Old Window Repurposed
Not long after we bought 173, we put in a new basement floor, and while we were at it we replaced the basement windows. Well...if you've followed this blog for any time at all, you know we're all about re-purposing stuff. So we kept a few of the old basement windows.
Other Neat Ideas
I put mirrors in one of those old windows and mounted on the side of the shed ... I dunno, sounded like a neat idea at the time, but over the years the frame disintegrated. I don't recall where the other windows wound up, except for one.
Yes, that's right - for the first couple years here at 173, the basement windows were sealed with duct tape! Anyway - after the front porch was remodeled (the link takes you to the second remodel, the first was pre-blog) a number of years ago, I had "my" little corner. Oh, and I found this old Morris chair at a little country auction for $25 oh maybe 15 years ago or so.
It's Not About the Chair
Anyway, THAT'S what this post is about. No, not the Morris chair - see that little bookcase? Yep - Made at 173! Like I said, I had that old basement window, and wanted something to go with the chair, so I got the idea for the bookcase. I just use it for some old-school nick-knacks (is there supposed to be a "k" in front of those?) and a place to set my iced tea.
It Was a Quick Project
I had a few scrap boards and two old hinges lying about the workshop, so it didn't cost anything. And I just used butt joints because I wanted a kind of Adirondack/Maine forest cabin feel to it.
Because the case was going to be on the floor, I thought it would be better to put the hinges on the bottom of the case instead of the top to make it easier to reach in.
And I just used an old rusty hook for a latch. Oh, and that old closet hook? I inherited a drawer full of them with 173. So I put one on the side of the case. I also inherited a circa 1940s wire catcher's mask that usually hangs on the hook, but like I said, we're in the middle of a re-do right now so it's packed away.
In the years since this book case was originally built, the front porch has undergone some changes, and to make the case fit better aesthetically, I painted it Red Devil's Dublin Green.
Then I roughed up the edges to make it a little more rustic, wiped on and off some black paint to give it an aged look, and you can get a sense of that here:
Oh! And there's that great old catcher's mask! And here's the case now:
And finally, a shot of the old bookcase in it's natural habitat:
