Kara and her husband make one amazing crafting team, and I’m excited to share two of their recent collaborations. First up is this charming coat rack and key holder made from old doorknobs. Kara’s husband Tim made it for her as way to keep track of her keys. I can’t get over how clever this is and attractive to boot. The mix of brass and warm wood makes the piece look quite luxurious, even though it cost them nothing to make! Great work, Kara and Tim! — Kate
Time: Less than 1 hour
Cost: Free! (all materials were on hand)
Basic Steps: Gather old doorknobs and dead bolts. Also, find a piece of reclaimed wood. My husband Tim used a piece from an old doorjamb because he thought it fit with the feel of the piece. (Habitat for Humanity is a great place to find old doorknobs and dead bolts!)
Have a Before & After you’d like to share? Shoot me an email with your images right here! (Low res, under 500k per image, please.)
CLICK HERE to see Kara and Tim’s rolling coffee table after the jump!
Kara and Tim’s second project is slightly larger but also employs the technique of adding hardware — in this case, rolling casters— to an old wood piece to make it infinitely more useful and interesting. Kara aged the piece beautifully, and the hand-painted numbers are a great little detail, adding more character to the piece. Great job again, Kara and Tim!
Time: Less than 2 hours
Cost: $3
Basic Steps: I gathered my supplies: a glass jar, distilled white vinegar and a steel scrubber or steel wool. Then I placed the vinegar and steel in the jar and waited for 24 hours. I used the solution and stained the piece normally. (Note: the stain will go on clear and start to darken within a few minutes and continue darkening for about 15 minutes or so.) Then I painted numbers on the drawers. Lastly, I added casters to the bottom to give the piece more height and to give it a bit of an industrial feel. This particular stain looks different on different types of wood, so do a test run before committing! Our flat file was made from oak. — Kara
32 Comments
WOW so creative! The key holder coat rack is a great idea..very rustic potterybarnish..totally my kind of style.
Hi,
Where did you find the oak flat file?
Love the idea with the doorknobs! No cost, great design!
that coffee table!! wow
So awesome! Any chance you’d have the details on the dark gray wall paint in the doorknob project pic? Love how it looks against that rad yellow door! Heck, can I request yellow paint info too, or am I gettin’ greedy? ;) thanks!
The key holder / coat rack is absolutely brilliant! So smart and cool. Plus the big round knobs are much friendlier to leather straps and clothes than hooks.
Love the key holder coat rack! Genius!
I’ll echo Kerry’s question– any idea where a similar flat file could be purchased? Nice work on this project.
Hey everyone! Thanks for the comments!
I actually got the flat file from a friend. Her husband built it so unfortunately you won’t be able to find one exactly like it. But, Ebay has some available and if you google wood flat file and click the shopping button on the side, you can find some options.
The wall color is Sherwin Williams Prussian Cadet and the door color is SW Cheerful.
Oh, and you can visit my blog for more fun DIY projects!!!
http://karapaslaydesigns.blogspot.com/
Adding casters to the mapcase is a great idea. I love it as a coffee table.
I really love the door knob hooks! Especially because I usually hang my purse on a doorknob in the house!
wow…the coat rack is very cleaver. i so admire people’s creativity!!
Hi Kara!
Can you tell you me your technique for staining (and distressing) the table? What stain? and you add vinegar? I’m trying to finish a table and I REALLY like the look this has!
Thanks,
Sarah
I am thrilled to see these projects featured here. I am a big fan of Kara & Tim…and not so subtly tried to get them to relocate both of these items to my home. It didn’t work. Powerhouse team those Paslays are….
Just a tip… be sure that whatever lock you use is the same keyway as a type of key that you have. Only certain keys will even fit in a lock. They don’t have to be the exact key for the lock but if you have a kwikset key then use a kwikset lock and the same for a schlage key (use a schlage lock)
the door knob coat hangar is brilliant!! so resourceful and looks fantastic!
I very much love this coffee table! Instead of “put a bird on it” I want to “put a caster on it”!
Both of these projects look great!
Amazing! Looks fantastic :)
the coffee table must be the first before&after feature that looked so much better before. the dark wash and the numbers make it look very recycled which would be a right thing for something old, worn and shabby, but not for something light and clean like in this case…
Oh my — door knob idea=genius!
I am just in love with the after of the rolling coffee table! The weathered finish and numerals gives it much more character.
So glad to see Kara&Tim featured! I love their blog (and the before&afters of course)!
aah where did she get that flat file for the coffee table? those things don’t come cheap! i love that it’s wood too. did she give any hints as to where she may have found it?
Where did you find the casters? I have been searching for some casters for a similar project for a while now and can’t seem to find the right ones.
Rolling coffee table is a big “Me Likey”. Agree with Justine that the rusticated finish & numbers add that little bit extra!
love love love the coffee table! i can never find good stuff at goodwill… someday!
I love the keyholder coat rack but it put a twisted, little smile on my face. I immediately flashed back to a Vancouver police officer advising my just-robbed friend that it’s a very bad idea to leave your keys and purse near the front door. Urban life.
Love that key holder/coat rack. I want to make one myself.
So crafty! I’m loving the key holder and the antique look that it creates.
What a great coffee table. Well done!
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