Use nature windows to create furniture

Last week I talked about creating really fabulous “nature windows using old salvaged wooden windows, dried plant material and handmade paper. Space was too limited to go into what you can do with the pieces of artwork that you have created, so we thought we would explore the possibilities a bit further this week.

The first, and most obvious use for a window, is of course, as a window! Because of the fragile nature of these creations you can’t substitute them for an already existing window, but you can hang your art piece in front of an existing one that may have a less than inspiring view. These pieces really come into their own when they are placed where natural light can stream through them, changing their appearance hourly through the day and seasonally throughout the year.

“Nature windows” can also be hung on a wall, much as you would a conventional painting. We created a “gallery” wall of these for a photography project at the Oregon coast. All of our material was gathered on or near the beach – dune grass, seaweed, even dried jellyfish “wings”! For this project, which was for a magazine shoot, we added papers with a fish motif, and even broke out a few window panes and substituted fishnet for the glass.

If you are a bit handy with a drill and have three windows all the same size, you might want to consider making a screen out of three of them, connecting them with standard door hinges. Tall thin windows work best for this application, and they have the advantage of being movable, so that they can be placed in front of a window and/or moved to other locations when desired. This is a great opportunity to create a “story”, perhaps making each panel a study of one particular type of flower in three different stages of development.

Whether you're looking for handmade paper, furniture, fabric or accessories, you will find it at loose ends. If it is unusual, organic and fabulous, then loose ends is the place. Showroom hours are 8 am to 5 pm weekdays and the first Saturday of each month 10 am - 3pm at 2065 Madrona Ave. SE, Salem, or visit us online at www.looseends.com Questions? Give us a call at (503) 390-2348.

If you are blessed with high ceilings, another great way to create a partial room divider is to hang a variety of window sizes and shapes from the ceiling. All that space is up there anyway, probably doing nothing much more than creating a big heating bill. As both natural light and interior lighting go through the various layers of botanical material and paper you will have artwork that will function as a room divider with the added bonus of fascinating and ever changing effects. If you anticipate doing something like this, be sure to look at your windows from both sides, with light coming through them. The two sides will give quite different effects, and you will want to choose which ones you want facing which way.

Another way that we have used our windows, was letting them become the base for a table. We hinged three (same size) windows together in a triangle to form the base for a small café table. We added a handmade paper covered “table round” (available at any building supply store) and two salvaged bentwood café chairs, which we also covered in the same green handmade paper – instant “drinks for two at four”!

Sandi Reinke is an author, frequent television guest and lead designer for loose ends (www.loosends.com), a Salem-based interior décor, garden, and casual lifestyle company. To ask Reinke a decorating question, e-mail info@looseends.com or mail her at the showroom address, 2065 Madrona Ave. SE, Salem, OR 97302. Phone: 503-390-2348.

These windows are sturdy and will stand up to a great deal of wear. Seven years ago we created a “conference” table for our office, and we are still using it. A variety of papers and plant material was applied to the windows, leaving one panel open where a changing succession of hand tied bouquets of lavender or wildflowers cycle through. Two windows at opposite ends forming an “L” hold up, what else, an old salvaged door. Shortly after this photo was taken we sprinkled some shells and tiny starfish into the door’s sunken panels and topped it off with a thick piece of glass.

As you work with this technique, more and more ideas for incorporating these windows into both functional and decorative applications will come to you. The only real downside to this nature window business is figuring out where to store all the windows and dried flowers that are sure to accumulate!