Reclaimed and Restored

I’ve always enjoyed taking old things and making them new again. I love being able to see some potential in an item that has been cast away. I enjoy the process of rubbing of the dirt and grime, sanding away the crud, and breathing new life back into somebody else’s junk. It is such a perfect reminder of how we have been redeemed by Christ. We come to Him full of nasty sin and shortcomings. He breathes new life into our dead selves. So I guess you could say that restoring old junk is a spiritual thing for me.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! – 2 Corinthians 5:17

So.

With the advent of flat screen televisions, entertainment centers are falling by the wayside. Ours has been moved to the basement to hold our big ‘ole TV, and we have replaced it with a flat screen TV and a TV stand. Except that the wall on which the entertainment center stood now looks bare, even with the TV and stand. Plus, the TV sits lower than we are accustomed to. You can tell by the alignment of the pictures where the huge entertainment center stood.

So, what’s a thrifty girl to do but hit the thrift stores in search of the perfect place to fill the space and elevate the TV a bit. And color – we need color. The den has become to brown and tan and beige. Hmmm. Maybe a big old honking dresser will work, and I can paint it some wild color like yellow or orange.

Score!! It cost me $75 (a little high for a thrift store find), but it came with a mirror which I will be able to use in PattiGirl’s room. Two pieces or the price of one. SOLD!! It’s funky and big and will look great with paint.

In the end, I went with orange because it looks better in the room. I adore the pop of color it brings. It holds the TV and the other AV equipment. And it works perfectly.

But now I have this big space above it that is crying for something. I don’t want a painting because it will be too busy. I like the photos that were hanging there previously, but I really need to use them on another wall.

See how that spot above the chairs is crying out for a collage of black and white photos? Yeah, me too. So now I’m on the hunt for something horizontal that isn’t too busy, doesn’t have too much color, and is big enough to fill the space. Something like…

…this cane kayak/canoe thingy I saw at Restoration Hardware. What do you think? Too quirky? I mean, I like quirky, but don’t want to add too much quirk. It will be hanging above an orange dresser for crying out loud. Any ideas?

What pieces have you breathed new life into lately? Feel free to share a link in the comments.

Comments

  1. I love the color you chose to paint that piece. It looks great! They kyack looking thing looks like it would work with your decor, and it’s kind fo fun without being distracting.

    I’m stopping by from the crew, and now I’m a GFC follower.

  2. Love the orange…so loud and so perfect!! I say you need to add some architectural salvaged peice.

  3. Love the orange…makes for a beautiful, yet fun and hip piece!

    Also, really like the verse you included! 🙂

  4. I am stopping by because I am on the TOS crew with you. I love the pop of orange…I have never thought of using bold colors on those kinds of re-purposed dressers….I always just think black – or white….but you have got me excited about trying some bolder things! Very cool! And no, the kayak thingie is NOT too quirky!

  5. I love your intro to this post…that’s exactly how I feel about seeing potential in things. Thank you for sharing!

    And the piece is so fun…the orange was a great choice.

    When it comes to the styling I’m always up for something quirky…go for what makes your heart smile.

    -Jen

  6. Looks awesome! I hopped over from Rhoda’s to say that I bought that EXACT same dresser at a thrift store and now it’s in my living room painted turquoise! Great job on the orange. It’s fun to have a pop of unexpected color like that. Also I’m totally diggin that canoe thing!

  7. I have been looking on craigslist for an old, cheap dresser that I can use under a tv that I plan to mount on the wall – I want it to hold the cable box, dvd player and sound system so I need drawers. I am also wanting to store some of my son’s toys in there instead of dragging them back to his play room when we have company. I was curious about the dimensions of the dresser you have, it seems to be the perfect size and I have such a large wall that I need to put it against! I am especially interested in the width. Im worried that if it sticks too far out from the wall its like you will be walking into a big ol’ dresser as soon as you walk into the room.

  8. I have a dresser very similar to this and I would LOVE to painted it. But Prince Charming always goes on and on about how beautiful the wood is! I hate it! Maybe one day I will wear him down!

    Thanks for sharing!
    Lisa!
    http://sunla-designs.blogspot.com/

  9. Love the idea of using a dresser as a tv stand and that orange looks fantastic!

  10. Hey There! I absolutely love the color that you painted your dresser turned TV stand. Is there any way you remember what the shade is called? Or where you bought it from?

    • Ashley Mills Hill says

      Unfortunately, I painted that piece several years ago and that information has long since been dumped from my brain. Wish I had written it down. So sorry!

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