re-purposed

Brand new clothes can be fun.  A new hairdo is always fresh.  New places are adventurous.  First-time recipes are a nice change of pace.

I have to say, though, I do love some re-purposed furniture.

For quite some time, my claim to fame has been that in scanning my living room, the couch is the only piece of furniture that I purchased new.

Partly, that was out of financial necessity when I was first starting out (thanks, Mom, for that awesome old trunk that serves as my coffee table), and partly, it's because I love a good bargain (I'm not ashamed of that chair I picked up on the side of the road in Destin and had recovered).

Those pieces have grown on me over time.  They are memories for me, and they tell stories of where I've been.

Even now, when I am perusing furniture catalogs and stores, I am drawn to furniture that looks worn, distressed, comfortable.

Furniture that looks like it's lived a good life, and has a story to tell!

When I lived in Starkville, a friend passed off to me this unwanted piece of furniture ...

I had no use for her at the time, but she was a freebie, so I took her.  I sewed the fabric panels to replace the broken glass, and she eventually became a functional piece for me.

But I never really loved her (the furniture, not my friend).

When I was moving a couple of weeks ago, I broke down and decided to have her farmed out for a face lift.  Karen Bush over at The French Flea took her in for about a week and worked her magic.

Look at her now!

She needs some fun drawer pulls still, but she's so much happier.  That was money well spent.  (Karen is so reasonable!  Give her a call!)

Question: What's your favorite re-purposed piece?  Or do you love all things new?