Decorating with reclaimed wood is a popular trend these days. The old wood look has a lot of value, and we see items such as live-edge tables and recycled wood doors in rustic style homes as well as modern ones. Marvelous Woodworking has created a number of pieces by repurposing wood our clients have brought us. Sometimes they find a pile of logs in a shed their dad had cut years ago, or they are tearing down an old barn but want to keep part of it for the memories. We have built everything from small frames to fireplace mantels to new furniture pieces from found wood.

A Rare Find

Typically, houses are built with common woods like pine and poplar, used in baseboards, door casings and shelving. However, every once in a while you’ll find richer woods like oak, cherry, walnut, and even mahogany. We were on a remodel project when our client found her home had hidden stashes of mahogany in the door casings as well as big wooden planks serving as closet shelves. Mahogany is a lovely material, and our client wanted to use it for something more prominent than stacking her towels on. We replaced the mahogany with pine, and built a bathroom vanity and a matching bench from the richer material.

This is a rare find—the home was built in the 50s or 60s, and at the time expensive woods like mahogany were incorporated into houses that were considered upscale. Sometimes these woods have been painted over and remain hidden treasures, until the homeowner starts to pull things apart.

Reclaimed Barn Door

As housing development expands, and the Indiana fields are turned into neighborhoods, many old barns are coming down and becoming reclaimed wood resources. A client was tearing down a horse barn where she had grown up, and she salvaged one half of a door. We mounted it on a sliding hardware hanger for her and turned it into a decorative piece that holds many great childhood memories.

If you have found some raw wood that has sentimental or family value, Marvelous Woodworking can turn it into a beautiful piece, either small memorabilia items like a coat rack, or sometimes even heirloom-quality furniture. Contact us, or call 317-679-5890.

Mudrooms, entryways, and backdoor areas tend to become the family catch-all after work and school. The ensuing clutter becomes an eyesore, and makes it harder to find what you need to get out the door. Thankfully, there is a way to solve organization issues—custom storage. A family in Zionsville sought us out to help them design a custom piece that would address their messy back room, which had become a disheveled gathering spot for totes, shoes, boots, hats and gloves. Everything always wound up scattered on the floor! Though they tried using some of their existing furniture, those items weren’t able to function as needed. They came to Marvelous Woodworking to create their perfectly functional mudroom organizer that would hold all their items.

For the design, our clients had found ideas and pictures on Houzz and Pinterest to communicate what features and look they wanted. With a custom design, all options are open; we mixed several ideas together to create the perfect storage piece they needed, and made it stylistically look like it belonged to their home.

They needed a unit that could hold everything quickly—backpacks, coats, hats, gloves, shoes, etc. Open shelving allows for simple, easy storage, and the individual compartments keep each family member’s items separate so they are findable.

We took every opportunity to tie in their existing interior design to the custom piece, mirroring the room’s base molding on the foot, putting crown molding around the top that echoed the door and window styles, and using matching white paint. The bead board back also reflected the contemporary style of the house.

The homeowner’s touch came in with the baskets and hooks; she had already chosen them before we created the design, so we were able to use them to determine the overall dimensions of the project.The homeowners wanted a painted look and it was a wise choice for durability and upkeep. A well-used item like this is going to see some abuse during its time. Paint is easily cleanable, and all it needs to look new again is a fresh coat.

Each household will have different needs when it comes to creating custom storage. The first important questions to ask yourself is what needs to be stored, and how hidden does it need to be? For some homes, it will be all about creating spaces for baggage and clothes. For others, hiding sports equipment will be a big priority, requiring closed doors. A custom storage piece can cater to all of your needs, providing a place for everything so nothing has to lie around on the floor anymore.

We at Marvelous Woodworking love designing custom solutions for our clients. Send us an email or call  317-679-5890.