My recycled house: Fort Ord mother of two Alena Vaughn has a knack for breathing life into worn-out and neglected items
By KATHRYN McKENZIE NICHOLS
Herald Correspondent
Posted: 02/05/2011 01:48:54 AM PST
Where other people see problems, Alena Vaughn sees the possibilities — especially when it comes to home furnishings.
The Fort Ord mother of two admits she's addicted to finding old, worn-out and neglected items and giving them new life, through paint, fabric, new hardware and TLC, and she does it on the skinniest of shoestrings.
Now she's blogging about her finds and how she rehabilitates them to become useful and unique additions to her home.
Vaughn, who is married to a Marine, said it all began as a way for her to cut costs so that she could be a stay-at-home mom. Little did she know that it would become a way of life.
Her blog, "My Recycled House," (www.myrecycledhouse.blogspot.com) has photos of some of her finds as well as before-and-after shots of the pieces.
She admits her husband, Jeff, isn't always as enthusiastic about her projects as she is: "He doesn't see the vision that I see at first," she said with a laugh.
Vaughn, who studied baking and pastry at the California Culinary Academy and has worked as a pastry chef, is busy these days ferrying her 7-year-old son to school and looking after her 4-year-old daughter.
"We are living on only one income, and it's a military salary," she said. "We have to make do."
On a recent trek to the Last Chance Mercantile in Marina, Vaughn found a small armchair in a bright floral pattern, something she wasn't intending to buy but found she couldn't pass up. It would be perfect in her kids' playroom, she said.
The cost? Just $10. All it needed was for a loose piece underneath to be fixed and for worn-out arm covers to be tossed.
Vaughn makes a trip out to the Last Chance, the thrift shop that's part of the Monterey Regional Waste Management District facility, once every few weeks. Although some of the items have seen better days, her creative eye spots new uses for items just about continuously.
A worn wooden side table, she notes, could be wonderful if sanded down and the hardware painted a funky color. Or the whole table could be painted, with the single drawer in a contrasting color.
The woman in this article is just one of the many people across the globe who are finding new ways to use trash. Making furniture out of recycled materials is low in cost, but high in creativity!! Many designers as well as companies are making furniture and home goods from recycled materials. Here are some examples of recycled furniture and home accessories:
Do you think the idea of a recycled house are realistic for an everyday family?
ReplyDeleteI think that for now, it's not very realistic because not everyone has the time or money to buy recycled furniture or create recycled furniture. I definitely think that in the future it could become practical and common, but maybe in like ten or twenty years from now.
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