Dealers find new uses for old objects with character

LAKE BARRINGTON, Ill. -- Rusty metal is a big hit in today's decor, and it's a real coup when anything old and decrepit is turned into a new, stylish accessory.

Take the back of a chair that's lost its seat or has a broken front leg. Attach a planter and paint it, and you have an intriguing piece for your wall, either inside or out.

Turning what many people would consider junk, albeit junk with character, into something that contributes significantly to a home's "look" is the suit of Junk Warehouse, a Lake Barrington business.

Owners Heidi Flanagan and Lory O'Callaghan of Fox River Grove and their friends have found an incredible number of things to do with pieces of old tin ceilings, for example.

Large square sections with a great design -- perhaps two feet on a side -- work as art on the wall. One is $48 dollars, another that seems very similar but must somehow be better is $78.

Smaller pieces framed in wood are $58.

Tin cove molding about six inches tall is cut into lengths of about three feet and a shelf is attached on the top of each piece. Voila, it's an attractive display shelf unit for $145.

Old suitcases are plentiful -- just look in your mother's closet, or maybe under her bed. If they are in good enough shape, they can double as storage units and decoration. Flanagan and O'Callaghan painted both an old trunk and an old suitcase with American flags, then treated them to look very old. The trunk is $56, the suitcase $49.

An old ivory-colored suitcase, not very large, is fitted with wooden feet about five inches high and sells for $38.

Old wood comes in handy, too. Trim makes good picture frames, such as a blue one that sold quickly for $36.

Stairway spindles with little metal roofs on top, keyholes for doors and metal rods sticking out as perches become "birdhouses" that can be stuck in the ground. These are $12 apiece.

"We sold 45 the first hour last time," said Dawn Roush, who along with Terry Harris often pitches in at the Junk Warehouse. Both also are from Fox River Grove.

Kathy Strong of Barrington was visiting the Junk Warehouse and zeroed in on an unusual piece of ironwork hanging on the wall, probably part of an old fence or gate. It had bars and scrolls and an oval piece in the middle. The price was $185.

"I love this style and collect architectural antiques," Strong said. "I'm always looking for eclectic things."

"It's crooked, not straight, and that's what I love about it," she said. "I'm going to put it on the wall in my living room. I have bright colors, it will be contrasting."