Make some money turning old stuff into new with these 10 best selling upcycled furniture items
With the market moving away from the mass-produced flat-pack furniture, there is a growing demand for more specialised quality bespoke furniture – Something that little bit different from your neighbour’s furniture next door.
As more people look for individual and unique items of furniture, people are embracing the new revolution in sustainability and upcycling, picking quality over flat-pack quantity.
Sellers are taking advantage of this growing demand for individual items and turning their passions into a side hustle; buying up furniture, upcycling and reselling on.
So, if you are looking to make some money buying old furniture and making it new again you may be wondering what Upcycled furniture sells best? Some of the bestselling upcycled furniture items include coffee & dining tables, chairs, sideboards and chests of drawers.
However, there are other variations of these items and other types of furniture you might not have considered…… So read on to find out 10 of the best-selling types of upcycled furniture.
Contents:
- Coffee tables
- Side / Occasional Tables
- Dining tables
- Dining Chairs
- Chairs / Sofas
- Sideboards
- Chest of Drawers
- Storage Boxes
- Lamps
- Book Cases / Shelving Units
- Miscellaneous Furniture – Bureau, Writing Boxes, Kitchen Dressers
- Key Takeaways
1. Coffee tables
First on our list is the humble coffee table. Coming in a variety of styles, sizes and heights, these can be made from materials such as wood, glass or metal – You can even create something a little more unusual, re- utilising and repurposing other objects such as suitcases or crates.
There is a multitude of decorating and upcycling styles, the sky is the limit. As long as it is at a height to fit next to the sofa and a level top to rest your cup of tea and the remote control, this is one of the best-selling upcycled items of furniture.
2. Side / Occasional Tables
On the subject of tables, don’t forget about the smaller side tables for that vase or pot plant or the thinner console tables often used in people’s hallways to drop your keys and phone onto as you come through the door.
How nice to be greeted as soon as you step through the front door with a unique repurposed item of furniture. Whether it’s painted, or taken back to its original natural state, there is money to be made from little side and occasional tables that are often taken for granted in the home.
3. Dining tables
One table not to be taken for granted and possibly the most used in the house is the Dining or Kitchen Table.
Dining Tables have a multitude of uses, not only for eating breakfast and dinner but also for children’s homework, working from home and evening drinks.
These tables need to be hard-wearing, large enough to seat the whole family and to be able to cope with all that family life throws at it.
Whether painted, waxed or oiled, upcycled benches or reclaimed timber boards, dining room tables make up some great examples of best-selling wood furniture on Etsy.
4. Dining Chairs
Whether it’s benches, stools or separate dining chairs, these can be sold as sets with dining tables or on their own, upcycled or repurposed. These make up some of the best selling items of upcycled furniture.
5. Chairs / Sofas
One of the bestselling repurposed furniture items are chairs – Armchairs, Tub Chairs, Wooden Rocking Chairs, Sofas, Love Seats, occasional chairs for the bedroom to larger sofas for the living room.
If you can sew or re-upholster the ideas are endless when it comes to chairs. Even changing the cushions can make a big difference and that’s before letting loose with different fabrics or material paints and dyes.
Larger sofas may not bring in the big bucks once materials and upcycling costs are factored in, but single occasional chairs sell well and can make a big difference to a room.
Related article:
- 10 Best Places To Buy Old Furniture To Upcycle
- 20 Upcycled Outdoor Furniture Ideas
- 9 Best Vintage Furniture Brands
- How to Start Selling Antique Furniture From Home
6. Sideboards
Storage is always at a premium in houses, and with the increase of possessions, a very useful item of furniture and a useful item to upcycle and sell on is a sideboard.
These larger statement pieces can make a big impact on a room and provide a brilliant storage solution to tidy up the clutter. Factor in the area on the top and these can increase the storage and shelf space in a room easily. Where else can you sit your router, speakers and photos?
7. Chest of Drawers
One of the bestselling upcycled furniture items is Chest of Drawers or Tall Boys. They come in a variety of sizes depending on the need – from stripped back pine, country cottage chic to painted modern caricatures for the children’s bedroom.
With the ability to change the handles, the casing and the drawers, upcycling can bring about a whole new look for that old set of drawers. Even using different materials and decorating techniques. There are ample upcycling ideas to fit into any decorative scheme.
A cheap sturdy chest of drawers can be picked up and upcycled and resold on for a great profit to become some of the bestselling furniture on sites such as Etsy.
Related articles:
- Best Spray Paint For Upcycling Furniture
- How To Upcycle Dark Wood Furniture
- How to Start an Upcycling Furniture Business From Home
- How to Price Upcycled Furniture For Maximum Profit
8. Storage Boxes / Benches
Storage boxes have multiple uses – From storage for blankets in the bedroom, toys in the children’s room and towels in the bathroom. They also come in a variety of materials and sizes such as wicker hampers pine chests, jewellery boxes and toy boxes.
Keep an eye out for Storage benches or Monk’s benches that double as seating as well as incorporating a handy storage compartment.
9. Lamps
And so let there be light!
Mood lighting, feature lights, up-lighters, down-lighters, reading lights, lights for the bedroom, lights for the dining room, kid’s rooms’ even lights for the shed. Why settle for the standard off the shelf light for the local home furnishings store, when you can have a bespoke Repurposed lamp?
These are fast becoming one of the bestselling upcycled items for the home. Whether it’s bespoke lampshades or lights created from pipes or old tins these are fast becoming some of the bestselling repurposed items.
However, Keep safety in mind, if you are making any alterations to the wiring, and ensure this is carried out by a skilled electrician. Ensure they are Pat Tested by a qualified electrician before selling on.
10. Book Cases and Shelving Units
We have covered the majority of the best selling upcycled furniture and have reached number 10 on the list. The last item to consider is the Book Case or shelving unit. Indeed, no home should be without one.
Whether its books in the bedroom, DVD’s in the sitting room, spices in the kitchen or files in your home office. These shelving storage units don’t have to be of the flat-pack variety and can be something bold and unique, utilising additional wall space and providing more storage space for your possessions.
Miscellaneous Furniture
Although there are some other items of furniture that haven’t been covered here in detail, they shouldn’t be disregarded for earning a profit for the keen up-cycler.
Furniture such as bureaus and kitchen dressers have fallen out of favour as of 2021, but trends do have a habit of coming back around and one man’s junk is another man’s treasure.
You can also pick these items up for relatively cheap, and create some beautiful furnitur if you decide to take a gamble on these items of furniture.
Key Takeaways
As you can see the best-selling upcycled furniture, is items that fits in with modern life. Houses are now being built smaller and storage is always at a premium – gone are the days of bulky ornate furniture filling gaps to show off one’s wealth. Today’s furniture needs to be stylish and sustainable.
The best-selling upcycled furniture is useful and fits in with people’s requirements for day to day living. So, when deciding what to buy for your next upcycle project, think about how it will be used and the market you will be selling it to.
Do some research on current trends – Decorating on Budget pages, are great indicators of current decorating trends, and upcycle your projects to match in with current trends and you’re likely to sell your upcycled furniture at a good profit.
Money can be made from your repurposed, upcycled projects saving items from landfills and turning unloved and unwanted into something useful and beautiful.
