After posting a few ways to decorate with flea market finds, we thought we'd follow up with a list of 10 more common vintage items that can be repurposed as sorters, storage pieces, and general household helpers. None of these ideas are rocket science, but it never hurts to have a reminder that old things can find new life, particularly when you use them in humble ways around the home.
- Use wire baskets as magazine holders, or hang a square one on the wall to make shelves.
- A vintage toolbox makes a good jewelry box, cord sorter, or a place to stash your TV remotes.
- A set of matching vintage canisters can store bathroom supplies, extra cords, or pens and pencils.
- Old tackle boxes can be repurposed for jewelry or craft storage.
- Use a 45 rack or dish stand to sort mail, or just find a vintage letter holder like the one shown above.
- Vintage ice cube trays are often sturdier and thicker than the plastic ones most people use now. Repurpose them to sort jewelry, change, or loose screws and nails.
- Old soap dishes were often designed to be mounted to the wall, which makes them great key-catches in a small entryway.
- Vintage metal trays can be hung on the wall and used as magnet boards.
- Use an accordion peg rack for jewelry storage or to hang laundry bags.
- A set of vintage glass jars can be great for dry goods or craft supply storage.
SHOWN ABOVE
• Vintage Wire Egg Basket, $28
• Vintage Toolbox, $78
• Vintage Set of 4 Kitchen Canisters, $18
• 20-Drawer Metal Storage Cabinet, $30
• Vintage Mail Organizer, $14
• Vintage Frigidaire Ice Cube Trays, $12
• Antique Metal Soap Dish, $42
• Dutch Metal Tray, $12
• Vintage Accordion Peg Rack, $11
• Ball Jars in Milk Jug Tote, $52
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#4 - A few months ago I found some tackle boxes just like these that my father wasn't using anymore. They were very rusty so I stripped and sprayed them white and now they're in my desk. Extremely useful!
Nice post! I'd also add that many vintage housewares don't need to be repurposed in new ways at all but do a great job at what they were originally intended for. Those canisters would be useful storing coffee and tea, just as intended. Vintage bread bins crop up at pretty much every flea market I go to as well and often look much cuter than newer ones, or new ones designed to look vintage.
http://lavalotti.wordpress.com/
I have an old porcelain toast rack (in blue and white) that I use as a letter holder. I makes me happy every time I look at it.
While I do like the vintage aesthetic as an alternative to cheap plastic bins and containers bought new, frankly the prices for some of the vintage pieces are bordering on the absurd - $52 for some glass jars? Yes, I'll buy a couple (of the big ones) for dry goods that are going to be stored on the countertop, but not for something that's going inside a cabinet. Not to store crayons in.
um....
http://ragamuffindesign.wordpress.com/2010/08/06/a-few-more-areas-of-the-livingroom/
and a bread box for dish towels...
http://community.livejournal.com/saucydwellings/1626314.html
I do something crazy with my vintage sugar and flour canisters.... I keep sugar and flour in them!
Although, I do have a cool old pitcher that holds spatulas, an old Dad's Root Beer bottle that I added a top to and use to dispense dish soap and a vintage toaster that makes a fabulous book end, to name a few...
I have almost that exact accordian peg rack in my apartment - we use it for our expansive collection of hats!