The newly rebuilt home REX.
The moment we drove up to Shannon Quimby‘s home, my husband, Matt exclaimed, “Whoa! Is this where we’re staying?” “Yep. Q’s a genius.”
Our friend, Shannon Quimby, who is a reusing, recycling, restyling, and renewing designer/decorator extraordinaire, was kind enough to invite us to stay the night on the first leg of our Oregon to NoCal road trip this summer. Needless to say, we were blown away by her REX Project (Re-use Everything eXperiment), and, upon entering, we knew we were in for a real decor treat.
Join me now, in part 2 of our home tour of Q’s amazing recycling of a dilapidated house that resulted in the rebuilding of a beautiful and character-filled home (see Part 1: Gorgeous Garden Decorated with Salvaged Materials). I’m sure, along with us, you will be inspired to rethink your trash when you see what treasures they can be.
Let’s start in the living and dining rooms…
The living room-Matt lounges in a coffee-sack upholstered swivel chair.
Bella loves cuddling on this accompanying reupholstered chair covered in denim and coffee sacks.
I just love how the wires and caps were hidden underneath this bi-fold door. It’s so rustic and adds texture that is familiar, yet surprising.
Bi-fold bathroom door and discarded wine and beer bottles become a charming chandelier.
Now, moving into the kitchen…
Vintage scale and bowling pin collection.
A vintage ice pick…
…becomes a fabulous paper towel dispenser!
Reused flooring…
…becomes a cool cooler door!
What’s so great these days, is that many of us reuse and recycle (give yourselves a pat on the back, now!). But when I saw that Shannon had recycled these old and seemingly non-sexy electrical insulators into these very whimsical cabinet knobs…I, again, had to tip my imaginary hat.
Follow me down the hallway and to the powder room…
The under-the-stairs powder room receives a ceiling with salvaged flooring and upcycled window mirror.
Fun was designed into every nook of this home. Can you find what I’m talking about? Strike!
Outdoor patio lighting becomes industrial indoor hallway lighting.
Here’s a peek at the second floor laundry room…
Lovely laundry room filled with all things vintage and salvaged. The old cabinetry from the previous property is absolutely charming in its new space.
Just like this trumpet filled with aromatic lavender.
And some decor bits and bobs…
I’ve been looking for an old school clock just like this!
A single stem hydrangea looks perfect in this vintage bottle.
An antique rainwater drain planter. Just another example of Q’s brilliance.
Vintage drum clock…fun meet function
Tiny nook styled with vintage pictures and a ruler shelf.
2nd floor staircase styled with salvaged corbels, sconces and vintage chess pieces…oh my!
Shannon had the foresight to build in a peek-a-boo door, so when she gives tours of this radically recycled home, she can show visitors how old and new timber can coexist. I learned that you can recycle and reuse old wood for structural building that is not load-barring. So interesting! Note: you should always check with the building codes in your area to verify the use of recycled lumber.
New and old timber can live together! New wood on the left, reused on the right.
The master bathroom…
The master bath tastefully styled…
…with salvaged flooring and repurposed rock drawer pulls.
The tree they had to remove for building this new home, finds a new home indoors.
I so love this timber caliber as a decor piece…so rustic and local!
Thanks for stopping by!
Reclaimed stained glass windows charm up this front porch. Thanks Shannon!
If you’d like to learn more about the REX Project and view more photos of this fabulous home, visit shannonquimby.com.
All photography by Skaie Knox, HomeJelly