Wood...n't You Know! Beautiful Ways to Use Reclaimed Wood in Design
Here I am testing out the bed at Main and Mountain Bar + Motel. I designed the headboard and bed around gorgeous pieces of live edge reclaimed wood from the local lumber yard. Photo by Lindsay Selin
Hello! I’m so excited to chat about Reclaimed, Repurposed, Salvaged, Recycled and Urban Salvaged Wood and how you can incorporate these materials in your design — and why it is so important. I recently watched a show, hosted by broadcaster, David Attenborough, A Life on Our Plant, a MUST WATCH! So good and important. And one of the topics was trees and how important they are to the health of our planet and to us! So with that in mind, I decided it was time for a blog post about reclaimed wood — since I talk about it in all three of my Salvage Design books and use it constantly in my interior design work, whether it is my residential projects or hospitality and commercial ones. :)
The back wall of this townhouse was given gorgeous texture and depth by reclaimed wood found at the local non-profit, ReBuild Center, dark and covered in dirt. I cleaned them (with a scrub brush and a mixture of soap, water and bleach), let dry well, and then I whitewashed them for the builders, who applied it to the wall in a chevron pattern. The farmhouse table was also made from reclaimed wood found at the local Salvage Shop, including the old porch posts, that were used as the legs. The mismatched chairs were found at Habitat for Humanity. Photo by Susan Teare
Don’t Judge a Book by It’s Cover
Many times reclaimed old wood that you see at a salvage yard, recycle center or lumber yard is very dark due to oxidation, dirty and dust. Remember, that it will be either sanded well or planed so the natural color will shine through. So bring a piece of sandpaper and a bottle of water with you — to test the wood colors (sand a little area and then pour water on it — which will give you an idea of what the wood will look like with a sealer on it — such as polyurethane, wax or Osmo.)
In this townhouse vacation rental, we added character to the fireplace wall by creating a bookshelf surrounding it. We used reclaimed dimensional lumber and painted it black. The books we found at our local library used book sale. Photo by Susan Teare
Types of Reclaimed Wood
We all naturally think of old wood from factory floors, or old buildings that are being deconstructed — and that is great — but there are so many more types of wood you can use that are from second hand sources. There is dimensional lumber (you know, 2 x 4’s, plywood, etc.) that are usually found at Rebuild centers, or online on your local forums. There is also Urban Salvage wood — which is wood that has to be cut down from a local city or town due to disease or construction — these are usually gorgeous old tree species that are very hard to find today. There are companies that work with the city’s and town’s to help them with these — so they don’t go into the chipper (shudder). And of course, let’s not forget all the amazing second hand wood furniture pieces out there.
This table was custom made using reclaimed wood from a barn that was deconstructed by the local architectural salvage store. The wood pieces, which I handpicked, where gorgeous pieces. From a late 1700’s barn to a modern farmhouse table, filled with gorgeous character, it is a looker! It only given a light gray stain before it was sealed so you can still see all the grain lines and other natural character through it. This modern style farmhouse table, fits perfectly in this contemporary lake house. Photo by Susan Teare
When I’m Looking for Wood
Depending on what I need, will inform where I go first. If I’m looking for dimensional lumber to paint black and create bookshelves, I’ll go to my local ReBuild center. If I’m looking for gorgeous old urban salvaged wood for a solid table top, I go to the lumber mill that takes those in. If I’m looking for old wood for paneling, flooring, or barn doors, then I head directly to my Salvage Store — such as an Architectural Salvage Shop or a place like Salvage Works, who basically have a grocery store for reclaimed wood. Many times, when I’m working on a renovation project, I ask the clients and builder to set aside all the wood from the demo — and then we reincorporate it back into the project. Heck, even reclaimed Urban Lumber has a network that you can search your town for on it.
When a client calls me, they usually know my passion for using reclaimed and local materials. Here in this gorgeous lakefront home, the fireplace is local slate and the owners created the exterior of the building using old wood bleacher seats from the local university. I was thrilled to see the owner’s son create a gorgeous coffee table out of reclaimed live edge wood. Even just considering reclaimed wood in your furnishings is a step in the right direction. Photo by Susan Teare
What to Consider
It is always good to get your wood from a place to really understands it. If you are looking for reclaimed wood that is for a structural purpose (such as beams in a home), then get them from a place that can help with weigh bearing issues, loads, and much more. Also, budget will play a factor in your choices. Every location measures wood differently — some charge by the linear foot and others by the square foot. Drying, cleaning and caring for the wood is important before it is used — so consider if it is worth paying extra for the perfect salvage yard wood — or are you going to do that yourself? The character, strength, depth of wood is so vast that I recommend that you go and look at it and see what all your options are.
This interior design project was tons of fun — hard to believe this room used to be a storage room. One of the wood walls we cut open to allow the dining room and the kitchen to be integrated and the piece of wood that was cut out, we set aside which became the kitchen’s island table. Reusing what you already have is always the best choice. The wood corner cabinet the homeowner found at her local architectural salvage shop. It was brown but she painted it white to blend in with the white subway tile wall. Photo by Susan Teare
Why Use Reclaimed Wood
Because the beauty and soul it brings to your design project is immeasurable. But even more important then that, it helps us reuse what we already have, save exotic and old growth trees from being cut down, and it creates jobs. Yes, it may seem be a little bit more work to educate yourself on the best choices, to but if you go to the right places, they will make it simple for you.
This old 1800’s barn was converted into a camp, then converted into a family home. One of my favorite bathrooms I have designed is this updated bathroom with local slate tile, a vintage wood dresser turned vanity and the wood from the exterior of the building that was removed for bigger windows, used as the sliding barn door to the room. Proving that you can have a modern look using salvaged materials. The dresser, once brown and scuffed up, got a beautiful coat of black stain. I love using old furniture and converting them into bathroom vanities. Character, style and texture are added when you bring in pieces with history and soul. Photo by Lindsay Selin
From here to there. Read all about it…
Hope you get a chance to read my books… Here is the cover of my latest Salvage Design book, Styling with Salvage, by Joanne Palmisano, Photos by Susan Teare. This yummy photo by Carey Nershi.
Grab your vintage wooden bowl full of popcorn and go watch the movie, A LIFE on OUR PLANET. :) Great for the whole family.
XOXO Joanne