Lockers
are great in mud rooms, in kids’ bedrooms, in bathrooms, in offices, and in
craft rooms. They are easy to spray
paint if you don’t like the original patina.
They come in many styles, from small locker room squares to tall, slim
doors that open to one shelf and some hooks.
You can personalize lockers in many ways, including removing some doors
on tall lockers to create open shelves and adding legs and/or a top to
square lockers to create furniture.
If
you don’t have room for large lockers, try smaller metal pool lockers. They can be added to furniture, shelves, and under
benches for an industrial storage look.
School
desks may be used for study areas, but they are also great with the top removed
for planters or for display pieces throughout the home. Desk benches or chairs are also nice display
pieces, either on the floor or layered on top of a table.
Maps add
color to any room and can be upcycled in a variety of ways. Try attaching maps on rollers to the inside
of window frames to create shades.
Hang
maps as art in any room, framed or unframed.
Lastly, you can make a big statement in a room by pasting or pinning
maps all over one wall instead of using wallpaper.
Globes
make great accents and add color and fun to a room. Try grouping several globes together, mixing
large and small sizes for visual interest.
You can also customize globes using paint, markers, or Modge Podge. Use the globe for a base and add pictures,
words, or drawings, either on the original surface or on a painted globe that
you have prepared for a brand new look.
Library
card catalogs can be made into other furniture like a sofa table or buffet,
customized for craft room storage, or used as display pieces.
They come in metal and wood styles and customarily
have numerous drawers. If the wood is quite
worn, consider painting the piece for a shabby chic look.
Lastly,
blackboard paint has become a popular way to make homework all grown up.
You can paint menus in the kitchen, cover an
entire wall for the family to draw on, or customize furniture with blackboard
accents.
Black goes with everything, and
this paint is easy to use and available at hardware stores. You can even start with a layer of magnetic
paint followed by blackboard paint so you can add magnets to your creation.
School
days are here again, and it’s easy to capture the look with thrift store finds
and a little imagination. Who says you can never go back?