I love to repurpose older items of quality and use them for today’s needs. For instance, a sterling silver Mint Julep cup works well in a bathroom. It’s impenetrable. If you drop it, it will survive. That old Oriental rug your mother gave you when she moved out of your childhood home? It may not work in your house today, but it might work as a welcome mat outside your front door (if you have a covered porch, this works remarkably well). Old framed mirrors that won’t look right on your walls have found a new purpose as coffee table trays. Your grandmother’s china that has become too fragile to use (and perhaps not your style)? Add it to a shelf, admire it from afar.
I’ve had clients bring me antique silver candlesticks with which they don’t know what to do. We’ve had them made into lamps for bedside tables. What a wonderful way to repurpose these items. Other ideas we’ve incorporated to make something old into something new include:
- Old sterling silver sugar shakers and pepper mills: I use these as bath salt shakers and grinders in my master bath.
Family heirloom china and accessories – to precious and fragile to use, but worth displaying on a prominent shelf in the home.
- There used to be a time when every place setting had a sterling silver ash tray (can you imagine?). Today I use these small dishes for nuts on coffee tables during parties.
- Antique books can always fill a bookshelf and bring a piece of history to something brand new.
- Old linen handkerchiefs and napkins – I’ve had these sewn into bags for giving to friends with a bottle of wine inside.
- Don’t throw out that old sofa your aunt gave you just yet. It’s true that “they don’t make things the way they used to.” Recovering an old sofa is going to result in better quality than anything you could probably buy today for a comparable price.
- An old foyer table can always be cut down and transformed into a coffee table.
The point is, old items can be used for today’s purposes. And, hey, if someone left you something sterling silver, why not add a little bit of luxury where it’s least expected?
Have an heirloom you just can’t part with but aren’t sure how to repurpose it? Call me at 502-895-1401 and let’s talk through it. Click here for more thoughts on this subject.