We are a throwaway society. If an object is broken or worn, it goes in the trash without thought. There is a movement, however, back toward the mindset of the Great Depression when people reused items over and over again. One of my favorite old objects to repurpose is a window, regardless of pane condition. Most of us have a stack of old windows leaning against a wall in a shed or garage.
Here are ten ideas to give them new life:
1. Adhere photos behind the panes and use the window as an unusual collage frame. These look great on the wall or on an easel for a wedding or graduation display. If the pictures are too small to fill the pane, back with decorative scrapbook paper to add color and style.
2. Hang the window from a beam or ceiling to divide a space.
3. Build a box along the bottom of the window, hang from an outside wall or fence, and add plants. I recommend placing a plastic liner inside the box to prevent rot.
4. If one pane is broken, add a branch, greens, flowers, and other enhancements such as seed pods or a nest to create a floral display. Hang on a wall.
5. Build an end table, using the window as the table top. You could build a shadow box-style table top by adding a wood bottom to the table top. Place hinges and a handle on the window resting on top, and you can open it to place different items on display inside the table.
6. Use the window as a cabinet door by adding a handle and hinges. If you have several matching windows, you can create an entire kitchen island or several cabinets in a laundry room, kitchen, or bathroom.
7. Paint the panes with chalkboard paint. Add a box to the bottom of the window for the chalk.
Broken panes? Add cork board and create a message board.
8. Like to garden? Use the window as the top of a cold frame for early spring starts. Cold frame sides may be made from wood or hay bales. Add a handle to the window for easy access.
9. Build a potting table and use the window as the back above the work surface. Add hooks to the tops or sides of the windows for tools. Add a box across the bottom for seed packets.
10. No glass left at all? Add chicken wire to the back of the window, hang it from the wall, add tiny clothes pins and use the window as a jewelry display. It’s great for keeping necklaces untangled and earrings paired together.
Be sure to wear gloves when working on your windows to avoid injury from splinters or broken glass. Be cautious of old paint as well, in case it is lead-based. Once you start looking at objects in a new light, you will find yourself repurposing all kinds of things. It may be windows today, hubcaps tomorrow!
