Isn’t this chair great? Special Discount Offered to Green Talk Readers!
As the Editor of Green Talk, I receive endless emails from companies asking me to write about their products. Although you may think that this can be overwhelming, I am the fortunate one since I get to meet some amazingly passionate people along the way.
A month ago, I was privileged to spend time with Lori Jacobsen, co-owner of The Repurposed Home. Lori is an interior designer who has started this Company with her daughter, Katie, to take furniture and accessories bound for the trash and repurpose them into fabulous to die for pieces.
In the two hour time frame that I spent with Lori, I truly believe there is nothing that Lori can’t re-do, repurpose, or remake into a one of kind treasure. Creating The Repurposed Home was a logical step for Lori. As she explained to me, she has always saved and reused items realizing the value of everything she came in contact with. Given her interior design background, she is not only able to envision a use for all the treasure she finds, she can pull it off using style and color.
Simply re-making furniture and other accessories is not the only goal of the Company. Lori gives new life to pieces using nontoxic paints, strippers, and sealers. Take for an example, the little girl’s bedroom set pictured to the right. Lori had the paint removed on the bed and chair using a soy-based stripper. The pieces were then repainted using old fashion black milk paint. The duvet, bed skirt, and pillow shams are made out of toile remnant showroom fabric.
As for the chair pictured at the beginning of this article, she purchased it from an estate sale, had the cushions filled with feather and down, and re-upholstered it using overstocked showroom fabric that was bound for the trash. She did not use any Dacron or foam in re-stuffing the chair. As you can see, this is no longer your grandmother’s chair. Who would not want this fresh, hip re-make of a traditional chair? Check out the other furniture on the site as well.
Wait, I have more. Lori showed me an assortment of pillows where she used remnant fabrics, silk ties, wool sweaters, and/or her son’s khakis to create one of kind pillows.
Picture above is pillows made out of silk ties. You never knew your husband’s ties could look this good?
Or how about the above pillows made out of old wool sweaters? On the site, there is an old wool sweater pillow with the 3 vintage buttons priced at $45. I have barely scratched the pillow surface with all that Lori has to offer. Check out her other designs on the site.
Lori not only dabbles in re-doing furniture, she also has created retro framed art by using old album covers priced at $119. Check out the Madonna and Bruce Springsteen album covers surrounded by black 17 by 17 inch frames. Remember Loverboy? Well that cover is there too.
After I must have said a million of “I absolutely love this” comments to Lori, my mouth dropped open when she showed me her old spoons, molds, and cookie cutters priced at $8.50 each, which could be used as whimsical tree ornaments. Wouldn’t these ornaments look great on your Christmas tree?
At that point of our visit, I decided I was so jealous of her crafty talent. What else will she repurpose in the future? Well, you will have to keep checking back on her site to see. As for the items mentioned above (with the exception of the silk tie pillow pictured above) you can be buy them on her website. If you are interested in the silk tie pillow, just email her. I am sure it will be up on her site soon.
After my visit with Lori, I decide there is a reason why some people design and other can’t. If everyone could design, who would be left to admire? In Lori’s case, not only can she design, she does so with a lighter footstep on the Earth.
Update: Green Talk readers can receive a 15% discount on items purchased through the website by simply letting Lori know you are a Green Talk reader. You must email her to receive a discount. Happy shopping!
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James says
That’s pretty cool. I’ve never heard of people using old ties to turn into pillows. It’d probably make a pretty neat blanket, but that’d take a long time and you’d have to find dozens that don’t clash.
Another quick and easy way to “breathe new life into old furniture” would be to donate it to charity. That way it doesn’t get tossed into the junkyard and the new owners will appreciate it a lot.
Green Talk says
James, I can’t agree with you more! Anna
Steven says
How cool! People will throw out so many things that can still be used, or repackaged and reused. Hope Lori does well in her business!
Steven’s last blog post..Time Warner Goes Green—NOT!!!
Richard James Oakwood says
What an inspirational selection of repurposed furniture and materials. I truly wish Lori and her mom the best in their venture!
Richard James Oakwood says
Green Talk! This site is worthy of award for excellence. I am an avid collector and in particular Oak Furniture restoration, however often I lack the insight or creativity to pull colors and other artistic approaches towards the selling of our furniture. This provides me with some wonderful concepts and ideas. Well done!