Last updated: June 5, 2026 · By Anna Katherine Page
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Quick answer: Here is the full Jenny Lind high chair makeover, the multi-year story of one piece. I bought this vintage 1980s chair at a thrift store for $10, painted it black to match my kitchen, then stored it in the barn for years. Recently I refinished it in white to use as a styled rental piece for my event business. This is the full multi-year makeover, paint and all.
Some pieces of furniture have more than one life in them. This vintage Jenny Lind high chair has had at least three. It started as a $10 thrift store gamble, became a black statement piece in my kitchen, sat forgotten in a barn, and is now a freshly painted rental item for first birthday parties. Here is the whole story, and how I refinished it each time.
Years ago I spotted a vintage 1980s Jenny Lind high chair at a thrift store and brought it home for just $10. A Jenny Lind is the classic style with the rows of decorative spindle turnings, and they have a timeless, slightly old-fashioned charm that is hard to find in modern furniture. At $10 it was an easy yes. I documented that very first flip on the blog back then: you can read the original Vintage 1980s Jenny Lind highchair furniture flip, and I filmed it in two parts on YouTube, Part 1 and Part 2.
Round one: painting it black
At the time, my kitchen was leaning moody and dark, so I painted the high chair black to match that vibe. It worked beautifully for that season of my home. That is the honest truth about decorating: your taste shifts, and a piece that was perfect one year can feel off the next. The high chair earned its spot for a while, then slowly stopped fitting the space.
Round one: the high chair painted black for a moodier kitchen.
Then it sat in the barn
When my style moved on, the high chair did what a lot of good furniture does. It went out to the barn for storage. It was too charming to give away and too out of step with the house to keep inside. So it waited. For a few years it was just a black vintage high chair under a dust sheet, holding its potential.
Round two: bringing it back in white
This spring it finally got its third life. I am building an event rental business, and a vintage high chair is exactly the kind of charming, photogenic piece families want for a first birthday celebration. So I pulled it out of the barn and refinished it, this time in a soft white to suit a styled party setup.
Here is how it turned out: the same $10 thrift store frame, the same charming spindles, now in a fresh white that photographs beautifully against any party backdrop.
The finished high chair in soft white, styled for a first birthday celebration.
Renting it out through Keowee Event Co
The high chair now lives a working life as a rental piece with Keowee Event Co, my event rental business. We rent backyard games and styled pieces that make gatherings feel special across Oconee and Pickens County, South Carolina. A vintage high chair is a perfect example of the kind of charming, photo-ready detail that turns an ordinary first birthday into something memorable, and giving an old piece a new purpose is exactly the point.
The high chair with a vintage rocking horse, both refinished as event rental pieces.
Pin this Jenny Lind high chair makeover
Saving this for your own thrift flip? Here are the pins from the project.
Key takeaways
A $10 thrifted vintage high chair has been refinished twice over several years.
Round one was black to match a moody kitchen; round two is white for event rentals.
The white refinish took three cans of satin spray paint applied in thin coats.
Old furniture is worth keeping. Its next purpose may just be a paint job away.
Frequently asked questions
What is a Jenny Lind high chair?
A Jenny Lind is a classic style of wooden high chair recognizable by its rows of decorative spindle turnings. The look has been made for generations, and vintage versions like this 1980s one are popular for their old-fashioned charm.
Can you repaint furniture that is already painted?
Yes. You can paint over an existing finish. Clean the piece well, give it a light scuff sand so the new paint grips, and then apply your paint in thin, even coats. This high chair went from raw wood to black to white over its life.
What kind of paint should you use on a wooden high chair?
A satin-finish spray paint works well on a spindled piece like this because it reaches into the turnings evenly. I used a satin enamel spray paint and built the color up with several light coats.
How much does it cost to flip a thrifted high chair?
This one cost $10 at the thrift store. The white refinish added three cans of spray paint, so the whole project stayed inexpensive, which is part of what makes thrift flips so satisfying.
How do you get a smooth finish when spray painting furniture?
Warm the can, shake it well, and use short sweeping strokes that start and end past the edges, building thin coats. The full method is in my spray paint tips guide.
Where can you rent vintage event pieces in Upstate South Carolina?
Keowee Event Co rents backyard games and styled event pieces, including this high chair, across Oconee and Pickens County, South Carolina.
About Anna Katherine
I refresh thrifted furniture, document real makeovers, and run Keowee Event Co, an event rental business in Upstate South Carolina. Follow the flips and the building of the business on TikTok and YouTube.
Follow the makeovers and the rental business on TikTok, or see what we rent at Keowee Event Co.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you.
$25 Thrift Store Furniture Flip – Vintage Wood Desk Transformation
This thrift store furniture flip proves you don’t need a big budget to create something beautiful. I found this vintage wood desk at a local thrift store for just $25 and transformed it into a stunning statement piece. According to the EPA’s guide to reducing waste, furniture restoration and upcycling keeps thousands of tons of wood out of landfills every year , making every thrift store furniture flip a win for your wallet and the planet.
This post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase through these links. I only recommend products I personally use and love.
Before
After the Thrift Store Furniture Flip – The Final Result
This thrift store furniture flip was one of my favorite projects , there’s something incredibly satisfying about giving a forgotten piece of furniture a second life. If you’re looking for your next thrift store furniture flip, keep an eye out for solid wood pieces with good bones. The best thrift store furniture flip candidates are vintage desks, dressers, and side tables made from real hardwood.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you.
Quick answer: I restored a 1960s vintage rattan dining table with BEHR paint as my entry to the BEHR To DIY For Season 2 contest. The table had been weathering on my screened porch for almost three years. This walkthrough covers the prep, which is where nearly all of the real work is, and the paint I used.
Vintage Rattan Table Restoration – Bringing a 1960s Dining Table Back to Life
This vintage rattan table restoration project is proof that with the right paint and some patience, you can transform a forgotten piece into a stunning centerpiece. I entered this vintage rattan table restoration into the BEHR “To DIY For” Season 2 contest , and the results speak for themselves. According to This Old House, proper prep work is the key to any successful furniture restoration.
This post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase through these links. I only recommend products I personally use and love.
Here is my official entry posted on TikTok for Challenge #2:
As soon as I saw BEHR’s video on TikTok announcing Challenge #2, I immediately knew which table I was going to tackle for my entry to the contest. Yes, that dirty, old, forgotten 1960’s vintage rattan dining table I had weathering away on my screened in porch is EXACTLY what popped into my head (cobwebs & all).
I acquired this table almost 3 years ago at a local rental house going out of business and selling their inventory. It was the last day of the sale that I stopped into the shop & I saw this dining set along with 6 chairs. They had it listed for $100 but when the owner saw me looking at the set, she offered it to me for only $40 for all 10 pieces (1 table, 3 leaflet inserts, & 6 chairs). I quickly obliged and handed her the $40 as quickly as I could. At this time in my life I was still living with my parents but actively looking for a home of my own. I stored the dining set in their garage along with my other thrifted, yard-sale, & flea market second-hand finds for my home. 2 months after purchasing it, I made an offer on a home with a dream of a screened in porch and I knew that this table would make the perfect addition to the large porch area for entertaining. Fast forward to now (2 & 1/2 years later) and I still haven’t gotten around to sprucing up this dining table and it’s been long overdue!
My intent for this table was to never alter the original beauty or integrity of this piece. I knew I wanted to leave the table surface itself alone as it is in decent condition. The only 2 items that required attention were the wood veneer peeling around the round edges below the table’s surface. This was a simple fix and only required me to peel it off by hand and then use a knife for those trickier areas that were more difficult. Lastly, I wanted to add a fresh coat of paint. I like the original yellow color but it didn’t vibe with my color pallet for my porch. When looking through BEHR’s potential color options offered in their spray paint, I was overwhelmed (in a positive way) with the many color options. I was immediately drawn to the color Matcha. I ran to my local Home Depot & went straight to the paint section to grab myself 2 cans of their Premium Matcha Gloss Interior/Exterior Spray Paint.
Check out what this table looked like before..
The Vintage Rattan Table Restoration Process
Here are some of the products I recommend for furniture restoration projects like this one:
KILZ Chalk Spray Paint – Ultra matte finish for upcycling furniture, works on wood, wicker & rattan: Shop on Amazon
Amy Howard Chalky Mineral Spray Paint – No stripping, sanding, or priming needed: Shop on Amazon
Whether you’re tackling your first vintage rattan table restoration or you’re a seasoned DIYer, the BEHR paint line makes it easy to achieve professional-looking results on any budget.
