RRR: Old Doors

Old is making a comeback. Or maybe it's just that as I get a little bit older, I'm seeing more "older" stuff being repurposed beautifully.

I went by an old friend's house the other day, and she'd used a old door as a backing for a set of book shelves. First, she took the old door, painted it white, and then distressed it a bit so it looked old again. Me, I'd just have given the thing a good washing and started from there. I don't get all the work that goes into "distressing"… but I'm lazy. Then she installed shelves evenly spaced, six in all. I think I might have put more space between the two bottom shelves for bigger items, and maybe only put a half-shelf on the very top. All in all, the thing looked great. And the best part, she only anchored it at the top to stop it falling forward, so it's completely portable – great for a rental.

I've also seen old doors used as headboards. Turned sideways, or in multiples (though vertically they usually have to be trimmed), doors make very interesting alternatives to the traditional bed head.

Or how about taking that old door and insetting a mirror to make a beautiful accent for a living or dining room. Add a short mirror, a shelf just below and a couple of large hooks down the sides and now you've got a very useful hall tree.

Put your old door on pedestals of some type — old saw horses, inverted large planter pots, whatever your imagination can come up with – and you've got a table you can use for dining or as a desk.

Attach an old door to the back of a small table, add a simple bracket shelf and you've got a potting table. Install a planter hook or two off the sides and you've can hang a couple of vines on it for extra oomph.

If you're artsy, take that door and paint it, and then inscribe the sayings that remind you of how lucky you are or what you want to focus your energies on. Then you can hang it on a wall or prop it up somewhere. Using different type styles and grouping the ideas you're writing will make your new piece of art that much more interesting.

If you're really handy, you can even repurpose an old door into a blanket bench. This one's a little too ambitious for me, but what a great place to collect your memories!

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