Upcycling - More Dash than Cash

After a conversation with Anna from AbBeautThings today I learnt about the term "upcycling". Now if you live in north america you will be quite familiar with this term.

What it means is turning trash into treasure. Recycling and reworking something that is esentially discarded amd making it into something rather special.

I looked through my recent projects and found a couple of things I have resurrected.

At our beach shacks in Currarong I found an old table in the garden that the previous occupant used for cleaning his fish. It was dried out and rickety but it still had some patina left so I gave it to the restorer (who rolled his eyes) and and it came up a treat, much to his surprise! It made a great vanity in the bathroom.

At the house next door I had a local guy who makes mirrors make one up for me with two pieces of driftwood. The end result is the centrepiece for the room and adds that essential element of texture to a beach interior.

New York sculptor Elena Columbo has similarly decked out her beach cottage in thrifty finds. I really like the tree stumps she lacquered in multiple coats of orange-red paving paint.

Also from Martha Stewart is this upcycling project - an old door turned into a headboard.

These humble objects given a new lease on life add a certain amount of wit and charm to an interior. They work especially well in creating a casual atmosphere in a beach house or a country cottage.