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OLD WINDOWS AND DOORS Print E-mail



Windows, door, shuttersthey're just parts of buildings, right? Correct, but they can be more. If you're lucky enough to live within driving distance of a salvage yard, this is the place to begin when looking for these items. (They'll likely be abundant and cheap there.) If you're not convenient to a salvage yard, check with flea markets and friends who are remodeling. Once you have your hands on a few choice pieces, there are many ways to use them in simple decorating projects.

Doors can be used to create the following:

Tables. Use an old door as a table top. For instance, in a home office, two filing cabinets can act as your base and a door can serve as the surface. If the door is not completely flat, have a piece of glass cut to go on top. Personalize your desktop by placing family photos between the door and the glass.

Screen magic. Old screen doors look great just propped up against a wall. Dress them up by hanging small framed art on them, or use them to display a hat collection. Pinning photos on the screen sections creates a sentimental conversation piece.

Privacy divider. Hinge three doors together and create a "screen" or room divider. This can also be used as a creative headboard.

Windows can also be used in a variety of creative, decorative ways. Pick up some used windows and try some of these quick and easy ideas:

Paint it. Paint a base coat over the entire window, including the glass. Let it dry. Then break out the colors and paint a different picture on each square of glass for example, a different kind of flower or geometric shape in each frame.

Wrap it up. Paint the window frame, if desired. Secure the end of a long piece of rope or twine on the back on the window with a staple gun or tie it around a screw. Wrap the twine around the window until you have a nice geometric pattern. Slip photos, postcards, and other mementos behind the twine and hang it up.

Get hooked on it. Paint the window frame with a creative design (e.g., stripes, polka dots), and add hooks (or old doorknobs) equally spaced on the bottom strip of the frame. Suspend on the wall, and you have a place to hang hats, coats, belts, jewelry, or whatever you like.

Shutters are wonderful, especially the kind with louvers that can still be opened and shut. Try these creative uses for them:

Place a shutter on top of two pedestals or stools to create a sofa table.

Hinge several small shutters together to create a fireplace screen or a computer monitor coverup.

If your window lacks detail, hang shutters on each side of it (on the inside, that is) to create interest and instant architecture.

For a garden theme, hang shutters on a wall and tuck seed packets and garden-theme postcards into the louvers.


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