We love seeing the creative projects our customers dream up using ReStore materials! It inspires us to do more upcycling instead of buying new -- and reminds us that with a little creativity and resourcefulness, we can create something extra special and unique. Here, in no particular order, are our ten favorites out of the dozens of wonderful projects that everyone sent us!
1. Fuquay customer Dee Lee proves that a little spray paint goes a long way. Lots of people overlook brass light fixtures and decor because it seems dated, but in reality it’s the easiest thing to upgrade with a little spray paint! As evidenced by Dee. See the post on Instagram.
2. Apex customer Cristin Clark Austin has some vision. This project is one of the more creative ones we’ve seen -- so clever to use the headboard to make the back of the swing! The rope ties also give it a little something extra. See the post on Facebook.
3. There’s nothing like a good stormy blue to make something feel extra chic. Color My Cottage definitely knows it -- look at this beautiful credenza! This is some professional-level painting, but we can all dream.
4. When we posted this awesome modern set from the Cary store, this is exactly what we hoped someone would do. Blogger Victoria from Prepford Wife gave the nightstands a dreamy modern makeover and made everyone sad we didn’t snatch them up sooner. See the post on Instagram.
5. Realtor Kate Humphries has a lot of ReStore makeover projects under her belt, but we especially love this kid’s table re-do -- mostly because it took “paint stripper, an electric sander, a heat gun, and hours of sanding, scraping, and sweating” to transform this $16 set into a set worthy of the most industrial-chic kindergartener you know. See the post on Instagram.
6. Another realtor, Corey Short, spotted this diamond in the rough. It only took a little matte paint, a new lampshade, and some new wooden bottoms to make this lamp/plant-stand look brand new. Why didn’t we think of that?? See the post on Instagram.
7. This one is straight of out of Restoration Hardware, except way cheaper (ReStoration Hardware, if you will). An Apex customer bought a lightbulb testing station from the store and paired it with Edison bulbs and a live slab of wood to make this amazing chandelier. This is some advanced DIY! See the post on Facebook.
8. Eileen Conklin has a serious eye for good bones -- a less observant person might have just passed over these beauties. Also a lesson in patience! From Eileen: “Carefully removing the fabric so I could use it as a pattern, I found three more layers underneath. Horsehair stuffing, eight-way tied springs and a solid oak frame assured me that this was worth my time. I taught myself what to do by watching YouTube videos and after a couple mess ups, I was done. A year later, I recovered its mate.” Not even a professional upholsterer! You’re our hero Eileen! See the post on Instagram.
9. This schoolhouse light makeover was minimal, but it still took some vision, and we love how it looks in Instagram user thesalvagesign’s mudroom. She painted over the brass with a matte black (seeing a trend here?). Not bad for a $3 light fixture! See the post on Instagram.
10. Finally, here is an extremely cozy example of how you can creatively use doors -- Kim of Our NC Nest built this custom headboard using ReStore doors. See the post on Instagram.
Have a project of your own from 2018? Send it our way so we can feature it! Email us at restore@habitatwake.org.