One of my favorite passtimes as a New Yorker is scouring the sidewalks for trashed furniture.  I have a few rules governing what I will and won' t take.  I adhere most strongly to the Nothing With Stuffing rule.

If you live in an area with a lower housing turnover, your second-hand gems likely come from a flea market  or thrift store.  However you come to aquire your UBF (ugly but functional) old furniture, there are a hundred ways to convert your cheepie/freebies into fabulous conversation pieces.

Anthropologie has some amazing hardware to update unattractive or missing knobs.

Design Your Life Blog  suggests turning an old card catalog into a liquor cabinet!

Design Sponge gives step by step instructions on using fabric to decoupage.  Check out these incredible before and after photos!

Other tips:

If you disassemble a partition screen, the panels can be hung seperately on the wall for a cool effect.  

Old shutters make interesting alternatives to corkboards- stuff postcards, pictures, and notes in the slats.

If you' re in a home without many windows, hanging old frames on the wall can be a tongue-in-cheek way to make light of it (no pun intended).  Also, they can help to take up wall space.

sanding the edges of picture frames, mirrors, tables, etc gives a weathered, vintage look.

To paint a surface with the same weathered affect, use a dry brush and do quick, light strokes back and forth as if you' re dusting.  Usea very small amount of paint.

Repurposing furniture is not only cheap and creative, it' s a great step towards a sustainable, green lifestyle.  Take a relaxed attitude toward it- some of my favorite pieces have come from happy accidents.