• Got a piece of '50s furniture that could use a modern touch? Adding a few simple tweaks to your oldies but goodies can give them a whole new look without the hefty price tag of buying brand-new furniture.
  
  

Get new hardware

• If the handles and knobs on your '50s furniture date back to, well, the '50s, adding modern hardware can instantly update the look of the piece. Consider fresh sterling silver handles in funky shapes for a 21st-century twist.
  
  

Apply a fresh paint job

• If the paint on your '50s furniture is old and drab, a fresh coat will do wonders for that old furniture. Either restore its original color, apply a thin coat of paint a shade lighter or darker than the current color or go with an entirely new color family. A cherry wood dresser could easily be modernized with a coat of fresh white paint, for example.
  
  

Wallpaper the background

• If you have a hutch or other piece of '50s furniture that boasts a glass front door, wallpaper the back wall of the inside of the furniture with a bright shade that complements the overall color of the furniture. A black hutch would look great with bright pink wallpaper, or you could go for a patterned wallpaper with black highlights and a variety of bright colors.
  
  

Add accessories

• Rather than altering the '50s furniture itself, add fresh, funky accessories. For instance, the aforementioned hutch could be updated with a display of beautiful glass bowls and vases in bright shades and varying sizes. To really tie the look into your decor, choose shades that complement the color scheme throughout the rest of your room. For instance, if the walls are a shade of brown, bowls and vases in varying shade of turquoise would fit in well and also help to draw the eye toward the '50s furniture.