Published on Oct 02, 2008

---

In it’s simplest form, furniture transformation is about adding new elements to an existing piece in order to update the overall appearance, from simply changing hardware (e.g., door pulls) to adding molding to door and drawer panels. Simple transformations can involve adding new materials, subtracting existing ones, and making changes to color, finish, and texture.

The hunt for the right details to add to furniture pieces, at least for me, is not about shopping at all-it’s about finding. You see, to me, to “shop” for a thing means that you know exactly what it is you want to buy and you go to but it in a place that you know carries it. To “find” something, however, means just that. You come across it, often purely by accident, while looking for something else, or for nothing in particular. You shop in a specific store for a particular drawer pull you saw in a magazine, but you find antique cut-glass doorknobs at a flea market and realize they’d make great door pulls. I can’t predict what exact object(s) will inspire your furniture detailing ideas; I just know that the more you look, the more inspired you’ll be in finding unusual items and applications to dress up existing furniture.

How do you know when you’ve found the right decorative accent? You know that something is IT when it appears to you and, for some reason, will not leave your thoughts. Your imagination teems with possibilities, all of which revolve around IT.

Long experience has shown me that if you run across something that you really like, love, or find interesting, even if you don’t know exactly what you’ll do with it, buy it. (If you wait until you figure out how to use it, it probably won’t still be there when you get back to but it.) Since I don’t believe in keeping a warehouse for objects for future detailing projects, I put a limit on the number of items I purchase spontaneously. And, once I do get it home, I make sure that I look at it at least once a week. This is essential: If you will do that, sooner or later a great idea will be born!)

Note: In each of my furniture projects, some portion of the design was inspired or made even better by decorative detailing. From horn spoons, to wrought-iron railings and every thing in between, the clever use of unusual elements lifts the finished designs to even greater heights.

DON'T FORGET TO COME BACK EVERY MONTH FOR NEW DESIGN TIPS.