Secondhand furniture from leading hotels offers far more than just functionality in a luxurious space. Each piece carries stories, journeys, and countless guest experiences in its details. When a hotel is renovated or its interior concept changes, these pieces are often removed from their original setting. Yet their value does not disappear. Every piece still has the potential to “begin again” through the reFinish process by reConcept.
reFinish is the art of bringing furniture back to life. It goes far beyond basic repair, combining restoration and redesign with meticulous craftsmanship from a dedicated team of specialists. Each piece is carefully assessed and worked on from the inside out, from structural reinforcement, surface preparation, and refinishing of wood, to the selection of new fabrics and materials that best suit its future role. The result is furniture that is visually appealing, structurally sound, and functionally complete, while reflecting the lifestyle and personality of today’s users.
More importantly, reFinish extends the lifespan of high-quality furniture, reduces waste, and helps avoid unnecessary production of new items. It is a way of “continuing the life” of each piece through design, through environmental responsibility, and through the emotional connection created with its next owner.
In this article, you will discover:
- The true value of the reFinish process—far beyond ordinary furniture repair
- Two signature design styles that design-lovers will appreciate: New Romance and Retrovert
- Six real hotel chair case studies, with before–after transformations and tangible carbon savings
The Value of the reFinish Process by reConcept
reFinish is not simply about “fixing an old chair so it can be used again.” It is about creating new value, adding meaning, and protecting the environment through smarter use of existing resources. The impact can be seen clearly across three dimensions.
1. Environmental Value
Large volumes of hotel furniture are typically discarded or even incinerated at the end of their use cycle, creating substantial waste and pollution. By restoring these pieces through reFinish, their lifespan is significantly extended, which in turn reduces waste and eases the burden on waste-management systems.
The reFinish process also uses far fewer resources than producing an entirely new piece of furniture whether timber, fabric, leather, or energy used in manufacturing. As a result, the overall carbon footprint is reduced in a measurable way. Bringing furniture back into use is a real-world application of the circular economy, where materials circulate within the system instead of relying constantly on virgin resources. This leads to more efficient and responsible use of our planet’s limited resources.
2. Economic Value
reFinish delivers substantial economic benefits. Hotel-grade furniture is designed with robust frames and high-quality materials to withstand heavy use. When these pieces go through a careful reFinish process, they can look and perform like new at a fraction of the cost of newly manufactured furniture.
This makes reFinished hotel furniture an attractive option for homes, restaurants, cafés, resorts, and even offices seeking stylish, durable pieces within a defined budget. Updating the design, reupholstering with new fabrics, and reinforcing the structure all help to significantly increase the perceived and practical value of the original item.
At the same time, reFinish creates meaningful economic opportunities for local artisans and skilled workers such as carpenters, painters, upholsterers, and furniture finishers. It supports ongoing employment and skills development, helping to channel economic benefits back into local communities.
3. Cultural & Emotional Value
Every piece of hotel furniture comes with its own story, shaped by the guests, occasions, and moments it has witnessed. Restoring these pieces through reFinish is a way of “continuing the story”in a new setting, allowing them to live on gracefully with a new owner.
Hotel furniture is often designed with a timeless or contemporary aesthetic that values comfort, function, and visual harmony. reFinish brings these design qualities back to prominence, adapting them to a wide variety of interior styles, modern, minimal, vintage, or contemporary, while preserving the unique character of each piece.
Choosing reFinish furniture is also a statement of intent. It reflects a mindset that values sustainability, careful resource use, and the beauty of what already exists. It is a conscious decision to see and honor the potential in pieces that can still be used beautifully and responsibly.
Design Styles that Bring reFinish Furniture Back to Life
When furniture goes through the reFinish process, it is not simply restored to its original state. It is re-interpreted to match modern lifestyles in terms of design, feel, and functionality, while still respecting its original essence.
For this collection, reConcept showcases two distinct design directions that highlight the character of reFinished hotel furniture: New Romance and Retrovert. Each style conveys different moods, aesthetics, and personalities, yet both demonstrate the power of reFinish to make secondhand hotel furniture stand out in new spaces.
1. New Romance: Gentle, Warm, and Timeless
The New Romance style re-imagines hotel furniture in a softer, more contemporary light. It features gentle curves, light colour palettes, and materials that feel warm to the touch, such as cream, beige, and soft greys. The overall mood is calm, relaxed, and subtly romantic, making it ideal for homes, cafés, and lounges that seek a serene, inviting atmosphere.
In reFinish projects under this style, the original structure of the furniture is preserved and enhanced rather than completely transformed. The focus is on celebrating the piece’s inherent strengths, its proportions, lines, and craftsmanship, while refreshing its surface finishes and fabrics to harmonise with modern interiors.
New Romance Case Studies
1.1 Josephine Daybed
Originally a chaise lounge from Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel, this piece features carved wooden frames and turned legs that exude classic charm. Through reFinish, the wood frame is carefully cleaned, refinished in a deep, elegant black, and paired with soft cream upholstery that brings warmth and visual comfort.
The result is a daybed that feels both tranquil and contemporary, perfect for a reading nook, a corner in a living room, or a quiet lounge in a café. By extending the life of the original materials instead of producing a new piece, this reFinish saves approximately 65.689 kgCO₂e.
1.2 Manhattan Supper Chair
This Art Deco-inspired chair from Pornping Tower Hotel, Chiang Mai is restored with structural reinforcement, a matte black frame, and a refined beige fabric. The upholstery is smooth, understated, and elegant, giving the chair a naturally sophisticated look.
The chair’s gentle curves, combined with the light-toned fabric, make it suitable for a variety of spaces, from workspaces and dining rooms to reception areas. The reFinish process for this chair contributes to an estimated carbon reduction of 13.835 kgCO₂e.
1.3 Barcelona Lounge
Originally from a hotel around the Silpakorn University area, this lounge chair has a soft Mid-Century Modern profile that feels relaxed and approachable. In its reFinished form, it is upholstered in Heather Grey fabric with a fine, comfortable texture that enhances the chair’s warmth and modern appeal, while the refinished wood frame adds clarity and structure.
The chair becomes an ideal piece for living rooms, reading corners, or private lounges—combining style and everyday usability. Compared with producing a new chair, this reFinish saves around 23.020 kgCO₂e.
2. Retrovert: Bold, Distinctive, and Full of Mid-Century Energy
The Retrovert style offers a contrasting personality to New Romance. It embraces boldness, confidence, and playful Retro character, blended with the clean lines of Mid-Century Modern design. Colour choices are more pronounced, such as burnt orange and ivory, often paired with metal or dark wood accents that sharpen the silhouette of each piece.
Furniture reFinished in the Retrovert style tends to become the statement piece in a room. With strong lines and distinctive forms, these pieces instantly bring energy and personality to any space.
Retrovert Case Studies
2.1 Aalto Chair
This chair from Le Méridien Bangkok features an Art Deco-inspired frame. Through reFinish, it is reimagined with burnt orange faux leather upholstery, adding a rich vintage tone that still feels contemporary. The original lines of the chair are highlighted and made more pronounced.
The chosen material is durable and easy to maintain, making this piece suitable for restaurants, cafés, or homes styled in Modern Retro interiors. By extending the life of the existing frame and avoiding a new production cycle, the reFinish achieves an estimated carbon saving of 10.552 kgCO₂e.
2.2 Luna Chair – Postmodern Sculptural Form
Luna is a sculptural chair from Imperial Resort & Spa Hua Hin, characterised by its distinctive flowing curves. In its reFinished version, it is upholstered in cream Bouclé fabric, whose soft, textured surface is reminiscent of wool. This material enhances the chair’s Postmodern aesthetic and makes it visually striking as both seating and art object.
Combined with a newly refinished wooden base, Luna becomes a statement piece that feels both cosy and avant-garde. The reFinish process for this chair reduces the need for new production, saving approximately 19.400 kgCO₂e.
2.3 Orbit Chair
The Orbit Chair is a swivel chair from Le Méridien Bangkok with a gently curved Mid-Century Modern profile. In its reFinished form, it is upholstered in ivory fabric with a fine, durable texture that brightens and softens the overall look, while preserving its sleek proportions.
Although the estimated carbon reduction for this piece is 21.750 kgCO₂e, the real value lies in how effectively its lifespan is extended. Orbit can serve as an accent chair in living rooms, reading areas, or reception spaces—instantly elevating the atmosphere of the room.
Tangible Sustainability Benefits of reFinish
Behind every piece of furniture that goes through reFinish lies more than a renewed surface or updated design. Each project carries significant sustainability benefits that occur at every stage of the process, from material use and carbon reduction to social impact.
- Reducing the need for new furniture production
Furniture that has been reFinished directly reduces demand for newly manufactured pieces. Producing new furniture typically requires large quantities of timber, chemicals, fabrics, and manufacturing energy. Choosing restored furniture instead helps reduce environmental impact right from the source. - Lower overall consumption of natural resources
New furniture production often relies on high-quality timber and substantial raw materials. In contrast, reFinish uses only what is necessary, such as upholstery fabric, surface treatments, and a limited number of replacement parts. This significantly reduces pressure on natural resources, while making full use of the high-quality materials already embedded in hotel-grade furniture. - Reducing carbon emissions from production and transport
Restoring a single piece of furniture generally involves shorter transport distances and less energy than manufacturing a new item. In many cases, this leads to a measurable reduction in overall carbon footprint. It is a practical, real-world way of cutting greenhouse gas emissions. - Extending the lifespan of high-quality furniture
Hotel furniture is built to withstand intensive use and is often structurally stronger than standard retail furniture. By applying reFinish, its lifespan can be extended by many years. In some cases, the reFinished piece may be even more robust and attractive than when it was new, maximising the use of the original materials and reducing furniture waste. - Supporting local craftsmanship and livelihoods
The reFinish process requires specialised skills across multiple disciplines, woodworking, structural repair, finishing, upholstery, and detailing. Each project helps sustain local artisans and stimulates the local economy, while also preserving valuable craft skills that might otherwise fade over time.
reFinish is far more than a way to make old furniture look good again. It is a way to unlock new value in pieces that still have tremendous potential—delivering benefits in many directions: reducing the use of natural resources, lowering carbon emissions from new production, extending the lifespan of high-quality hotel furniture, and supporting skilled Thai artisans at every step of the restoration process.
When combined with thoughtfully curated design directions such as New Romance and Retrovert, every reFinished piece becomes more than just a functional item. It becomes a piece with character, presence, and a new role to play in contemporary spaces.
Ultimately, reFinish is a clear expression of the idea that “Everything old is new again.” Objects that have already journeyed through time still carry inherent value and can once again inspire—this time in a more sustainable, design-driven way. Refinished furniture is no longer “just decoration”; it reflects the mindset, meaning, and commitment to sustainability that you choose to bring into your space.
We offer a dedicated consultation service to help you:
- Select secondhand hotel furniture and reFinish pieces that match your budget and design theme
- Source items that meet specific requirements
- Discuss made-to-order reFinish projects for your home, café, restaurant, or hotel
Contact our sales team:
📞 +66 61 929 8944
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