about a month ago, my daughter decided that she wanted to get rid of her large dollhouse that was given to her by my parents at the age of 6. now that she's 12, it was time to move on as she will soon embark on her teen years. however, once we removed the dollhouse, nothing but an empty blank wall was now present, so we realized that coming up with an idea might be a challenging one. the next visualiztion in lieu of our typical painting or piece of art, was to replace that empty wall with shelving. we thought it'd be the perfect solution to replace that area with something where she can display her old dolls, but for other random items as well.
but money was tight for us, so typical shelving units were just too expensive to even consider, and of course, they also weren't modern enough than from what i typically love. since i have always had a fondness for modern and simple decor, one thing i have always adhered to for any sort of display, is the eclectic mix of recycled/pre-owned objects with a modern twist while sharing new objects in my home. i prefer it this way, because it's my way of incorporating the old with the new; a way of being resourceful of discarded items in our city.
i've always loved this mix of decor and i find it important as a way to recycle materials throughout your home.
why not? why does everything have to be traditional and common? why not be creative and experimental and inventive instead?
for an inexpensive idea—or free for that matter, shhh!—that i came up with in lieu of regular shelving for her bedroom, but not just something creative and cool looking, but resourceful, because let's face it, isn't it about how 'cool' something looks, and not your quintessential piece of furniture that you see in most people's home?
for me, the answer is definitely! it's how i've always rolled when it comes to decorating my loft. even my paintings are more colorful and funky than the typical common art that you commonly see anywhere else.
lime green, anyone?
as i started my quest to get my project started, i knew it would be a challenge to 'find' what i needed to look for—milk crates! yup, you read this right—because i thought milk crates would be a perfect solution to a much complex situation—and of course, an inexpensive one as well.
since those cool bratz dolls that were so popular not too long ago are no longer in production, it was another fix where she could save them with hopes of turning them into collector's items in the future; perhaps an idea that she wanted for displaying them properly for her friends to see!
why not turn more milk crates into side tables as well? a perfect solution for a limited and sparse space, displaying one on each side.
with adding old style and pre-used milk crates to her bedroom, i realized how much i liked this idea for her small bedroom, so i also integrated the milk crates throughout my loft. why not?
our bedroom is also limited on space so adding an industrial-style shelving unit
($80 at sam's club) with a few milk crates for added storage of sweaters & other winter items.
a perfect solution for a small space in our laundry area
although these particular locations where we utilized the pre-used milk crates was practical, i knew i wanted to add a little something newer and a lot more colorful to mimic our upstairs living area, so tossing in newer crates would be a little more fun than the plain black or blue crates that you would typically find at your local grocery store. what better way to make use of our much larger wasted space above our kitchen sink than fun colorful ones instead?
for some, this idea might not be an acceptable one, but that's ok, maybe it'll give you the inspiration you'll need to get started on an upcoming project, if not an unusual decorative idea throughout, because if not within your home, maybe just an idea overall.
even though money might not be a problem or a concern for you at this time, or maybe you just want to bring forth a different and unique perspective to your home, this pioneering approach that you won't normally see anywhere else, will generate a buzz as a result of this innovative verge, because i assure you, your friends WILL be impressed.
it's not just for college dorms anymore.
2 comments:
I like how you hung them on the wall in Emma's room and above your sink too! I use the crates for storage but never thought of hanging them like that---great idea!
Thanks Deb! Wait until you guys come over and you see it. It's really cool and Emma loves it.
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