Beyond thrilled that I get to continue to work with recycled, reclaimed and salvage materials in my interior design projects, because my clients love it as much as I do. These are a few of my favorites from recent projects I’ve designed over the past couple of years. The unique one-of-a-kind pieces to the everyday product made from recycled material — I think you will love both! These pieces tell a story and allow us to help change the way we design — by reusing what we already have. It’s fun, exciting and adds a personalized bespoke touch to any space, whether it’s in your home or your hospitality design project. Mixing old and new… it’s the way we need to design from now on to us our industry be more sustainable. So hopefully, you’ll find some of your favorite ideas and be inspired by these design tips and tricks of reusing. xoxo Joanne
Art and Decor! I made this vintage skis piece for my clients for their ski house. It looks stunning in person and it was a blast collecting all the local old skis. It is a storytelling piece for sure!
Art and Decor — Absolutely the easiest way to add character and charm to your home or guest rooms. Thousands upon thousands of pieces are out there — whether you use them for what they are made for or transform them into something else. Galleries styled with collectables, extra large statement pieces just as tapestries hung on walls, wooden boats on mantels, or even a collection of skis put together to create an art installation… you can find many ideas on Pinterest or Instagram for inspo as well.
In this project, Camp DeForest, a lovely motel and cottage boutique hospitality project in Maine (a finalist for Boutique Hospitality Gold Key Awards), the spaces are filled with antique and vintage pieces and details. Here, in the kitchenette shelving are fun nostalgic antique pieces that bring you back to your old summer camp days. The counter tops are made from recycled bowling alley floors.
Love how this residential interior design project turned out. I appreciated my clients were okay when I said I wanted to paint the ceiling black! :) All the details of the old church we highlighted with paint and lighting, we did not remove them. We painted the wood floors black and add some amazing vintage pieces… including the area rug — an exceptional way to add instant texture, warmth, luxury and charm to your spaces.
Salvaged One of a Kind Pieces This door (and its twin — on the other side of the sink) was posted on a salvage shops Instagram. Within 5 minutes I purchased them for my clients. They were perfect for this project. This building, once a Church, was now two condo units. Mixing in vintage and reclaimed pieces, it has a unique bespoke look that is stunning! These doors we painted black to continue with the modern them — we added lights in the pantry so that the metal work in the doors really stood out. These are showstoppers for sure — and talking pieces as well. This whole space was a true transformation.
Upcycled, Recycled and Salvaged Design Features: Think doors, counters, flooring, lighting… the finishes of your design projects — the interior details. You can add a real statement pieces to any room. This modern kitchen (in an old church) we used two matching vintage church doors to bookend the sink. We painted them a high-gloss black to give them a more modern look. Stunning! A luxury bespoke touch to this amazing space. My favorite finishes to use in design projects — vintage sinks, especially porcelain enameled cast iron, reclaimed stone counter tops, doors, flooring, and old furniture pieces to use as vanities and cabinetry.
Another reclaimed door example from a fun Post and Beam design project that was finished recently. You can see it has a very different style and look then the one above, showing you that the possibilities, no matter your style and look, are endless — as is salvaged doors and wood — you can find them at your local salvage and reclaimed stores.
LOVED this project. Another vacation rental redo — some of my favorite projects — these short-term vacation rentals can really stand out in the crowd with just a few budget friendly design changes. We added a vintage double drainboard sink —- and opening shelving, leftover pieces of large tile made up the counter top and we added some old world charm with a brass pot hanger and some vintage finds — lots of budget tricks for a stunning old world charm kitchen. This design project was featured in numerous publications and went viral on Apple News.
In this project, we could have pulled out the old white bookcases, and the old flooring, but instead, we painted them black and rearranged some of the shelves. Think about keeping what you already have! You can paint, you can add shelves or remove shelves. You can change the location of your piece… on and on. This is by far the most eco-friendly way to design. It is great sustainably choice without sacrificing style!
Reuse What You Have! Reusing… it is a great place to start. With all my design projects I start with reuse. Most of the time my clients are like… let’s get rid of the floors, the furniture… etc. But I ask them to wait… because wall colors… or wallpaper or a transformation of something else, makes things look different. Many times, we reuse what we have but in a different way, a different room, or change things around it. As a stylist, as well as an interior designer, I get to go into people’s homes, moving things around, and get their rooms ready for a photographer to take a picture. Homeowners are shocked to see how I put their own pieces together, and they often ask me to leave the items as I placed them. Sometimes, you just need a fresh eye.
This bathroom was transformed. I love how we followed the curves of this old church and created a shower that was out of this world! I’m sure it is hard to believe that all that gorgeous marble-like penny tile is actually recycled glass. Whenever possible, I use new materials that contain recycled content — and tile is one of the easiest ways to do it!
New Products from Recycled Content: Not comfortable with salvaged materials or decor — or you like a very modern or simple style… whatever your reason — that is fine because there are LOTS of new products made from recycled material. Tile made from old porcelain sinks and toilets — any shape or color. Recycled glass tile, perfect for bathrooms! Metal with a large recycled content, new fabrics with recycled materials. Even new carpeting made from recycled content… and these are just a few examples! The list goes on. So figure out what you need for your design project and see if there is someone who makes it out of recycled content.
Another tile made from recycled material — this time old porcelain sinks and toilets. We reused the cabinet — sanded it and stained it.
Metals, including copper have a high recycled content. I love mixing metals… A kitchen stove vent hood is just one of the many places you can use recycled metal in your project. This project was a fun home renovation which is now filled with warmth and charm.
.This bathroom vanity was a piece we purchased at an antique shop for only 1/3 of what we would have paid for a piece that was just stapled together. All you have to do is cut a hole in the top and the back — maybe into one of the drawers — it is actually very easy to convert a table or dresser or console into a bathroom vanity. And it adds so much character to your space. This piece was once brown, but we gave it a modern black stain.
Furniture — Custom and Reusing: This is one of the best ways to continue on the tradition of passing down heirloom pieces or even creating your own. Whenever possible, purchase quality pieces, not ones that will only last a year or two, and then end up in the landfill. This is your chance to really bring in some character into your home. Furniture is one of the most disposed of item in the design industry. Thankfully, many people donate their items, or sell them to vintage shops, salvage shops or even sell them on line, keeping that line of reusing open — and allowing to purchase quality pieces at an affordable price Many people think making custom pieces is expensive — yes, it can be, but it can also be just as affordable as many popular online sites that sell products that are built to last. Here are a few things I do in my projects to not only reuse and reclaim but to bring in quality pieces.
This custom made table from reclaimed wood, is just one of the many pieces made from reclaimed material in this gorgeous post and beam ski house. We picked up the old wood from a neighbors house (look online, many people sell old wood) and I had a local builder/contractor make it for us. This design project is also filled with vintage pieces as well.
Almost every single piece in this private ski club is custom made — and the price point was exactly what you would pay off the shelf. But what is even better is the material used. Reclaimed hardwood and wood fabrics and recycled faux leather fabrics, made in the USA. Custom, great price point, reclaimed material and built to last— what more can you ask for in your furniture design for home or hospitality.
Beyond thrilled with my own new furniture line that mixes reclaimed materials with locally sourced wood, all made in the USA. My collaboration with Fireside Lodge Furniture has been a huge success and it is popular with both residential projects and hospitality. Hospitality grade furniture, reclaimed material, made in the USA, locally sourced wood, affordable price point, customizable, built to last, beyond thrilled to say — that designers in the industry are saying, this is one of the best new furniture lines out there now. :)
Any style, any look, is possible with vintage, recycled or reclaimed furniture pieces. This Maine Cottage, which is part of the Camp DeForest project (a Gold Key Award finalist) shows that. A vintage couch and reclaimed bedframe… are just two of the hundreds of furniture and vintage decor pieces in this boutique hospitality design project.
Keeping some of the great furniture pieces in this private dining space in a Vermont Inn, North Hero House, really makes the space feel like it is an inmate part of a private home. Keeping the art and the vintage decor as well, but changing up the color of the walls, adding a lovely chandelier and a mural, really transformed the space.
Two pieces in here I love! The corner cabinet picked up at the local salvage yard (it was once brown) and the island — which was once part of the wall — were we cut a big hole for a window. We added modern metal legs. LOVE this old warehouse project and turning this unused space into a modern country kitchen — city farmhouse style. So fun!
The club chairs the owners had and we worked the space around them. The artist made table is made from metal with recycled content and the rug is vintage, as well as some of the pillows… showing how easy it is to add vintage and reclaimed furniture into a modern bespoke design.
These are just a few examples of ways to Rediscover Salvage in Modern Interiors! This is not a trend, reclaiming and reusing will change the way design is in the future to a better, more sustainable way of designing. You can have a gorgeous curated home or boutique hospitality space while taking steps to be more thoughtful in interior design. I hope you will consider checking out my books on Salvage Design and get even more inspired about reusing to create your own unique spaces in your home or business.
Here is a toast to a NEW YEAR — USING OLD STUFF! :)
xoxo Joanne