Tag: repurposed | Page 4 | Olde Good Things

A Piece of Paris History: Repurposing Vintage Street Lights

Posted on June 17, 2015 by Danica Sorber

An ancient and historic city, Paris is the sparkling central gem in the crown of Europe. Known to all as the City of Lights, Paris is a criss-crossing capitol comprised of smaller cities joined together by their love of fine food, joy, and the passion one finds around every corner.

For many years, along the winding footpaths and cobblestone alleyways and narrow paved streets, Parisians and tourists could see the sights and explore the intimate nooks and crannies of the city; their way lit by large globe street lights.

Today, with the crucial need for bright lights and cost-effective infrastructure, Paris has replaced many of their antique and vintage street lights with new LED bulbs.

Though need has outweighed history, Paris knew it couldn’t just dispose of their old lights —no, they knew these beautiful, classic holophane lamps could be owned and loved by those who adore the city as much as they do.

Original street lamp pictured here in Paris

Olde Good Things has just acquired a limited supply of these fantastic holophane globes, ready to be transformed into great contemporary lighting for either a residential or commercial application. These globe lamps are available with a steel pole or with a chain for use as a large pendant light.

These globes can be simply repurposed as light fixtures and glimmering conversation pieces, in your kitchen over your central island, or in your dining room over your table. Imagine enjoying a meal with those you love while the light of Paris shines down upon you. Not only that, these antique lamps would be spectacular lighting pieces for screened-in porches, outdoor entertainment spaces, or shining, shimmering ballrooms! With these genuine architectural historical pieces, the sky’s the limit!

Bring a piece of the City of Lights into your home or office, and create an atmosphere of Parisian charm with the flick of a switch.

To own your very own piece of Parisian history, contact the customer service professionals at Olde Good Things, and be sure to peruse our online inventory for other gorgeous light fixtures.

Strength and Beauty: Reclaimed Iron

Posted on June 13, 2015 by Danica Sorber

In the mid to late 1800s, Scranton, Pennsylvania was known the world over as an industrial hub; home to coal mining, innovations in electric power, and iron works. Since then, Scranton has moved away from its industrial roots, and many of the old buildings, factories, and railroads are left to molder and rust beneath the ever-changing NEPA weather.

If you’ve ever visited our Scranton, Pennsylvania location, you’ve probably been awed by our vast yard filled to exploding with iron fencing and railing. OGT has spent many hundreds of hours salvaging wrought iron, hand-hammered iron, and industrial iron from buildings across the country—so much so that many of our customers are overwhelmed by the vastness and the variety of styles available.

Our vast iron yard in Scranton Pennsylvania is filled with many varieties of architectural iron

Reusing Reclaimed Iron

At OGT we know that just because something looks old or broken it doesn’t mean it can’t come to life again. Old rusty iron gates or railings don’t have to stay rusty, and they don’t have to just be gates or railings! You can repurpose exterior railings or gates for interior redesign projects. A section of old railing can be sandblasted and painted and installed as the railing for a balcony. Or a pair of old iron gates can be cleaned, welded together, and reused as a partition to break up a large space.

Here you see just one of those varieties – some very simple hoop and loop style fencing.

Hoop and loop style fencing is just one of the many varieties of antique fencing we have salvaged

One of our customers knew this was the look they wanted for their outside terrace and garden of their home. Once it was simply a section of salvaged fencing in our vast yard and now sandblasted and refinished – it is set up and installed at their home. Take a look for yourself.

Updating Your Outdoor Spaces

Iron has strength, and once heated and crafted by master iron workers, it can become something beautiful. If your garden is a whitewashed ‘blah’ of stone, why not add an iron trellis; leafy vines and vining flowers weaving with your reclaimed iron to create a breathtaking conversation piece. A reclaimed and cleaned iron gate can be the perfect addition to your outdoor entryways and walkways—secure, strong, and stylish.

Not convinced? Visit our online inventory of iron fencing and railings here. Or take a tour of our Scranton, Pennsylvania warehouse location and see for yourself. Beneath the rust and years, these reclaimed iron pieces have a strength and beauty just waiting for you to uncover.

The Test of Time

Posted on May 13, 2015 by Sara

Nothing accents new design projects better than an old piece of architectural beauty given new dimension and life. Here is an old steeple clock, six foot in diameter which has been refurbished and given that new dimension in this high end residential redo in Hollywood by Julie Berchtold of Berchtold Harris, a design / build firm located in Los Angeles.

A six foot diameter bronze clock face overlooks the dining room table

The clock face is solid bronze and is over 100 years old. Here you see it up and running as a center piece to this vast open living area.

The clock face forms the center piece of this vast living area

Although the living area is ultra modern, the back-lit and now fully functional antique clock fits right in as it has stood the test of time. Julie found this clock at our Grand Ave. Los, Angeles location and had the vision for it’s renewal in this penthouse apartment. Take a look at this project and many others on her web site at this link. Come visit us at one of our six locations and find that perfect piece for your next design project.

Entry Transformation Using Reclaimed Glass

Posted on April 2, 2015 by Sara

The craftsmanship is typical of what you would find from the days gone by. When Paul took on this job, he decided vintage glass would bring the right finishing touch, and sure enough he was right.

Vintage hammered chicken wire glass was used in this hand-fabricated iron awning

Safety glass in a hammered texture is no longer fabricated new with this twisted chicken wire. Therefore Olde Good Things specializes in reclaiming factory windows and making this glass available today.

Take a look at the gallery of pictures from this installation and view the video of Paul Lombardo in his fabrication stages.

Take a look at Paul’s creative video seen here:

Customer Showcase: Antique Hand-Stenciled Wooden Ceiling

Posted on March 28, 2015 by Sara

42 Star Island designed by first registered architect Walter DeGarmo in 1925

42 Star Island designed by first registered architect in Miami, Walter DeGarmo in 1925

This home, once one of the most visibly and architecturally noteworthy mansions along the MacArthur Causeway in Miami Beach was lost to the wrecking ball in 2014. Fortunately, the architecturologists from Olde Good Things were on the scene, to salvage some of the original architectural elements prior to it’s demise.

One of those fascinating elements removed was this hand-painted stenciled ceiling done in the mediterranean style, here seen in it’s original setting.

Hand-stenciled ceiling in muted green and red tones

Hand-stenciled ceiling in muted green, orange and brown tones

These pictures show the architecturologists gently removing the ceiling piece by piece. Each piece was numbered carefully in order for it to be repurposed by a future owner.

This unique ceiling has already found a new use. It is being implemented in a large building project in Missouri. Here you see pictures in the building stages:

The structure is still in it's building stage

Olde Good Things has become the dignitary associated with amazing building elements salvaged from many remarkable buildings in the United States, this home being just one of them. Take a look at the link to famous building artifacts on our web site to see other offerings at this time.

Open Your Doors and Invite Creativity In

Posted on March 19, 2015 by Danica Sorber

Because Olde Good Things has so many stores and such great warehouse space we often find that we are salvaging tons of the same types of things just because they’re neat and need to have a new home. One of those much salvaged objects is the door. There are so many old Victorian homes, old industrial buildings, and old office and apartment buildings that have incredible doors that we just couldn’t let them go to the mulcher! We had to save them! So we did. The problem is that now we are up to our eyeballs in salvaged doors that need to find a new home with our loyal and tasteful readers.

Entire entry door set salvaged from this Victorian Home

Seen here at our warehouse

If you’re wondering, “I already have doors in my house, why would I want more”, you should consider that you can be as creative as you wish with these doors. They can be refinished and repurposed into something totally new. Let the doors of your mind fly open, greet creativity on the threshold and…tops. Because they are long and typically pretty thick, you can design and affix legs to the flat surface of the door, and refinish and paint the door a natural wood color, or go all out and paint it to match your favorite centerpiece. You can also make a salvaged door into a coffee table.

Invite it to dine

Don’t forget that when you have a table, you should also have a place to sit! Narrow solid closet doors can be re-purposed into benches. You can either leave them as they are, or design pillowed cushions to glue on top.You can use an old door with transom to make a built in for your dining area.

Bifold doors and arched transom used for a built-in cabinet

Invite to rest

If you’re remodeling or redesigning your bedroom spaces, you should consider using salvaged doors as head boards and foot boards for your bed. Solid or French doors can make an incredibly eye catching headboard when place directly behind the head of the bed.

Old French door from Olde Good Things converted into a cool headboard

It’s recommended that your screw or nail the doors to the wall for safety. Your door headboards can be left as they were found for a vintage look, or they can be refinished and painted as an accent to put the finishing touches on your bedroom oasis.

Invite it to marvel

Neat painted door – picture found on Pinterest

Salvaged doors can also serve as a blank canvas on which your imagination can truly take flight. Artists can take a single or dual panel solid door and paint a masterpiece upon it, which they can then hang upon a wall. A floral pattern to bring life to a living room, a geometric design to bring striking colors and shapes to a hallway or entry way, or an entire panoramic painting of the Smokey Mountains – be as creative as you want to be in order to create the space you want using salvaged doors.

These are just a few of the ideas we came up with. Do you have any great ideas you’d like to share of ways that you’ve reused and repurposed salvaged doors? Check out our large selection of salvaged doors at one of our store locations, or come by and rummage through our warehouse in Scranton. We’d love to have you, and we’d love you to love our collection of old doors.

St. Patrick’s Day: Do the GREEN Thing!

Posted on March 14, 2015 by Danica Sorber

Historically speaking, St. Patrick’s Day is a day when Catholics, Anglicans, and Irish-Americans celebrate the man and the myth, Saint Patrick. Celebrated on March 17^th, the day is meant to commemorate the life and the ministry of the Patron Saint of Ireland.

Modernly and commercially speaking, St. Patrick’s Day is a day when Americans celebrate their love for the Irish, and the color green. Cities throughout the country hold parades and costume and craft stores offer customers quirky t-shirts, anything featuring shamrocks, and lots and lots of leprechaun images.

Scranton, a city known for its Irish immigrant and Irish-American communities, isn’t just home to one of the most popular and well-attended St. Patrick’s Day parades, it is also home to Olde Good Things headquarters and main warehouse.

In order to get into the spirit with our fellow Scrantonians we are showcasing a few of the green items in our inventory.

Is your home in need of a bit of antique flare and a splash of color? Why don’t you give this early 20th century carved wood frame love seat with plush lime green upholstery a try?

Here’s a gallery of other green seating if this isn’t your style…

Mid Century Modern Pair of Green Upholstered Chairs from Belgium

Set of Dining Chairs with Green Needlepoint Seats

We also have a great number of green tiles in our inventory. These tiles are perfect for remodeling projects in kitchens, bathrooms, or mudrooms.

If the seating or tiles aren’t your thing, you might consider this green French marble Empire style mantel. This mantel is medium-sized with bronze sphinxes flanking each side and a bronze center motif. This mantel is one of a kind and in excellent condition. This is one of several additions from Danny Alessandro & Edwin Jackson mantel company.

If you’d rather have an industrial perk with a green flare, take a look at these offerings:

The final item in our Olde Good Things “do the green thing” post is this set of hunter green shutter doors featuring heart cut-outs to add accent and simplistic beauty. These doors measure 52.25 in. H x 18.875 in. W x 1.375 in, and are in good condition.

Olde Good Things is glad to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with you by offering you a 15% discount on green items on our web site on March 17th. Just call or email and mention you saw this offering on the blog post. If you’d like to see more of the green items in our inventory—from industrial lamps to furniture to mantel clocks—visit our warehouse or one of our locations. If you’d like to learn more about any of the items featured in this post, please contact us.

From all of us at Olde Good Things, we wish you a happy, healthy, and “green” St. Patrick’s Day!

Tin-Tilating Decor at Olde Good Things

Posted on March 12, 2015 by Danica Sorber

Tin is one of the most utilized metals on the planet. Aside from its use in numerous alloys, such as bronze and pewter, it is also a stand-alone metal used most notably during the innovative and industrial 1800s.

Ornate tin ceilings became prevalent in 19th century America

Most Americans couldn’t afford the expensive yet beautiful intricately designed plaster ceilings so popular in the wealthy houses in Europe so they sought a less expensive, more durable, more eye-catching material—tin—to fabricate ceilings and walls throughout many of the buildings erected in the late-1800s.

Tin ceilings withstood earthquakes, fires, and other disasters unlike their weaker, less practical plaster cousins. Understandably, the fireproof property of tin made it an in-demand building product, especially in Chicago after the devastating fire in 1871.

Once World War II began the need for tin in military applications skyrocketed which meant it became a scarce commodity for builders and interior designers. Thankfully, a few of the buildings where tin ceilings were a featured showpiece are still in existence, and Old Good Things has had the opportunity to salvage these gorgeous pieces, restore and repurpose them.

Before a building is demolished, the owners call Olde Good Things to salvage architectural pieces that would otherwise molder in the dump, alone, forgotten, and covered in layers of filth. When we arrive at the site, we get to work building scaffolding and prying each piece of tin from the ceiling with pry bars. With a little gentle nudge and a lot of elbow grease, we carefully remove the tin and transport it to our warehouse.

As you see here, we have quite a few tin panels in stock at our Scranton warehouse. When a customer orders a custom-made tin ceiling or mirror we get to work hammering out the dents, scrubbing and washing the panels, painting them, and covering them in protective coatings to ensure they stay beautiful for decades to come.

Here are a few more examples of the tin panel works our customers have done in their design projects:

Not only is tin a glorious addition to make any ceiling pop, it can be used in interior furniture design. Olde Good Things designs and fabricates tin mirrors, and our customers have used the refurbished tin in backsplashes, tables, wall and bar covers and other interior design elements.

Can you image how fabulous a colored tin backsplash would look in your kitchen? What about a vintage or antique tin mirror in your entryway, bathroom, or public areas? Business owners, would a handmade, custom-designed tin ceiling draw the eye of customers as they walk by? Think of how popular your retail space would be when people stop in just to see your amazing tin ceiling.

If you love a rustic, vintage feel you can’t go wrong with refurbished, repurposed tin. To learn more about our salvage, restoration, or design process, contact us. To order your very own custom tin creation, contact our craftsmen through our Scranton warehouse.

Not only do we have amazing tin creations, we are also home to a growing collection of decorative iron and bronze pieces. Learn more about those here.

New Home For an Old Timer

Posted on March 2, 2015 by Marissa

There’s nothing more refreshing than renovations using past architectural elements in new designs. Customers at Olde Good Things include builders, designers, architects and innovators who just want to add a touch of old world charm to their installations.

Here’s just one of many of our customer’s re-uses of an antique architectural element in a modern design project. This clock once stood the test of time atop a 1905 meeting hall in Cherryfield, Maine. Now it is catching eyes at the Tick Tock Diner on 34th Street in Manhattan. Send us a few photos of your project with up-cycled elements from Olde Good Things to add to our library of interesting innovations done by our customers. Even if you only have an “after” shot feel free to send your photos to [email protected]. Let us know if you are willing for us to post them to our web site, privacy observed of course.

Historic La Ronda: Olde Good Things Salvaging Dream

Posted on February 21, 2015 by Danica Sorber

As an architectural salvage, restoration and preservation company, Olde Good Things has had the privilege to work with historical societies and owners of historic sites, and salvage incredible pieces from fascinating buildings all over the country.

LaRonda, a Mizner masterpiece in Bryn Mawr PA

One of our more controversial salvage projects involved the La Ronda estate in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.

Originally, La Ronda was a 17,500 sq ft mansion with 233 acres of estate lands owned and cherished by Percival Foerderer and his family. Foerderer made his riches in the leather goods manufacturing industry. Built in 1927 by J.S. Cornell & Son, and designed by renowned 20^th-century architect Addison Mizner, La Ronda was a Mediterranean Revival and Spanish Gothic Revival masterpiece set like a jewel in the crown of lush green landscapes.

With 51 rooms, 21 of which were bedrooms, La Ronda had the distinct honor of having most of the hardware, furnishings, fittings, and other decorative elements designed and created by Mizner and his craftsmen. Because of the holistic approach to design, the estate boasted intricate and consistent aesthetic features that only added to the beauty of the mansion.

When Percival died in 1969, his family sold La Ronda to Villanova University, and after subsequent owners, the estate lands were reduced from their original 233 acres to only 3.2 acres where the mansion sat.

LaRonda in 2009 prior to demolition

La Ronda was purchased in 2009 for a paltry $6 million. The new owner chose to keep his identity secret, and some believed this was because of his next move—applying for a permit to demolish the historic mansion to build his own house.

Understandably, this had many of the areas’ historical societies up in arms, determined to find a way to prevent the demolition and save the property. Unfortunately, despite their efforts to raise $7 million to purchase the property, they were unsuccessful at raising the funds or negotiating with the previous owner to achieve historical status.

Once the negotiations and attempts to buy the property fell through, before exchanging ownership, salvage companies were contacted to come and remove some of the more beautiful pieces of architecture.

Olde Good Things was one of the companies contacted, and we were more than willing to come to help preserve some of the original architectural elements.

Here are a few images of our salvaging experts carefully removing some of the architectural pieces of La Ronda.

Olde Good Things doing careful removal of historic LaRonda salvage

Olde Good Things doing careful removal of this historic salvage

Here large arched tudor windows are being removed

The architecturologists are seen here dismantling one of the cast stone arches

Here, cast stone door surrounds are being taken down

Many of these pieces salvaged from La Ronda have now been incorporated in a Mizner style home in Florida, where the owner wove these beautiful features into the structure.

Elements from LaRonda incorporated in this Florida home

Olde Good Things is honored to be a part of this amazing salvage and historic preservation project. We would love for you to visit one of our many locations to see the other gorgeous pieces we have been privileged to recover over the years.

To learn more about our salvaging services or look through our growing inventory, contact us.

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