Repurposed Home Decor

Examples of Repurposed Home Decor from Etsy

We all have them.  Home decor items that no longer serve their purpose, think Ariel with a drinking glass.  The desk that was supposed to help the family pay the bills that instead is a host to papers of all sorts in assorted stacks and piles.  The wreath that looked wonderful for a few months and then lost a few shades to the sun.  The question isn't whether we have them, but what to do with all these items that take up space and no longer serve their original purpose.

Repurposing means taking an item and redefining what it is used for either by using it in a different manner or giving it an overhaul.  This either takes loads of creativity or a nudge in the right direction.  These days repurposed items are hot commodities.  Why have the same old objects when you can have new products created with the old ones?!  Let your mind expand and your imagination run wild while we look through some creatively repurposed items found on Etsy.


repurposed spigot towel rack

Here before you is a work of art, a towel rack composed of spigots.  Since I personally cannot resist placing my towels on dresser knobs, what could possibly be better than instead placing my towel on a wonderful spigot?

Etsy Shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/ElijahsAttic



map wreath

You see an old atlas where another might see a stash of charm.  Why throw away what you can use?  This wreath was made with old maps, and you can do the same with an old atlas or even a book that has outlived its usefulness.  Rather than seeing these things as one more item taking up room, consider repurposing them as craft materials!

Etsy Shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/Houseof3

repurposed spice rack vanity organizer

If you upgrade your spice rack, don't get rid of the old one.  You can use it in your bedroom or bathroom!  Repurpose your spice rack as a vanity organizer.  Hang earrings on the front for easy access and place nail polish, perfume bottles, and make up in the spice holder.  Excellent way to store your beauty items and an excellent reuse of old home decor!

Etsy Shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/packratdiva

suitcase nightstand

When is a suitcase no longer a suitcase?  When it's a table!  This vintage suitcase has been repurposed as a nightstand.  Not only can you dream of traveling beside such a classy piece of furniture, but you can also pack your bags . . . or your nightstand with plenty of books.  Storage and style!

Etsy Shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/MrsRekamepip

Repurposed Home Decor = endless options

The options are endless for repurposing home decor.  An old coffee table can be painted to serve as a children's train table.  An old vanity can be sawed in half to create to seperate bedside tables.  Now, before you get ready to throw an household item away ask yourself if you can reinvent the item through repurposing!

Unique Find: Empire Chest of Drawers



Unique Chest of Drawers at Antique Store



A little over a week ago, my husband and I were in Buena Vista, Virginia.  We love visiting the area because of the beautiful mountains, unique sites, and for all the wonderful antique stores in nearby Lexington.  During this past trip, we found a new antique store in downtown Buena Vista.

The store front used to be a local hardware store, but it had closed within the past few years.  The owner pulled up the linoleum in the store and discovered a beautiful hard wood floor underneath.  As we talked with him about his new venture, an antique store, he explained that a friend suggested that he put some furniture and glassware in the store and see if it sells.  What is the point of leaving an empty store front empty when waiting for it to sell?  My husband and I are more than thankful for his venture, because we were able to find the perfect chest of drawers to replace the small children's dresser that we were still using in our bedroom.

I saw it first.  I walked over to this substantial solid wood chest of drawers and could tell that it was an older piece.  I was the one who was supposed to find a dresser for myself, but this chest of drawers was a little to big and manly for my taste.  So I pointed the piece out to my husband and kept walking.

My husband walked over to the piece and fell in love.  He loved the hand cut dove tailed drawers, he loved the thick pieces of wood used for its construction, and he loved the spacious drawers.  When we looked at it together, we realized that the piece was constructed with cut nails and was definitely earlier than the 1900's.  One look at the price tag and we were hooked, this chest of drawers was coming home to Mississippi.

Let me tell you right now, when a piece of furniture is made right it is extremely heavy!  The interior of the drawers were made of pine, but the exterior was some other wood that definitely added to the weight.  With some difficulty, we loaded the chest of drawers into our truck and brought it inside for the night until the next day when we rented a U-haul trailer to tow behind the truck.

That night we did a little research.  The tag in the antique store had suggested that the chest of drawers was Empire style, so we had a good starting point.  When we began to research Empire style, we found that the style originated over in Europe.  However, this piece had nothing to do with the European Empire style.  This was actually an American Empire Style piece dating from around 1850 to 1860.  Typically, most American Empire furniture pieces were made with mahogany; therefore, we are pretty sure that we have identified the exterior wood on the piece.  The biggest difficulty in determining the type of wood used in the chest of drawers was in the fact that over the years the finish had formed a beautiful cracked texture over the entire piece.  Our new chest of drawers was an American Empire Chest of Drawers from the 1850's constructed with beautiful mahogany.

Comparison Shot:  Old versus New

The chest of drawers made the trip home with no trouble.  My husband was more than happy to replace the small children's dresser, which he had been using out of necessity, with an outstanding antique chest of drawers that more than doubled his storage space.  Though the piece is large, we were able to integrate it into our room across from our bed.  What a wonderful piece of furniture to wake up to every day!  I am truly in love with furniture and enjoy every day that brings me closer to filling my home with unique furniture finds!