Whether you pulled off old wooden shutters from your home’s windows or picked up a pair at a garage sale or antique mall and aren’t sure what to do with them, don’t just let them sit. Use the four ideas below to repurpose window shutters into charming home décor.
Old shutters salvaged from junkyards and garage sales can get new life as shelves and room dividers. Photo By corporatemonkey/Courtesy Flickr
Shutter shelves
During one of my redecorating phases in my teens I hung three white wooden shutters found at a garage sale horizontally on the wall in my childhood room to make shelves. I liked the vintage feel they added to the room with my books and mementos artfully displayed on them. Using shutters as shelves adds more visual interest to a room than simple wooden shelves, and repurposing shutters saves virgin wood used for shelves. The only supplies needed to hang the shelves are L-brackets and screws.
Paper holder
The slats in shutters are perfect for organizing papers. Place a smaller shutter on a table near the front door for organizing mail. Or use shutters to hold magazines, scrapbook paper, cards or even books.
Room divider
If you have taller shutters, use hinges to secure the shutters together to form a room divider. Smaller shutters could be used in the same way to create a fireplace screen. This project will require three to four shutters.
If the paint on the shutters is weather-beaten, you could repaint them or keep the distressed look. Make sure to use sand paper to smooth away any peeling paint, if you choose to leave the shutters as-is.
Cabinet doors
For a more intensive project, shutters could be used as repurposed cabinet doors to add a cottage feel to a kitchen. They could also be used as doors to a hutch or standing cabinet.
Do you have any other ideas for repurposing old window shutters? Have you tried any of these ideas in your home? Tell me about it in the comments section.
