shared is that you don't want to choose a color that you would normally never use. You want this to be a piece you still love months and years later. It's about selecting something new that refreshes your furniture, without making it look like it's catering to a trend. When you reupholster furniture, you might change from a shade of light blue to a navy or even take a basic beige and opt for a more family-friendly gray. Pick what works in the space you're creating, while also thinking about what you will still love in the future.

In a follow up post on Instagram, Nate Berkus showed exactly how he reuses furniture that his clients love. Not only did he change the color of the chair's fabric, but he also moved where they were being used. The chairs went from being in the dining room to the kitchen, and looked fresh with a reupholstered seat and touches of original patina. It's not about completely changing what they started with, but giving it enough of a refresh that it feels new.

Talking about the chairs that he reused, Berkus pointed out some of the finer details of the fabric, such as the tweed look of the material, as well as the leather border that ties it all together. This goes back to some of his other points about what fabrics you can choose for reupholstering. On the original post, he shared that you can choose materials that are normally used for making clothing, not furniture. Despite it being a lighter material, you can still get a more durable backing added, which would allow the fabric to stand up to the wear and tear of typical use.

There are things to consider before you reupholster a piece of furniture, though. Not only can it be costly to choose this option, especially if it's being done professionally, but it also takes time to do. While the price to reupholster will vary depending on where you're located, it also depends on what the piece of furniture is. Even if you're DIYing the project, you'll need to be prepared with necessary supplies. It's also recommended that you start small so you know what you're doing.