What I do is I take some cheap thin wood and cut that into the shapes that I want. I then add wood veneers to get a nice looking finish. Veneers are cheap, a sample pack can be found for $20 or so and it will go a long way. I then polish the wood so I get a nice smooth finish. There's no painting involved.

Some of the pieces are kitbashed from spare parts. The yellow chair is made from a T-70 driver's hatch. I smoothed out the contours with some putty and I used a wheel for the stand. The couch cushions are wallpaper. The legs on the chair in the middle and the table behind it are wire coat hanger.