Hardware Hacks

     Anyone who repurposes furniture or cabinets knows that hardware can be terribly expensive.  Instead of blowing your budget at a store, consider looking around your house or garage for some unique, affordable alternatives.  You can use almost anything as drawer or door pulls with a little ingenuity.
     Do you have a boat?  Use the cleats on your cabinets.

     Raid your garden shed for extra spigot valves.

     Build some wooden pulls out of vintage rulers and spools.

     If you are decorating a dresser or cabinet in a child's room, use toys to make fun handles.

     Old silverware is great on kitchen drawers.  Mix and match patterns for visual interest.

     Skeleton keys create a vintage look.

     Try old paintbrushes on shop or studio cabinets.

     Your yard can even yield natural elements that won't cost a thing.  Rocks, sticks, rope, and antler sheds all make unusual and eye-catching handles.

You may still require some hardware to attach your finds to the door or drawer, but usually your overall cost will go down if you get creative with the pulls themselves.  And you'll end up with a one-of-a-kind look that you can customize to your taste and style.

Creative Coffee Tables

   One way to add texture and richness to your living room is to get rid of your standard coffee table and replace it with something creative and unique.  There's no rule that says everything in your room has to match and be from the same time period.  Visit your local antique or vintage shops and have fun looking at objects with a new purpose in mind.  Here are some ideas for your new look:

   Factory carts make a popular coffee table that adds a rustic, wood touch to the room.  You can add a clear coat of polyurethane to bring out the character of the wood, and rub down the metal parts with oil.  Look for carts with labels or writing on them to add interest. 

   Crates, trunks, suitcases, and boxes are great choices for coffee tables, especially since you gain storage with the pieces that have lids.  You can stack multiple pieces for height, or add legs to smaller pieces like crates to make them even with the couch.

You can also use parts of trunks or suitcases to make your table, such as this trunk lid with legs attached:

   If you want a table that is even more unique, consider making a table from architectural salvage or repurposing unusual items such as a chicken crate, snowshoes, or a child's red wagon or sled into a table.  Legs or sides can be made from traditional spindles or from sewing machine bases, bench arms, blocks of wood, or metal salvage.

    You might have a piece of furniture that was intended for another use that would make a great coffee table and add architectural interest, such as this map case:

   Have an old window?  If you build a box for the window and add hinges and legs, you've created a coffee table that doubles as a display box for treasures.  Consider how this table would look with a map, sand, shells, and floats from your favorite beach:

   You can also personalize your table with meaningful decor like the license plates added to the top of this coffee table:

   With imagination, some treasure hunting, and a little elbow grease, you can easily update your living room with a one-of-a-kind conversation piece that will take your space from ordinary to interesting in no time.