Repair & Improve

Architectural Salvage Finds

Bring the best of the past into your new interiors and outdoor spaces

by Tom Kraeutler, AOL Home Improvement Editor

Tom Kraeutler is the Home Improvement Editor for AOL.  In this column, Tom offers tips on how to build an outdoor patio or deck.

Looking for period-correct trimmings from a bygone era or a unique centerpiece for a contemporary room? Then head over to your local architectural salvage yard for an adventure in discoveries from the past. Architectural salvage is the ultimate in recycling, allowing homeowners to bring the design and craftsmanship of yesteryear into today’s homes through authentic fixtures, accents, and architectural elements.

Pay a visit to an architectural salvage establishment, and you’ll not only find a surprising variety of treasures but an environment of creativity with on-site experts ready to help guide your search and provide resources for restoration and conversion. Make the most of your trip by being prepared with necessary room measurements, hardware to be matched, awareness of building codes, an eye for deteriorating finishes that may contain lead, and an understanding of costs and heavy-lifting logistics. That way, your discoveries will both literally and figuratively fit into the scene when you get home.

Some tips to make the most of architectural salvage treasures include:

• Give such salvaged items as hardwood flooring, brick, tile, moldings and cabinetry new life through reuse in contemporary spaces.
• Bring the elegant lines of vintage bathtubs and sinks into modern baths with updated plumbing, fixtures and finishes.
  Integrate large-scale architectural embellishments and handcrafted built-ins into room designs to create focal points that are both functional and decorative.
• Feature salvage finds as the art pieces they are. Everything from gates and finials to signage and unusual windows can be displayed on walls or tabletops to add interest in a space.
• Build or embellish furnishings by reusing salvaged goods in new ways (e.g., a vintage panel or window can be attached to a base made of new materials to create an accent table).
• Accessorize and illuminate a modern room with a rewired vintage light fixture.
• Add whimsy to landscaping and outdoor rooms with salvaged statuary, ornaments and architectural elements.

Architectural salvage dealers combine modern green-building principles with a love for the architecture of the past, collecting an amazing array of finds in the process. As old builds make way for new and homes with historic pedigrees are transformed with interior updates, these salvage specialists partner with demolition experts to rescue beautiful, often valuable materials and embellishments that will find new homes and new appreciation across the country or around the world.

Print Version

Search Related Topics: Decorating & Design, Fall, Spring, Summer, Winter...