It’s the ultimate recycling trick. Make your home feel new by employing materials that have been around the block a few times. Perhaps surprisingly, beautifully aged elements can breathe life into a house that is overdue for an update.
Repurposed Doors
Open your mind to all the possibilities that an antique door has to offer, from the pretty to the practical. Fasten shelving, hooks or brackets to transform a barn door into the ideal storage spot for jackets, hats and books to liven up an entryway. Place artsy, black-and-white photos behind the glass panes of an old French door and create a cool display frame that is a work of art in itself. The options are endless, limited only to your imagination – from privacy screens that craftily divide up a large, open living space to a whimsical flower pot stand on the back patio.
Cast Iron Sinks
Salvage an old farmhouse sink and give the powder room a fully functional conversation piece. Extra-wide basins that are also conveniently deep and feature a broad drainboard not only make doing the dishes less of a chore, they also make an impactful design statement in the kitchen, whether fancifully footed or placed atop an otherwise contemporary countertop.
Reclaimed Wood
With the booming popularity of HGTV, wooden planks known as shiplap have seen an enormous surge in demand. Used for generations in the construction of barns and other rustic buildings, this rough-hewn, countrified material is as much fun to use as it is to say. Besides lining sections of walls in a traditional, horizontal fashion to create a lovely, pastoral feel in the home, the boards can also be manipulated into gorgeous pine tables, benches, bookshelves and more.
Secondhand Appliances
The vibrant enamel colors and unique styles of refurbished refrigerators and gas stoves from yesteryear lend the kitchen a touch of pizazz and personality. Even well-loved, much-used appliances can be restored to brand new condition and given modern upgrades such as wine racks and water dispensers to add a touch of flair to your kitchen décor.
Antique Accents
Decorative elements such as crystal knobs and intricate hardware can be applied in their originally intended use to ornament doors and furniture. They can also be restyled into handy hooks or unusual artwork to adorn your home and dress it up in some history. Similarly, antique panes of stained glass are given a new lease on life when positioned into a front door to give guests a warm welcome or placed on a window ledge to cast a colorful glow.
Doing a good turn for Mother Earth is always on-trend! Consider some of these eco-friendly ways to add a dash of panache to your home, while preserving a little piece of a bygone era.
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