The number of articles one finds in Victorian magazines that give advice on how to create one's own furniture out of inexpensive items like packing crates suggests that a great many Victorian readers were far from wealthy! It's hard to imagine a great lady in a house full of servants puzzling over how to convert an old piano into a bookcase - but clearly such a project was thought to be of interest to a great many readers! This section looks at the things Victorians did (and that we could also do) with discarded and seemingly useless objects. (And who among us hasn't, at one time, turned an empty box into a piece of furniture?)

Tables and Table-Covers (Needle & Brush, 1889)

Some Hints About Hand-Painted Furniture (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1887)

Economical Furnishings (Ingalls' Home Magazine, 1888)

A host of tips on ways to create, repurpose, or decorate inexpensive furnishings for the home, along with ideas for home décor.

How to Furnish a Drawing Room for 18 Guineas, by Florence Caddy (Girl's Own Paper, 1891)

A Use for Old Pianos (Girl's Own Paper, 1892)

A Home-Made Shower Bath (Girl's Own Paper, 1893)

My Packing Cases, and What I Did With Them (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1893)

One can create all manner of furnishings from wooden packing cases!

New Lamps for Old (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1893)

How to create inexpensive, charming bits of furniture from older items, such as lampstands out of old iron bedposts.

The Use of Empties (Girl's Own Paper, 1893)

The many things that can be done with empty boxes and crates.

A Remodeled Wardrobe (Girl's Own Paper, 1894)

A Corner Dressing Table (Girl's Own Paper, 1895)

A Table with Cotton-Reel Legs, by "Cousin Lil" (Girl's Own Paper, 1896)

How to create a table from a tray and a bunch of wooden spools.

How to Make a Japanese Cabinet, by Pamela Bullock (Girl's Own Paper, 1897)

With some bamboo, boxes, black enamel, Japanese paper and a little gold dust, you can create a charming book or ornament shelf.

How to Contrive and Decorate a Coffer or Linen Press, by Fred Miller (Girl's Own Paper, 1899)

A Corner Cupboard (Girl's Own Paper, 1902)

A Hanging Cupboard with a Decorated Panel, by Fred Miller (Girl's Own Paper, 1902)

Charming Fred Miller design for a small wall cupboard.

A Log or Coal-Box with Panels Decorated in Gesso, by Fred Miller (Girl's Own Paper, 1902)

Pretty Yet Inexpensive Furniture (Girl's Own Paper, 1902)

Tips on creating some lovely small pieces for the home with simple tools and supplies.

See also

• Do-It-Yourself Décor

• The Victorian Home: Room by Room