What do you do when you find vintage hardwood pallets, mid-renovation, in the attic of your loved and lovely older home?

 

You reclaim that wood!

 

My cool clients Suellen and Rick were searching for ways to incorporate a “Spanish Rustic” look to the wood elements of their home. When their cabinetmaker, Jared Whitson, found hardwood pallets in the attic during construction, we immediately knew a great way to reuse them.

 

This is where the design magic begins.

I LOVE the experience of going from a concept sketch…

 

to a heartstoppingly gorgeous kitchen island!

A simple concept sketch, given over to some of the most remarkably talented craftspeople around – and BAM! You’ve got a reclaimed wood kitchen island made from old hardwood pallets that might have been thrown out otherwise. This is a solution that is not just eco-freindly it’s eco-chic 🙂

 

Here is a closeup, showing the slightly rough edges of the solid wood boards, giving relief to them…

 

and a detail shot of the wooden wooden peg construction and the unique character of the back drawer…

 

One last view, while you wipe the drool from your chin, of the John Boos butcher block top.

 

Rounding out the Spanish Rustic look, I created another concept sketch detailing our intention to remove overhead cabinets flanking the stove to make room for open shelves made of rough-hewn wood.

 

Love what they did with it.

The finished product is as beautiful as it is functional.

This allowed us to “pull wood throughout” the kitchen to echo the exposed beams and rustic kitchen island.

 

Just look at these Wooden Pegs.  Swoon!

 

 

This last reclaimed wood detail I had nothing directly to do with – save to refer Master Craftsman Extraordinaire Tom Ferris to the project…

It’s the fireplace mantel!

(Never mind the room itself is stunning….. Hats off to architect Susan Hager for a beautiful job.)

 

This hand-hewn mantel is icing on the cake of this Rustic Spanish living room.

For more info on where to get reclaimed wood, other than talking to Tom, Jared, or the contractor Fred Lawrence, go to my blog post, the ultimate cheat sheet to reclaimed wood in nashville

– marcelle