Upcycling: Windows offer lots of possibilities, Greensboro 1808 magazine, Old windows are some of the most versatile and inexpensive architectural elements to upcycle
From 1808 Magazine.
“We’re peeking in some windows…
But we’ve got our eyes on their upcycled décor, nothing indecent.
Using architectural salvage is a great way to bring some upcycled style to your home. Old windows are some of the most versatile and inexpensive architectural elements to upcycle.
Greensboro blogger Marty Walden and her husband, Tim, used an old window and reclaimed fence boards to build a shadowbox coffee table for their family room.
They also framed a family portrait in a paned window for the space.
Walden shares the instructions for both projects on her blog, Marty’s Musings at www.martysmusings.net where she inspires her readers to create authentic homes filled with simple, thrifty decor. She’s a prolific upcycler, scouring yard sales, secondhand stores and even the side of the road for items she can put to a new use in her home.
“I get my ideas from Pinterest, surfing the net and waking up in the middle of the night when inspiration hits,” she said. Her husband is a painting contractor, and he found their upcycled windows a construction site when the contractor was throwing them out.
“He asked permission to take them, and now we have a stack of them,” she said. “We repurpose because it allows us to create one-of-kind projects without spending a lot of money, and now I teach my blog readers to do the same.”
Construction and renovation sites are a great place to find old windows for free. Just be sure to ask permission, like Walden’s husband did, before taking them. You can also find them at flea markets, barn sales, yard sales, salvage yards and off Craigslist, for usually no more than $5 or $10 a window.
One of the easiest things to do with an old window is to turn it into wall art.
Janelle Robinson, who teaches women’s carpentry classes through her business, Simply Janelle Designs in Summerfield, found a large old window from Queen’s College and hung it on a whitewashed planked wall in her family room. She added a cotton wreath and some other rustic, secondhand and homemade elements to create an interesting focal point.”
Read more:
Some of our salvages and uses.
