High Society

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Issue 45

The Escapes Issue

Cook perfect pancakes
Build a modern rustic bench
Sew new life into a vintage dress

High Society

by Thomas Wold

Photos by Markham Johnson/Wonderful Machine

Transform a pile of cast-off furniture into one statement-making shelving unit that holds everything.

Before: This pile of furniture had just been gathering dust. Ripped apart and reassembled, it becomes a multifunctional storage system.

After two years of building projects for this column, I’ve got a large collection of loose pieces of furniture, old cabinets, planks, electrical parts, and old hardware and drawers left over and stacked up in the corner of my storage space. So I decided to challenge myself to make something new, beautiful, and useful out of the huge pile.

If you have a hankerin’ to build something like this, you’ll first need to measure your available space and decide how you’d like the new piece to function. Then, go out and start collecting. Once you have a pile of items, start stacking, beginning with a sturdy object at the bottom. (This type of design is all about composition, so take your time.) Continue building, cutting and tearing apart cabinets and furniture as needed while discovering new uses for the parts you have. You won’t know what the final shape will be until you get there, but I swear, the surprise is the best part.

Think about the shape, size, and type of new piece you’d like to create, and cut and tear apart furniture as needed to experiment with a new design.
When you feel happy with your creation, create a mock-up of your final design by loosely attaching everything with screws. Take the time to predrill so you don’t bury screws. Take a picture of your creation.
Take everything apart to prep and paint.
Get your dust mask on and clean and sand all the parts so that new paint will adhere.
Prep the surface with the shellac. After it dries, sand again.
Apply paint (oil-based paint will set up better and flatten out for a smoother finish) with a brush. After the paint is dry, reattach the system and test to make sure it’s sturdy enough for its intended use—if it’s big, reassemble it close to where it will live.