Better Than New: Tips for Upcycling and Refinishing Furniture

Give old furniture a new lease of life, save money and help the planet with this beautifully illustrated guide to upcycling.

Renovating tired old furniture can make it look as good as new - or even better! It can be a cost-effective and more sustainable solution than buying modern replacements, encouraging creative thinking and resulting in eye-catching and unique pieces.

In this colourfully illustrated guide by furniture artist and upcycling expert Chloe Kempster, you can learn all the tricks of the trade to revitalise well-loved but worn out furniture. Throughout the 15 step-by-step examples in this book - ranging from a textured bombe chest to a decoupaged wardrobe, and a hand-painted floral cupboard - there is plenty of advice regarding design and preparation, the types of paint and variety of decoration that can be used, and ideas for how to make your project really stand out.

Whether you are tailoring something to fit a new look in your home or revamping pieces to sell on to others, this book offers inspiration and advice both to keen beginners and those wanting to expand their existing skills.

Chloe Kempster originally studied Fine Art and then moved into upcycling and refinishing furniture. She creates functional artwork by combining refinishing techniques, bold colours and creative design to update old furniture. Chloe uses upcycling to encourage reuse and discourage our throwaway culture, and she has collaborated with brands such as Farrow & Ball, Valspar and Annie Sloan. She teaches online workshops and has featured as a Designer on the BBC Television show Money for Nothing.