It’s not always obvious what to do with some pieces of furniture. Most of us hang on to family heirlooms even if we don’t love them, have favorite chairs and sofas that inevitably start to fall apart and second-guess ourselves about timeworn items that turn up at antiques stores at estate sales.

Fortunately, there’s no need to accept vintage furniture as it is. With a little updating, it’s possible to give old pieces new life.

“We do it all the time,” said Rayman Boozer, the founder of the New York-based interior design firm Apartment 48. “We take existing furniture that people already own and reupholster it. Or, we buy vintage stuff and reupholster it” to create truly bespoke pieces.

Sometimes, restoring a chair or chest of drawers makes it look almost new again. Other times, with a few changes, Mr. Boozer said, “it looks like a completely different piece of furniture.”

Here’s how he and other designers make decorative magic with their vintage finds.

Restore It

With collectible furniture, or pieces you already love that are beginning to look tired, restoration is often a better choice than all-out transformation. “There are certain pieces that maybe come with a provenance, where it’s more about maintaining the integrity of its current state,” said Dan Fink, an interior designer based in New York.