How to Use Repurposed Wood for Design Accents
November 8, 2016Using repurposed wood, or reclaimed wood, is sustainable and can add a sense of nature and a unique charm to your home design. Wood is a versatile material, which means there are a lot of ways you can use it in your home. Here are some ways to use repurposed wood for design accents to inspire you as you think about your custom home design:
1. Opt for Art Featuring Repurposed Wood
An easy way to use repurposed wood for design accents is to opt for art and decor that features it. You can purchase sculptures, paintings, decor, furniture, and more made of repurposed wood from crafters and artisans.
Or, if you are feeling adventurous and creative, you can create your own. Planks of repurposed wood or flatter pieces with interesting shapes can easily serve as a natural canvas for a painting. You can also paint pieces of repurposed wood and fashion them into something else.
2. Look For Furniture Made With Repurposed Wood
Repurposed wood can also be used in furniture to create new pieces or give the furniture a craftsman style. Repurposed furniture can often be found in chairs, stools, couches, tables, and more. It can also be used to build sturdy bookshelves. On top of the different ways to style a bookshelf, a bookshelf made of repurposed wood also adds its own interesting look and texture.
3. Use it For a Vertical Wall Garden
Whether you go for an outdoor or an indoor vertical wall garden, repurposed wood can create a sturdy frame for your plants. In addition to a sturdy frame and plenty of space for the plants you want provided you plan appropriately, you will also get a frame for your garden with a rugged, natural aesthetic.
This can complement your plants and other decor. Whether adding a natural element or using it as a biophilic design idea, using repurposed wood for a vertical garden can help you enhance the overall style of a room.
4. Incorporate Reclaimed Wood in Your Garden
If you enjoy gardening but don’t want a wall garden or vertical garden, there are still plenty of ways to incorporate reclaimed wood in your garden. There are several ideas for a new planter that use repurposed wood, whether from pieces that are fashioned together to create something or from wooden furniture that is just being repurposed as planters.
Repurposed wood can also be used in benches, arbors, or other types of backyard structures to help decorate your garden and create pathways throughout your backyard. Using reclaimed wood stakes or pieces can even create a garden fence to help contain and create a border around different sections of your garden.
5. Use Repurposed Wood Doors
Repurposed barn doors are a popular interior design feature and there are many ways to use barn doors in your custom home design. You can hang a reclaimed barn door to be able to slide it open and closed as a room entrance, a pantry door, and more. You can even use barn doors that open at the top and bottom as an interesting design element that doubles as a pet gate or baby gate.
6. Create Something New For Storage
One of the most interesting and popular ways to use repurposed wood for design accents is to use it to create something new, usually in a storage capacity. Shelving, crates, baskets, and more can all add more storage to a room and can easily be made from reclaimed or repurposed wood.
If you have a fireplace, choosing a repurposed wood box or rack for firewood, or creating one from old skis, oars, etc., is one of the creative ideas for firewood storage. You can also use reclaimed wood to create a mantel for your fireplace.
7. Wow With Reclaimed Wood Window Treatments
There are many window treatment ideas to help you control light levels and enhance your windows, and some of them could use repurposed wood. Wooden blinds are an option that can add an interesting look and can be made from reclaimed wood.
Repurposed barn doors or planks can easily become interior shutters, folding screens, or decorative frames around your windows. If you want to hang a sign, reclaimed wood can be a good base for the sign you want. There are a lot of options and you can even layer styles as you choose window treatments to get the look you want in a room.
8. Go Big With Reclaimed Floors or Walls
Provided your builder can source enough quality reclaimed lumber, you can even use it for floor or wall coverings. This is one of the popular ways to implement architectural salvage into home design because reclaimed wood is generally more available than other materials and is more versatile in terms of applications.
Depending on what is available and the look you’re going for, reclaimed wood could be a good choice as an accent wall. In fact, it’s one of the kitchen accent wall ideas that is gaining popularity. In some cases, you may even be able to use repurposed wood as support beams, or as ceiling beams or accent beams and leave them exposed for a more rustic or industrial look. You may even be able to have an entire wood ceiling!
9. Repurpose Wood Window Frames
Old window frames that are still in good shape are a great source of reclaimed wood. Even if the frames no longer seal well enough for windows, provided they aren’t damaged, you can easily turn them into picture frames or mirror frames. You can even paint them to play around with colors in subtle and interesting ways.
10. Turn Reclaimed Wood Into a Headboard
A quality slab of reclaimed wood can easily turn into a headboard in your bedroom. This is one of the ways to repurpose pallets for your home decor. Depending on the style of it and the rest of your bedroom design, you could even turn a reclaimed wood headboard into a statement piece or a focal point for your bedroom design.
11. Craft Kitchen Cabinets From Reclaimed Wood
There are several popular kitchen cabinet styles. Whether you prefer open shelves, traditional shaker cabinets, modern flat-front cabinets, or something else, your kitchen cabinets can be made of reclaimed wood for an even more interesting look. You can also mix and match colors, textures, and materials in various cabinet styles to elevate the look and feel of your kitchen design.
12. Make Repurposed Wood a Kitchen Island
Whether you opt for reclaimed wood kitchen cabinets or shelving or not, another option to use repurposed wood for design accents is to have it made into a kitchen island. Between extra prep space, seating, and more, there are many benefits of kitchen islands. If you’ll be including one in your kitchen design and want a more rustic look, a kitchen island made with repurposed wood can help you get the look and function you want.
Design and Build Your Dream Home With Custom Home Group
These are just a few ideas for how to use repurposed wood for design accents in your home design. Although you can redecorate a current house, redecorating only goes so far sometimes. If no amount of redecorating or remodeling is making your current house feel like home, consider a custom home that is designed and built to suit your needs instead. If you’re ready to bring your dream home to life, contact Custom Home Group at 717-284-4090.