Today I'm sharing my love of vintage architectural salvage decor.
I'm a huge fan of using architectural salvage as decor. So what, exactly, is architectural salvage? It's basically anything that's been salvaged from a building, inside or out, that embodies a sense of history and design.
Pretty broad definition, I know. But that's the fun of it. You never know what you're going to find when you get up god-awful early and are the first one at that local barn sale or estate sale or flea market. You know what they say -- and it's true -- the early bird gets the worm.
One of my favorite pieces of architectural salvage happens to be one of the easiest to find: vintage balusters.
What's a baluster? One type of baluster (also known as a spindle) is a piece of wood that's been turned on a lathe and then used as support for the handrails on a staircase.
In my opinion, the chippier the better.
The beautifully chippy, shabby white baluster in the back on the right was purchased at an event called Vintage Market Days of Nashville a few years ago. We were visiting for our 23rd wedding anniversary and believe you me I made darn sure I was able to fit that baby into my suitcase for the flight home!
The other two white balusters are from an estate sale and the brown one is from a local resale shop. There's just something about these pieces that speak to me.
So you can imagine how thrilled I was when I stumbled upon these two extra-tall, white, chippy balusters at a local vintage shop. They were displayed standing up in an umbrella bucket. I pulled out each and every one to inspect them before making my choices.
They're taller than the balusters I already have, which I love about them. They're 30 inches tall to be exact, and that's pretty huge for a baluster. I love imagining what stately staircase they were salvaged from. And the white, chippy paint makes them all the more precious to me.
I love grouping my architectural salvage pieces into vignettes all around the house. You may have noticed in some of the photos how I've combined my balusters with vintage corbels to create romantic, vintage-inspired vignettes.
I can't wait to share some of my corbels with you in an upcoming post. I lucked out recently and brought home a few that have significant history and meaning behind them. So stay tuned for that!
Do you collect architectural salvage? What kind do you collect and where do you find it?
Well, that's it until next time, friends!
I hope you enjoyed reading about my
Vintage Architectural Salvage Decor
and that I've inspired you in some way.
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I am right there with you on old salvage pieces being in my decor. Love these old balusters. The chippier the better. Have a great week. xoxo Kris
I love architectural pieces too Kathy. Your collection is wonderful. XO- MaryJo
Although it doesn't quite qualify as architectual salvage, I salvaged the spindles from a vintage magazine rack (that I'd left outdoors over the winter. We (Al and I) sawed them in half, drilled holes in the larger ends. Then I dry brushed them in ivory (parsnips), 2 shades of orange (carrots), and purple (heirloom carrots) and added different feathery/ferny greenery to the ends. Bound with jute or ribbon in bunches of 3's, they made lovely rustic carrots for Easter (and fall harvest!). I love salvage, but it hasn't come in my way much or is outrageously expensive!
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