Upcycled Pine Furniture Ideas for Every Room in Your Home
Pine furniture is a popular choice in many UK homes due to its affordability, durability, and timeless charm. But let’s be honest—orange-toned or outdated pine can feel a little... tired. The good news? With a few creative tweaks, you can upcycle pine furniture to suit any style, from modern farmhouse to minimalist chic.
Whether you're tackling a full home makeover or just one room at a time, here’s your guide to upcycled pine furniture ideas that bring style, sustainability, and serious character into your home.
🛏️ Bedroom: From Basic to Boutique
Upcycled Pine Furniture Ideas for your Bedroom
Painted Pine Wardrobe: A deep navy or sage green finish with brass handles transforms a standard wardrobe into a statement piece. Or painting the whole pine bedroom suite in an earthy neutral colour can harmonise the whole room and help the furniture blend in much more with a modern interior (see inspiration photos below).
Upcycled Bedside Tables: Paint in soft neutrals and add ceramic knobs for a modern country look. Or maybe paint white with a whitewashed wooden top for a truly coastal feel and ‘Hamptons’ vibe.
Two-Tone Chest of drawers: Keep the top natural wood, with whitewashed or stained top, so it’s no longer got that dated orange varnish and then paint the base to add contrast and texture. Changing wooden round dated knobs to brushed metal cup handles can make a huge difference to how contemporary a chest can look. (see photos below).
Painted chest of drawers: If you look at the photo showing the deep green painted chest of drawers, its hard to think this started out as pine, but with some clever use of vinyl and a change of knobs, it now looks a lot more classy and almost has a mid century modern feel. If you wanted to take the upcycle transformation a bit further towards that era, you could also change the pine bun feet to some mid century modern style wooden legs possibly.
Checklist for Bedroom Upcycling:
Choose your favourite paint finish (matt or satin).
Sand and prep surfaces (use a gentle sanding block for pine if doing it yourself). Remember pine knots can bleed through, especially with lighter paint colours. As a professional upcycler, I prefer to fully sand and then seal any potential tanins coming through with a suitable stain blocking primer prior to painting. I sometimes also use a knot blocking solution. You will know if you have experienced bleed through how horrible it looks, if you have ever seen the knots start yellowing over time. This is why preparation before painting is especially important, particularly with knotty pine. Its also crucial to remove any wax if your pine furniture has a waxed finish as opposed to a varnish, otherwise your paint will not adhere to the surface.
Pick hardware that matches your style (brass for vintage, black for modern, ceramic for a cottagey feel).
Test the paint on a hidden area first.
If the thought of preparing and painting all of your pine bedroom set seems too daunting, chat to a furniture upcycler like myself and get some estimates as it may work out more cost effective than you think. If it’s done properly, it can actually save you a lot of money and time in the long term and means you don’t have to replace perfectly well made and well suited furniture for new inferior cheaper throw away furniture.
Pro Tip: Don’t be afraid to mix old pine with luxe touches like velvet lampshades or gold accents for an elegant contrast.
🛋️ Living Room: Rustic Meets Refined
Upcycled Pine Furniture Ideas for your Living Room
TV Units & Sideboards: Sand down and whitewash pine units for a coastal look with a light coloured painted base. (see examples of light green sideboard with light wooden top) or if you are looking for a more industrial feel, you could use matt black colour with maybe brass fittings.
Coffee Table Glow-Up: Add hairpin legs to an old pine table and stain it for a mid-century modern vibe.
Open Shelving from Old Pine Bookcases: Remove the back, paint the frame, and style with plants and books. Or simply paint the bookcase and sand down and refinish the shelves for a more rustic country feel. (see photos below).
Checklist for Living Room Upcycling:
Choose a contrasting paint colour (black, white, or grey).
Sand and prep surfaces for easy painting.
Add industrial or minimalist legs to old pine tables.
Use natural textures like linen and jute to balance the warm tones of pine.
🍽️ Dining Room: Classic with a Twist
Upcycled Pine Furniture Ideas for your Dining Room
Upcycled Pine Dining Table: Strip and re-stain the top, and paint the legs to give it an authentic farmhouse feel. Pine wooden tops can be lightened, stained to look more oak tones or even stained to more of a deep walnut colour. So there is no reason why they can’t then harmonise with other furniture in your room. Here at Upcycled by M, we specialise in giving second hand farmhouse tables and chairs a new lease of life. Please check out our latest stock of farmhouse tables ready to be customised specially for you at www.upcycledbym.co.uk or click the link below.
Pine Sideboards & Dressers: Add wallpaper or paint inside open shelves for a colourful surprise.
Bench Seating Makeover: A coat of paint and new seat pads turn tired benches into cozy seating.
Pine Dining Chairs: There are some styles of pine dining chairs with upholstered seats, which are very well made, such as Ducal chairs and with a strip, paint and re-upholster these can be totally transformed (see photo below). Or simply prep and paint your pine chairs to give them a new lease of life.
Checklist for Dining Room Upcycling:
If your pine table is dark, lighten it with a lighter stain or whitewash.
Add a pop of colour to the inside of cabinets or sideboards.
Mix and match chairs for an eclectic feel. I love using a mixture of pastel painted chairs next to a painted traditional farmhouse table to really inject some colour and joy into a room.
Shop for your painted farmhouse chairs here:
🚪 Hallway: Make an Entrance
Upcycled Pine Furniture Ideas for your Hallway
Console Table Update: Add modern legs or change drawer handles to bring a pine piece into 2025. (See photo below of navy painted console with dark stained drawer and top and a new cup handle or See photo below of this painted pale blue pine console table with lightened wooden top, crystal knobs and stencil for some added interest) - two very different looks, both started out as plain pine.
Desk: Pine desks can make a great statement and be very useful in a larger Hall way, when painted they can blend in with a neutral painted entrance way (See photo below of a large pine desk upcycled in a taupe colour). Great as somewhere to sit on the phone, add some lamps and ornaments and to help give the entrance way a welcoming warm feel and drawers help to hide away all those useful bits and bobs out of sight.
Shoe Storage: Repurpose a small pine cabinet with added coat hooks above for a functional Bootroom-style setup.
Mirror Frame Revamp: Sand and stain pine frames or paint them black for a dramatic welcome.
Checklist for Hallway Upcycling:
Ensure the piece is sturdy before making changes.
Use a rich dark stain or a bold paint colour to create contrast.
Incorporate functional accessories like hooks, mirrors, or baskets.
👶 Children’s Rooms & Nurseries
Upcycled Pine Furniture Ideas for Children’s Rooms
Toy Storage Chests: Soft pastel paint and stencilled names create charming, personalised toy boxes.
Monks Bench : Pine style monks benches with storage inside can be great when you need an extra seating area in a child’s bedroom, perhaps for a reading corner and they have the added benefit of storage for toys inside. (see photo below of a painted monks bench).
Upcycled Pine Cots (Non-toxic Paint Only!): A gentle refresh using child-safe paint creates heirloom-quality style.
Bookshelves & Desks: Rework small pine bookcases into creative, colourful study areas.
Checklist for Children's Room Upcycling:
Use non-toxic, child-friendly paints.
Incorporate fun colours or stencil patterns for a playful vibe.
Ensure all furniture is sturdy and safe for young children.
🌿 Garden Room or Outdoor Spaces
Upcycled Pine Furniture Ideas for Gardens
Potting Bench from Pine Drawers: Upcycle an old pine chest into a stylish gardener’s station.
Checklist for Garden & Outdoor Upcycling:
Use exterior-grade paint or outdoor sealant for protection against the weather.
Choose functional furniture pieces that can be exposed to the elements.
Style with plants and natural elements like wooden crates or vintage pots.
🔨 Final Thoughts
Upcycling pine furniture doesn’t just give your home unique character—it’s also a sustainable way to reduce waste and invest in pieces with meaning.
Whether you're drawn to modern minimalism or cozy cottagecore, a splash of paint and a little imagination can turn even the most basic pine furniture into something beautiful. Hopefully some of my images have given you some inspiration.
📩 Ready to Upcycle but Need Help?
At Upcycled by M, I offer bespoke furniture transformations and custom commissions tailored to your home and style. I can offer advice around colour and design ideas and provide a free of charge no obligation quote to refinish your furniture for you.
📬 Contact me to get started—or follow along on Instagram/ Facebook for more before-and-after inspiration!
🧐 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1: How do I choose the right paint for upcycling pine furniture?
A1: Paint choices are really personal preference for a home DIY er. As I upcycle professionally I like to use paints I have tried and tested myself. The best paint for pine is either a mineral paint, acrylic or eggshell as they adhere well to wood. But I would always advise a thorough clean of the piece first, then removing all of the wax or varnish and sanding prior to priming and painting. Often pine furniture as it is a soft wood will need a full sand down anyway to remove any dings and scratches as once painted any imperfections will show up much more visibly. Always test the paint on a hidden area first!
Q2: Can I upcycle pine furniture without sanding?
A2: As above, I personally always like to sand prior to painting. However, I do know you can paint pine without sanding as long as you have given the piece a really good clean and removed all of the wax finish.
Q3: How do I protect upcycled pine furniture from wear and tear?
A3: Apply a clear protective topcoat such as varnish, polycrylic or furniture wax to your upcycled pine furniture. This helps to seal the paint and ensures longevity. As a professional upcycler, I have a variety of different top coat options at my disposal, so depending on what level of maintenance you wish to carry out, this will determine whether a varnish or lacquer finish may suit you more than the maintenance required with topping up a wax finish.
Q4: What’s the best way to update orange-toned pine furniture?
A4: To modernise orange-toned pine, you can lighten the wood with a whitewash or stain or apply a paint wash to neutralise the orange tones in the wood. Sanding and re-staining is another great option to create a more natural finish. You can also stain the top more oak or walnut stained as you can see in some of my photos. There are lots of different options of coloured topcoats available on the market to choose from.
For more information on how to do this, please read my blog called ‘How can I update my old pine furniture? A guide to upcycling orange pine’ on my Blog page of my website or click the button below.