The key to finding a new use for worn-out junk is to look at it from a new perspective. Trash-to-treasure expert Robb Whittlef shares ideas for creating great design accessories from garage-sale deals and junk store finds as he transforms an old cabinet door into a breakfast tray and offers imaginative tips on displaying old signs. To create an interesting breakfast or coffee-table tray, find an old cabinet door with suitable dimensions, and add antique hardware or other decorative elements to personalize it. Robb added a distinctive cabinet handle to each end of a white cabinet door, then attached four wheels from a baby carriage to the door's sides, creating a tray that serves as a uniquely charming decorative accent. Use old metal signs to add interest to any room. Because they come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, old signs may provide the ideal accent for odd spaces. Robb suggests using an array of old signs to decorate a new house. The worn look of antique signs adds character and nostalgic ambiance to a new home with little history. Many old signs also make great tabletops (figure A). Simply fit a sign on top of an existing table, and secure it by driving nails through the holes originally used to hang the sign.
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