Creative, personal touches renew old furniture

: I hate my outdated dining-room set, but I don't have money in the budget right now to buy a new one. Is there anything I can do in the meantime to improve its appearance?

A: Believe me, you are not alone. We all have those tired pieces of furniture lurking about our homes that we would donate to charity in a New York minute if we had something better to replace them with. Instead of getting discouraged while you wait for the furniture of your dreams, why not reinvent your existing set? I have seen friends and customers perform miracles with old furniture when they mix a little ingenuity and creativity with some elbow grease.

Like you, my friend Vicky was sick and tired of the outdated dining-room set she had bought 20 years ago. Through the years, Vicky's taste had changed considerably, and the simple table didn't have the visual appeal she now longed for in her dining room.

Instead of replacing the set, Vicky decided to remake it.

First, she gave the table a major face-lift. She loved the warm luster of the table's cherry finish but wanted more contrast and character, so she stained the table legs black, keeping only the tabletop the original color. Then, she went one step further. She asked a friend who is a gifted artist to paint a vine pattern on the table.

Next she turned her attention to her ho-hum dining room chairs. Instead of tweaking them with paint or replacing the seat cushions, Vicky decided to go all the way and cover each chair with a full slipcover embroidered with her family's monogram.

Since the smashing new table and chairs were now the unrivaled focal point of the room, Vicky only had to make minor changes to the cherry buffet. She quickly swapped the outdated hardware with some new pulls, and the buffet looked fabulous.

When I saw Vicky's rehabbed dining-room set, my jaw dropped to the floor. Instead of an outdated grouping that was short on style, she now had a marvelous collection of eclectic pieces that looked pulled from the pages of a decorating magazine. Vicky not only saved a ton of money by not buying expensive new furnishings, she created a one-of-a-kind dining room that showcased her unique style.

My friend Jean is another miracle worker when it comes to making old furniture new again. Through the years, Jean's family members have given her furniture they no longer want. A sentimental soul, Jean couldn't bear to give up even one of the treasured pieces, even though she was growing tired of the hodge-podge of styles congregating in her living room.

As Jean and I surveyed her living room searching for a solution, I thought the mix of different furniture styles was a plus because it gave the room character. All the grouping needed was a bit of updating and the unifying threads of some killer fabric. Once we recovered her sofa, ottoman and side chairs with relaxed textiles in ivory, raspberry and celadon, the room was cohesive and chic.

Next, we focused on her dining room, where the vintage Queen Anne dining set she had inherited from her mother was giving her fits. Jean likes to entertain casually, so the formal set just didn't fit her style. We dressed the chairs down a bit by covering the seats with skirted slipcovers in soft ivory linen, which harmonized with the fabric used in her living room.

Now, thanks to a little fabric fix-up, Jean's living room and dining room no longer look like a furniture repository. Instead, they are a wonderful blend of old and new pieces remade to fit her personal style.

Are you ready to take a new look at that outdated dining room set of yours? Let your imagination run wild, and chances are you'll be able to remake it into a treasure you'll want to hang on to for generations.

Mary Carol Garrity owns three home furnishings stores in Atchison, Kan., and wrote several books on home decorating. Write to Mary Carol at nellhills@mail.lvnworth.com. Her column is syndicated by Scripps Howard News Service.