Make display frames out of wood remnants and celebrate small plants as living art.
Thomas J. Story
12 of 21Thomas J. Story
Champagne flute vases
Champagne flutes and evergreen sprigs form a centerpiece when interspersed with forest green tea lights in clear votive holders.
Prunings from some junipers stay fresh for a month or more in water. Other short-needled conifers for this use include Arizona cypress, Atlas cedar, Douglas fir, and noble fir.
13 of 21
Calendar images become wall art
At month’s end, clip away dates from your calendar art and frame it. Repeat every month for a collection.
Thomas J. Story
14 of 21Thomas J. Story
Closet becomes office
No room for workspace? Convert a closet into a home office―complete with hide-the-clutter doors.
How to do it: Empty a closet and remove the closet pole. Move a desk, or thin table into the space, allowing enough room to close the doors. Use a dining chair as a desk chair.
Willing to invest? Install a custom built desk surface and floating shelves.
Rob D. Brodman
15 of 21Rob D. Brodman
Turn CD cases into frames
Castoff CD cases are the perfect size for creating a quilt-like grid collection of landscape photos.
From the book Photocraft: Cool Things to Do with the Pictures You Love: Scan or crop your images to the size of a CD case (5 3/8 in. wide by 4 5/8 in. high) then print on good photo paper and trim. We recommend using standard (not slim) cases. Discard plastic inserts.
Back each photo with cardboard or foam board and snap the cases shut. Attach them to the wall with 3-inch strips of sticky-back hood-and-loop fasteners (such as Velcro).
Rob D. Brodman
16 of 21Rob D. Brodman
Wrapping paper becomes placemat
Often think wrapping paper is too beautiful to recycle? It’s easy to turn the prints into placemats (or desk blotters!) with a copy shop laminating machine.
How-to: At a copy shop, use a paper cutter to trim paper to 10 ½ by 16 ½ inches for each placemat. Laminate each piece, leaving ½ inch or more of plastic laminate on each side. Using a paper cutter, trim each side of the placemat, keeping ¼ inch of plastic laminate as a border. With an edge trimmer or scissors, round each corner.
Photo by Thomas J. Story
17 of 21Photo by Thomas J. Story
Turn a drawer organizer into a bento-box guest tray
Tuck a drawer organizer into a storage tote with some thoughtful amenities to make your houseguests feel like royalty. (Be forewarned: They’ll be eager for a return invite.)
How-to: Slip a drawer organizer into a fabric-covered box or other storage tote and stock it with a few travel-size essentials in coordinating materials and hues. Tie a washcloth with colorful string; wrap a bar of soap with wide ribbon; use letter stamps and a label sticker to personalize a scented candle.
Turn your wood burning fireplace into a decor statement―and trade air-polluting wood smoke for a little ambience.
Thomas J. Story
19 of 21Thomas J. Story
Vintage cafeteria tray becomes collection display
A collection of found objects become a museum-quality vignette in a tray nostalgic of elementary school years.
Jeffery Cross
20 of 21Jeffery Cross
Plates become wall art
Celebrate a mismatched but beloved collection by arranging them in an asymmetrical wavelike pattern on a plain white wall.
Tips:
The blank canvas of the white wall allows the dishes to pop without competing for attention, but a colored wall works too, as long as the hues are complementary.
Try the same technique with themed collections such as vintage postcards or old 45 rpm records.
Thomas J. Story
21 of 21Thomas J. Story
Industrial light fixture becomes chic pot
Unwanted light fixtures (and other vessels) can become plant vessels with a contemporary edge.
Be sure your object can sit upright (flat bottom). Because there’s no drainage hole, we recommend using plants that don’t demand much water.
No such containers around your house? Try salvage yards for your own vessel to repurpose.