While the term “repurposing” may be fairly new, the concept has been around
forever. Grandma Betty stashing the family’s emergency fund in the flour canister. Uncle Stan taking over the entire garage with his model railway. Mom converting your childhood bedroom into a sewing room. Repurposing is simply about making your home’s objects and spaces work for the way you live.
Innovate affordably.
Unlike remodeling, repurposing is low-cost or no-cost because you’re using what you
already have. A colorful old vase becomes a charming countertop container for
kitchen utensils. A hope chest that’s too big for the bedroom moves to the playroom
and is the perfect solution for storing games. An underused room gains a whole new
raison d’être and becomes the most popular spot in the house.
Become a space sleuth.
Repurposing is all about problem-solving. So take a step back to view your spaces
objectively, and ask some questions: Which areas do we use the most? Why don’t we
spend more time in this room? How do we actually live? What would make this space more
useful? For example, many families rarely use their formal living rooms, preferring the easy comfort of a family room or kitchen nook. Most children don’t use the desk in their bedroom because the desk is too small to be practical, or the student doesn’t want to be isolated when doing homework. At any rate, if it’s not used, it’s not useful! Once you identify the cause, you can begin creating a solution.
Repurposing for stages of life.
Spaces change as families grow. Your home functions one way when babies are crawling and toddlers are toddling: Put up the safety gates and stow away the collections! It changes completely during the teenage years, with the playroom morphing into a game room and movie theater. When the kids fly the coop, empty nesters can better indulge their own interests. They may repurpose a bedroom to accommodate their treadmill or quilting projects, or convert an unused tool bench into a deluxe potting area for their flowers and heirloom tomatoes.
Repurposing is often temporary.
Changes needn’t be permanent. For example, some families with young children opt to convert their formal dining room into a playroom for a few years. (The table can be moved to another spot and used for hobbies or crafts.) The newly created family zone might feature beanbag chairs and a portable bookshelf for a cozy reading area, and larger toys such as play kitchens and workbenches. One young couple who had repurposed their dining room wanted to host a formal Thanksgiving dinner. They timed how long it took them to convert the room back: just 22 minutes! Switching over a room can also be done seasonally. A sunroom that’s ideal for reading and informal dining in the spring and summer can be converted to a workout room in the fall and winter, when cold weather and limited daylight make it tougher to exercise outdoors. By investing less than 60 minutes in moving a few pieces of furniture or equipment, you’ll be rewarded with months of use and enjoyment.
Seek some inspiration.
When it comes to repurposing, seek some inspiration. Take note of what other people do in their homes. Pore over your favorite magazines and explore the Internet for ideas. Spend a leisurely
afternoon in a funky home-furnishings store, where you’re likely to see some unusual repurposing ideas; antique shops may also showcase their items in clever and surprising ways. Finally, seek advice from a creative friend who understands how you live. Give him or her a top-to-bottom tour of your home … you might be surprised at the insights and ideas you two can generate.
Create solutions thatwork for you.
As a homeowner, it’s satisfying to make changes that work for the way you live. Your home not only functions better, it also feels more like you. Keep in mind that when it comes to repurposing, there are no right or wrong answers—so start thinking outside the box!
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Home Pricing Guide
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Repurposing Tips
With a creative twist, everyday objects can be repurposed to organize and beautify your home. Here are a few ideas to get you thinking in a new direction …
On your mark … Use colorful dry-erase markers on bathroom mirrors to leave messages for your family members where you know they’ll see them. Mark a special occasion, say congratulations, offer words of encouragement, or remind them of a task or appointment.
This solution’s a shoe-in. Use a pocketed shoe organizer to store small tools, cleaning products, masking tape, flashlights, batteries, emergency candles, matches and other musthave items. An ideal location is on the garage wall, near the door that connects your home to the garage.
The art of dining. Laminate children’s colorful drawings and paintings to make casual, one-of-a-kind place mats that can be wiped clean. For a special birthday celebration or anniversary, do the same with baby pics or wedding photos. (Color photocopies work great if you want to keep the originals.)
Throw in the towel. Every bathroom needs extra towels, so why not store them in fabulous plain sight? Arrange them in a rustic wooden crate or apple box, or in a bright ceramic flowerpot. Or install an artistic wine rack on the wall and fill it with rolled hand towels.
Raise the bar. Use a lightweight, inexpensive metal towel bar to hang spray cleaners by their triggers; this method saves space and prevents tipping and spilling. Install the bar on the wall near your washer and dryer, or inside your cleaning supply closet or cupboard.
Homeowners Share Their Repurposing Stories
“When I converted a small bedroom into my office, I threw the rules out the window,” says Marjorie from Portland, Oregon. “My desktop is a plain old door I painted, and it sits on two antique file cabinets from my grandfather’s law office. The room feels like me, and I love it.”
“The previous owners left six wooden picture ledges on the living room walls, which wasn’t a look we wanted,” says Joel, who purchased a spacious old home in Spokane, Washington. So he
removed the ledges (which were about 3 inches deep) and reinstalled them in the home’s large rumpus room—but placed them a kid-friendly 28 inches off the floor. “Our 3-year-old, Jack, uses the ledges for his huge collection of Matchbox cars,” Joel says. “He spends hours lining them up and running them back and forth. When Jack outgrows them, we’ll move the ledges to the kids’ rooms to showcase their artwork and awards.”
“We didn’t use our living room. The vacuum tracks were never disturbed,” recalls Nancy, who lives near Phoenix, Arizona. That changed when it became the study hub for her three girls, who previously had fought for space at a crammed kitchen counter. “We have a large, knee-high coffee table that is now the homework table,” Nancy says. “The girls sit on the floor and have plenty of room to spread out. We cover the tabletop with butcher paper to protect the surface … they scribble their math calculations on it, and practice their spelling words.”
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