phillyBurbs.com

For some people, the thought of reusing furniture is disconcerting. After all, you generally don’t know the hygiene habits of the previous owners. But ‘found’ furniture is the most inexpensive way to bring a new piece into your home.When living in large cities, it is not uncommon to find items strewn on sidewalks, discarded by those who moved out of apartment buildings or simply needed to make extra space. While living in Philadelphia, I’ve seen everything from sofas and chairs to desks and side tables out on the streets, free for the taking.

I have to admit that I’ve snapped up one or two items from the street to put in my apartment. One was a large papasan chair that was in really excellent condition. I just picked it up, cleaned off the cushion and put it in the bedroom. I’ve since donated the same chair to a thrift store (it look up too much space in my small apartment), but as you can see, I’m not opposed to repurposing another person’s trash.

Now, I obviously think it is important to pay attention to the condition of an item before you pick it up from the side of the road or the junkyard. If it is damaged beyond repair or really dirty, I would leave it where it is. However, a lot of pieces are placed on the curb just because they can’t be transported somewhere. I’ve seen new-looking Ikea furniture all over the place in Philly that just needed a quick dusting to spruce someone’s living room.

And if you do find an item with a solid structure consider reupholstering it to fit your style and taste. You could make many tattered items look brand new with some new fabric and trimming.

So do you have ‘found’ furniture in your house somewhere?

Source : www.phillyburbs.com