5 Things to Do with… Wood Shutters

If you are a fan of salvage, like I am, you will understand what delight I felt upon discovering these weathered, blue-painted shutters. I didn’t quite know how I was going to use them at the time, but I knew I had to have them.

Over the next several months, I went through a couple ideas. First, I envisioned the shutters as a headboard in the master bedroom, and then I saw them flanking the double-hung windows on the front porch, before I finally chose to hang them on a wall as “art.”

Here are five more inspired, beautiful, and DIY-friendly ways to repurpose shutters.

1. DECORATE A WALL

I was blown away with this shutter wall that Laura and Dan ofOlive and Loveinstalled in their dining room. Excited by a display they’d seen in Anthropoligie, the pair found a plentiful supply of shutters at their local Habitat for Humanity Restore and broke out the paint and brushes. The beautiful color palette and puzzle-like wall configuration are truly an inspiration.

2. BUILD A SIDE TABLE

These old weathered shutters were transformed into a unique side table with nothing more than art canvas stretchers to provide framing; screws to secure shutters to stretchers; and a wood tabletop covered with glass. You can follow a step-by-step to make one of your very own atGood Housekeeping.

3. CREATE A SHELF UNIT

This wall-mounted shelf unit offers great storage potential for a front entry or mudroom. It also reveals another easy, do-it-yourself project with shutters. Pre-sold decorative wood brackets, clothes hooks, a length of wood, and a shutter hung horizontally was all it took to create something both decorative and functional. For more inspiring projects, visitBetter Home & Gardens.

4. DRESS UP A BULLETIN BOARD

Monica Ewig ofCraftyNestcreated this clever fabric-covered bulletin board with shutters she found at a local salvage yard. She knew that bulletin boards (you know, the early version of today’s Pinterest) tend to be messy, so why not create one concealed by a pair of beautiful shutters? Her favorite element: using red furniture nail heads to pin messages, notes, and photos. You can follow a step-by-step tutorial on her site.

5. MAKE A HEADBOARD

This beautiful bedroom has a lot going for it, not the least of which are the four white-washed shutters fashioned into a headboard and topped with a length of decorative, carved molding. Depending on the stability and height of the shutters, you can either bolt them to the wall or attach them directly to the bed frame. Find out more by visitingApartment Therapy.

For more on repurposing, consider:

13 Easy Ways to Repurpose Antique Armoires
10爱Archit的理由ectural Salvage
5 Things to Do with… Old Windows