Time for another Brainstorm. This time it's Lindzi's. Her son Elmer is now a big boy and has gotten his Big Boy Bed. Yay!
But what to do with the bottom of the bed? Seemed to good to toss while all the rest of it was ready for the trash. Here are our two (well actually more like seven) cents.
How about a kid's art wall, mounting it on a wall and using the biggest baddest bulldog clips to attach the art to the strips of wood?
With a bit of additional diy to the sides and top it could be turned into a radiator cover.
Mounted with hinges at the bottom and a simple pulley system at the top it could serve as a drying rack in the laundry room.
Martin's skeptical to this one but I claim you could stretch and staple a (vintage?) fabric onto it to get an instant piece of art.
It could serve as a batterie de cuisine over a kitchen island with pots and pans hanging down form s-hooks.
This one's my favorite. Add a thin board on top and little wheels at the bottom and use it as an under bed play board thingy. A neat and organized way to be able to build something up, play with it and shove it in under the bed until the next day. No more stepping on pointy trees and train sets (or Lego's… ouch!) in the middle of the night.
Another idea is to use it as a temporary indoor gate to prevent visiting curious toddlers or doggies to go into certain rooms or areas in the house. When not in use it could be stored in a closet behind the hanging clothes or in a storage area.
So what do you guys think? Will these work or do you have other ideas for Lindzi to try?
Do you have an object you would like for us (that's Martin, Wille and I) to find alternate uses for send me an e-mail with Brainstorm as the subject!
33 Comments
The train one is very cute, but I think my favorite is the drying rack! These posts are such a good idea, ‘recycle & reuse’ is a philosophy I wish more people used.
Loving the last idea the most, although, I would kill for a drying rack in the laundry…XXxx.
The under bed play board is a really good idea, it solves a real problem and is quite simple to build! Love it!
I like the first one. It also can be used as a bedhead or as a outdoor wall mounted hanging plant area.
Oh, and high wheels for the under bed play board also make it possible to roll the board under the bed so that it is possible to store something under the board!
Curses! Now I’m fighting the compulsion to go to the dump and look for one of these to make a drying rack!
great ideas! 🙂
I really like the art rack but the drying rack is GENIUS!!!
Love your blog =)
Yes, great ideas! Congratulations!
Before we redid our kitchen,we actually used a pot rack made from the side of a crib. It worked great and looked great. The art rack idea is very cool. I wouldn’t have thought of that.
Benita–every one of these is a terrific re-use idea! Keep ’em coming. Thanks for sharing with us.
I use something very similar to “gate off” sections of my house when my dog is home alone. Goes flat against the wall behind the furniture when not needed.
The entire crib would probably become garden fencing or trellis at my place.
I like the laundry rack idea. I had a fold-out rack built for my darkroom years ago, to hang drying prints. Loved it! And I now have a small, accordian-type fold out rack next to my washer and use it daily. In a tiny home, anything that can fold to the wall when not in use is a huge help!
the train table idea is great!
My mom used my children’s old crib as a garden trellis, worked perfectly. Love the drying rack idea.
I like the “bed board thingy” idea the best. It’s functional, so cute, and he has some of his baby bed right beneath his big boy bed, so he knows his crib is still there too. Sweet!
The under the bed play board is an great idea! My daughter often sets up little scenes with her toys and blocks, day after day, and it would be so nice to be able to put it away without actually having to disassemble everything – and so much easier too!
It was already mentioned above, but my little girl’s crib converted to a toddler bed, and there is a slatted piece that is also meant to be used with a double bed as a headboard.
I immediately thought of a drying rack too – specifically like Martha Stewart’s.
Other ideas:
she could weave some fabric/ribbon into it and make an art piece or use it as a headboard.
or add wheels on the bottom and use it as a roll-out bed for her son’s playmates when its nap time or if he has sleepovers.
that’s great………me too! how creative to say the least. i am a huuuuuuuge advocate of little trash and i loooooooove these ideas! wonderful ideas.
kelli
The last one is fantastic!!! I can’t wait to make something like that when my little Stefan is the right age.
Wow, you’re so creative! I love the idea of making it a cute little art display place :).
I love the drying rack idea and the train table idea. Another variation of your pot rack would be to hang it (vertically) on a kitchen wall and use S hooks to hang utensils, kitchen gadgets and towels from it.
Garden trellis!
Amazing! You never cease to amaze me. Have any good ideas for keeping a coat closet organized? maybe I’ll send you some pictures of my hallway disaster clsoet 🙂
Take care,
Lisa
THANK you for your creative suggestions. I love all the ideas but the laundry hanger is not for us because we have a huge laundy room with long lines. I love the ideas of the art wall, the radiator cover and the play board. A garden trellis would be cute too, or even an indoor trellis. I’ll let you know what I’ll make of it. Lotsa Love/Lindzi
Ja, den sista var ju en jättefiffig idé! Vi har en sida av en spjälsäng som grind uppe i trappan för ettåringen. Funkar fint.
I saw this the other day and it’s on my to do list. I thought I would pass it along:
http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2009/08/how-to_make_a_crafttool_statio.html?CMP=OTC-5JF307375954
It’s a simple and great idea. The piece simply screams racks, and it’s great for anything from decors to hanging racks.
Nicolette
http://www.furnitureanddesignideas.com/
Thanks! That’s a great one!
I love the last idea the most :-). And the one with fabric over it and turning it into art peace 🙂
Great ideas!! How about an herb drying rack.
God Bless You and Yours!!!
http://myrepurposedlife.blogspot.com/2010/05/repurposed-crib-into-plate-rack.html
Just found your site today, lots of great ideas! I love repurposing things. I used a crib end to make a plate display rack.
gail
Just want to say, they you inspire my everyday! I even remember your post way after the fact! Thanks so much for your great blog! http://collectedideas.wordpress.com/2011/05/26/diy-art-inspiration-idea-reusing-the-crib/
Took the side rails off my twins’ cribs last night! Was thinking we could fasten some of those acrylic, floating frames to the rails with pictures of the family/kids in them. And hang the whole thing up in their room, or elsewhere! We have a new house with lots of tall, bare walls so these are a great size for decorating! Thanks for the ideas. Will check out the rest of your blog!