Pariest

Before

This wardrobe trunk was sitting on the side of the road with a sign reading "free" taped to it.  It looked sad and lonely, but mostly heavy. I wasn't sure what to do with it, but it was too good to pass up.

After sitting in my shed for 6 months (stuffed full of deodorizer packs) I had the idea to make it into a bookcase-slash-storage piece.











The hanger bar and straps on the inside were removed.

The wood shelves were cut down from the salvaged top of an antique buffet that was too far gone to save. Pine strips were nailed in place to hold the shelves while I was working. Sheetrock screws through the sides of the trunk hold them securely in place.

I made some simple feet from some 2x4 blocks and screwed through the bottom of the trunk to attach them.

Removing the hanger bar was a feat! Remember, this trunk was made in a era when things were built to last (can you imagine!) I tried to be gentle, but still managed to make some good sized holes. I wasn't sure that wood filler would have worked so I used caulk. I sanded it down to even it out and lightly sanded the whole trunk so it would take paint better.

Without the hanger bar I didn't need the weird drawer at the top. I took out one drawer from the middle and cut it down with a jig saw and sanded the edge to fit in the top slot.












I gently drilled out the old rivets that held the leather pulls without messing up the wood too much. (mostly)










The bottom bin was too big to be practical, so I cut off the front panel with a jig saw, and then cut it right down the middle on my table saw. I sanded the edges and filled the holes where the pulls attached so I could use them as doors.








The wood of the new doors was too thin to hold the screws for the hinges. I added some pine strips to the edges, so the screws would have something to bite into, and attached them to the trunk.







I mixed up some left over paint I had with a tiny-tiny-tiny bit of water and used it to paint the inside of the trunk and drawers. The water helps the paint to get into the fabric so you don't lose the texture, but it took a least 3 coats to cover.






I bought a belt from salvation army to replace the pulls, made a paper template, cut the piece to length and carefully drilled holes in the leather.









I bought some rivets in an antique brass finish to attach the pulls.













The outside of the trunk was painted gold, and like the inside, it took 3 coats to cover properly.













A brown glaze was painted on and gently wiped off to antique the trunk.






This piece was a bit too big for my Etsy shop. (I can't imagine what the shipping cost would be) But it does a great job of taming the mess in the corner of my living room...Oh, and it looks awesome too!

 This is my latest upcycle. The inside was repapered with sheet music (Chopin's Nocturne). New feet were made from pine, painted in a faux hardwood, and attached to the bottom.


 




















The upholstered bench seat was made from a piece of plywood cut to fit on top of the trunk, a 2" thick piece of foam, and a couple of layers of batting. A piece of upholstery weight textured fabric, that has a bit of an animal hide look to it, tops it off.


I did nothing else to the outside. All the leftover bits of shipping labels looked really cool, so I didn't mess with them.



Works great as an ottoman, bench seat in a mud room, or put a tray on top for a coffee table...And, oh yeah...lots of storage!  

 This is a real, vintage suitcase; a Seapack made for the navy by Hartmann around WWII. It wasn't in the greatest condition which was fine by me because that made it perfect for an upcycle that I've wanted to do for a long time now.

The Hemingway Desk

I designed it to look like a vintage piece of campaign furniture yet function like a modern desk. All the wooden pieces were made from old, hardwood table leafs that I bought at a barn sale.















When the drawer closes it becomes invisible, and looks like a piece of luggage on a stand. The sorter and upper shelf were designed to flip up into the lid. (The mechanics of this are harder than you'd think!)


















The lid closes so you can hide your messy desk when you're expecting company, and now you have a functional side table.













                              Check out "Redoux Interiors" one of my favorite blogs.

Door panels can be assembled into many different things.

This is a door from my old house. Old doors are building blocks for upcyclers like you and me. If you have a table saw and maybe a friend who who can help you manage some awkward cutting, you can get a few nice panels that can be assembled into different things. Just make sure your door is solid wood (older ones usually are), and try to leave as much "frame" around your panel as you can. Most of them are put together with mortise and tenon joints which may loosen up or start to come apart. If so, some glue at small nails can get you right back.

Since decor is one of the topics covered in this blog, I hope you'll forgive a bit of shameless self promotion. On my wife's web site you can find some great holiday decor. We collaborate on the designs, so am I biased? Yes,  but, she is developing quite a following. Here's a few things.

You might as well know it now. Half of my projects are upcycled suitcases. Why? ...Darned if I know. I think there is just something cool about and old suitcase.


So my first post will be one of my favorites.  The suitcase table with drawer.