November 6, 2017

Decorate & DIY With Vintage Salvage


Joanne Palmisano was one of the speakers at the
Country Living Fair Atlanta 2017. The title of her workshop
 was "Amazing Ways To Decorate and DIY with Vintage
Salvage". She was so energetic, funny and informative!
Joanne Palmisano "Decorate and DIY with Salvage"
 It was SO COLD that Sunday morning at the end of October. Joanne is from New Jersey...she knew how to dress
for the cold...most of the rest of us did not and were literally shivering in our seats. 

Warning...a lot of the photos in this post were screen shots
literally. I was sitting on the front row taking pictures of
the screen in the tent. It makes the images skewed. 

Joanne wears a lot of hats! She is a contributing designer for
DIY Network. She has created 170 online projects for their
website. Here are a few of those...

click text to go to tutorial
Joanne Palmisano speaks at Country Living Fair Atlanta 2017

click text to go to tutorial 
how to attach fabric cutouts to a dresser

not really a tutorial but the best I could find
salvage wood headboard idea

There are two tutorials. One is if you just want to paint the bricks. The second is if you want to 
take it further and build up a new mantel and install a marble surround. . 
how to add a wooden mantle to a fireplace

She is also a stylist for magazines such as "Eating 
Well" and "Gardner's Supply Company".
Joann Palmisano stylist at Eating Well magazine

She is an author! She already has published two books
about decorating with salvage items and she has another
book coming out in April of 2018.
Joanne Palmisano Salvage Secrets

Joanne Palmisano new book April 2018

I'm just saying all that to say that she knows what she is
talking about...she was worth sitting in the cold to hear. 

Some of the projects she showed us were good for
 beginner salvage/repurposers. Like going to thrift stores
and keeping an open mind to image what some of the
things there could be. 

Clear glass vases and jars....
get glass vases at thrift stores


....could become a grouping for one type of flower...
inexpensive flower centerpiece

...or be wrapped in chicken wire for a farmhouse feel.
how to make a vase interesting

An old ice skate could be painted with stripes...
how to paint an ice skate

...and made into a porch or door ornament.
ice skate door hanging

Seemingly non-related frames could be painted...
how to make an inexpensive gallery wall

...all the same color and become a  picture gallery .
how to unify photos

Even consider stacking one frame inside of another one.
use thrift store frames

A dated dresser could become...
repainting a dresser

a showstopper with new paint.
cool dresser paint job

When you are ready to move to bigger salvage projects
you could advance on to things like making a bathroom 
vanity out of dressers.
make a dresser into a sink
"Before" above, "After below"

old dresser becomes bathroom vanity

click on text for tutorial

Before
remodle a bathroom

After
Bathroom counter, sink, wallpaper and mirror have been 
removed. Vintage dresser/turn bathroom vanity and mirror.
bathroom remodel

The photo below shows a bathroom changed by
painting the cabinets, replacing the counter with 
reclaimed wood and replacing the sinks with
 larger salvaged ones. Also in this bathroom the plate
mirror was replaced and new light fixtures were added.
use salvage sinks in bathroom

Joanne said to be on the lookout for a roll or two of nice 
wallpaper at thrift stores. Sometimes that is all a small wall
will require. 

She says that older sinks are usually bigger than new ones.
Many times they can be found at salvage yards for a 
good price.
use salvage sinks to remodel

Salvaged sink reused... 
how to use salvage sinks

If you are going to be looking at old wood to 
repurpose, Joanne says to take a piece of sandpaper
and a bottle of water.  Sometimes old wood has darkened.
Sand a small area of the wood to see what it will probably
 look like sanded. Then pour a little water on the sanded
sanded area to see what the wood will look like with a finish.
how to use old wood

Joanne also updates, renovates, refreshes vacation rentals,
motels, hotels, inns and businesses. Some of the following
pictures are from those projects but the salvage concepts and 
ideas are ones that we could use in our own homes. 

Before
how to remodel vacation rental

After
Salvaged wood installed on diagonal on a wall. Dining area
warmed up with new light fixture, rug, substantial furniture.
The kitchen area was also lightened up.  
how to update vacation rental

Before
blank wall
how to update your vacation rental

After
Salvaged wood attached to wall. A thrift store light fixture
was updated by removing shades and adding Edison bulbs.
salvaged wood on wall

Before
how to update lake cottage

After
Walls painted. New drapery. Twine wrapped around older
lamp to update it. Some furniture painted and reused. 
Click over to this post on Joanne's blog to see how she
used boating rope and line to wrap outdated lamps for
cottages at a lake resort. Now they have a history!
how to remodel lake house

Before
should you paint real paneling

After
Wall paneling painted white. Some furniture kept and also
painted. Vintage oars used to decorate wall. Lamp wrapped
in rope. 
how to decorate a lake house

Before
how to update a condo

After
The upper cabinets were removed and replaced with
 open shelving. The sink was moved to be under the window. 
Low bar replaced with salvaged wood island.
open shelving in a kitchen

Before
how to make open concept


After
Joanne says if you are using salvaged wood for a counter
 top, make it look thick even if it is not. Turn a piece of
wood on its side around the edge if needed. The black 
counter in the back is salvaged granite tiles.
how to make salvaged wood counters

Before
remodel garage into kitchen

After
how to style a kitchen

Before
redecorate a paneled room

After
Carpet removed, new furniture, industrial lighting and
shelving, unified stools, 
how to decorate a masculine room

Before
how to update group eating area

After
Chairs painted all the same color to unify them. Walls painted.
Salvaged wood and columns tables. Light fixtures made of
salvaged ladders. Floor lightened. 
how to make a ladder light fixture

 Before
how to use a wall mural

After
Joanne says that wall murals are a bold and simple way to
keep decorating costs down.
how to decorate a small bedroom

 Before
how to add drama to a bedroom

After
Joanne uses another large wall mural in the update of this
how to use a wall mural as a headboard

Before
A dated cottage bedroom at a resort
how to redecorate a dated bedroom

After
New carpet, wallpaper, bedskirt, lamps, wainscoting.
Same bed, tables and chair. (The bed sure looks higher...
I use two box springs on my bed to make it higher).
Joanne gives more details on this room in this blog post.
how to decorate a bedroom on a budget

Joanne is super talented and busy. If you see that she is
coming to an event nearby, you should try to go see her!

If you want to see more pictures and speakers at the
 Country Living Fair Atlanta, here are more of my posts...
Bringing Farmhouse Style To A Cookie Cutter House

I am sharing this post over at these blog parties...
Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style
Talk of the Town @ Knick of Time
Share Your Style @ The Vintage Nest
Featherned Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage
Amaze Me Monday @ Dwellings


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