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Salvaged Materials
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Etsy Finds: Gorgeous Custom Furniture
While I've shown you a lot of home accents from Etsy, I've neglected to share the gorgeous, custom-made furniture that the site also showcases. From dining tables made from salvaged barn boards to '60s-era chairs reupholstered in Thomas Paul fabric, Etsy really does have nearly everything you need to furnish and outfit your home. Check out my favorites.
Guess What This Ceiling Was Made From?
Texas-based self-taught carpenter, electrician, and plumber Dan Phillips builds low-income houses out of salvaged items, in an effort to prove that attractive, affordable housing is possible. Here, he's used thousands of small wooden pieces to create the ceiling for one of his projects. Can you guess what they are?
Nice and New: The Sulis Table
If you love the look of rustic furnishings, then you'll be excited to hear that San Francisco-based design atelier Varian Designs has just added a new piece to its Timber Collection. The new Sulis table ($3,500) is the perfect occasional table for the green-minded set. Using a wedged tenon design and laser-cut steel brackets, this beautifully crafted table is actually built from fallen trees.
Before and After: A Serious Fixer-Upper
When the Atlanta, Georgia-based renovation firm Laughing Sun purchased this home, it was in absolute disrepair. Once a gorgeous folk Victorian home, it was missing its original roof, and the once-soaring 12-foot-high ceilings had been pared back to only seven feet. It also was so leaky that the renovators were able to push the back wall of the house with one hand!
Before and After: Salvaged Shelves Get an Upgrade
While some people might take a look at these drawers and decide they were destined for the dump, Monica of Craftynest had a different vision. The drawers, which were salvaged from a 1940s kitchen, were found on the website Freecycle. Monica knew she wanted to transform them into something stellar, and originally thought they'd make great storage drawers by simply adding some wheels to the bottom.
Coveted Crib: An Aspen Cabin Goes For the Old
When Aspen, CO, residents Cynthia and Frank Goldsmith decided their dream home should look like a 110-year-old Colorado homestead, they went to work, hiring an architect to recreate that iconic look. At the same time, the couple traveled to flea markets, antique stores, and salvage yards to find turn-of-the-century hardware, lighting, beams, doorknobs, and even hinges! The only items in this home that are new are the appliances, plumbing, and windows.
Guess What This Chandelier Is Made From
I love the jagged lines of this moody, beautiful chandelier. Can you guess what it's made from? (Hint: it was auto inspired.)
Coveted Crib: Lone Star Home
Austin resident Blake Dollahite didn't enter the rat race when he finished college. Instead, he rebuilt a crumbling bungalow with the help of his dad and friends. Using a variety of salvaged materials, as well as furniture he built himself, the results are absolutely fantastic.
In the News: Recycling Salvaged Materials Poses a Problem
So far during Eco-Chic month, I've given you tons of easy and stylish ways to create an environmentally-friendly home. But sometimes, even when you try, it's not as simple as you'd expect. An SFGate article recently tinkered with an issue we hear little about in these days of "Green is easy!
In the News: An Inspiring Outdoor Space
Since Summer is soon on its way, it's natural to think about creating functional, beautiful outdoor spaces where you can entertain and relax. In a recent LA Times article by Debra Prinzing, a family does just this, using repurposed, recycled, and found objects. Greta and Mike Jarvis, along with their daughter Annika, were tired of the awkward, unused backyard at their Manhattan Beach home, so Greta, an adept flea marketer, decided to transform their 30-x-40-foot backyard into something more family friendly.
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