I’ve long been a fan of these fun, bright and practical folding chairs sold at the mecca of all things beautiful and bohemian called Anthropologie:

I’m sure you know all about this store… and the temptations that beckon from every corner. These chairs are FAB, but at $198 each, I wasn’t about to rush to the check-out counter with a pair.  Anyway… where the heck would I put them in my already bursting at the seams Casa Anderson?

My clever friend Hoiyin… partner in all things recycled, re-imagined, repurposed and reused, also fell in love and decided she needed such clever chairs… SO perfect to pull out for guests visiting her tiny but uber-cool loftette. But, ever the DIYer, Hoiyin made her own version with two folding chairs found in a back alley rather than at Anthropologie. She started with this:

These “ugly chairs” were found leaning against a dumpster.  No one wanted them, or even deemed them worthy of a garage sale or thrift store donation.

Hoiyin polished up the wood, and then with a bit of instruction at Alchemy Fine Living in Santa Ana, reupholstered the chairs with a collage of scraps from faded curtains and an old faux-fur halloween costume.  Several days later, with no $$$ spent, look at what Hoiyin has created.

Definitely cool and blog worthy… you can read all about her upholstery adventure here: Her photos are much much better than mine…  After all, she IS a professional photograper.

What have you remade, recycled, redone or reupholstered lately?

Have a few thousand spare picture frames laying around? You could panel your ceiling with them like Dan Phillips has.

I admit to being more than a tiny bit impressed, even obsessed, with what Dan, of Phoenix Commotion in Huntsville, Texas has been building with recycled and salvaged materials.  Homes… entire homes, that are artsy, unique and just plain crazy-wonderful.

80% of the materials for these houses are salvaged… they are definitely one-of-a-kind. Look at what Dan creates with everyday items:

Like with wine corks… floors!

Bottle caps make beautiful floors too:

As do broken tile bits:

He uses thinly sliced logs (from the local Bois D’Arc trees… they grow like weeds in Texas!) to make floors and countertops:

Bois d’arc logs also make gorgeous rustic railings:

Even cow bones (must be quite a few lying around in Texas!) become super cool furniture, light fixtures, signs, even floors.

For roofing, Dan hits up the DMV for expired license plates. The thick metal reflects that hot Texas sun well and provides a roof that will last for 75 years.

Recycled asphalt tiles in every color make splashy rainbow-like roofs:

Glass… bottles, plates, pyrex dishes and lids, mirror shards.  All are put to good use:

Dan builds these homes with the help of apprenticed labor and the soon to be homeowners.  Even though the last few years have seen a large number of the homes going through foreclosure, they have since been snapped up by higher income individuals who appreciate the beauty of these artistic structures formed from repurposed items.

I’m taking notes…  and making plans for my desert house!

I’m not a big fan of carpeted stairs:  they get dirty and worn looking so very quickly. I prefer wood, or the cork I put in our house many years ago.  The cork covers our entire 2nd level, and the stairs.  I love the way the cork looks, and the way it absorbs sound is wonderful.  But wood and cork can be very slippery on stairs. Once we switched over from carpet, our dog, Scooter, would no longer attempt the stairs to lie in his favorite sunny spot on the landing… he’d slipped and fallen down too many times. Scooter is now long gone, but I am still bothered by how slippery the bare stairs are.

SO, I’m thinking about putting a runner on top of the cork… something patterned that won’t show dirt, wear and tear.  I considered a fun animal print… a perfect fit for our “Out of Africa” home.

I even thought about striped runner.  There are so many beautiful options:

Or a pattern of some kind.  I especially like geometrics:

Even a floral would be beautiful, but can you imagine what my Motorcycle Man would say about this?

or this?

So many fun choices… I love them all.  But my final decision:  I want very very different.  I want something noone else will have.  Kind of like this:

Or this:

I am now on a mission, looking for old dhurrie rugs.  Small, large, long, thin, even bits and pieces.  Once I have enough parts that all look good together I’ll have my carpet installer patch them together to form a one-of-a-kind runner for the stairs.

I know, I know… this is definitely weird… maybe a little too bohemian for some.  But to me… well, I am drooling already!  Sooo beautiful, and much safer too!