Upcycling. You love it, right? Equal parts upgrading and recycling, the art of upcycling promises to breathe new life into those found objects you just aren’t quite sure what to do with. Case in point: a fruit crate I was gifted by some lovely blogger friends while teaching a course in Portland last summer. You might argue that a fruit crate is an odd gift, but to a design blogger? A fruit crate is the mecca of possibility.
Still, the aforementioned crate sat dusty in my entryway, begging to be used for more than hat, gloves and scarf storage. And as we started to plan our little one’s nursery (she’s due in July!), the thought hit me: why not transform this fruit crate into a rustic toy chest with a hot pink caster twist? The project was easy peasy and took just a few materials: casters, spray paint, spare wood and the crate itself! Here’s how we pulled it off:
1. After gathering our materials, we sprayed primer (one coat) and spray-painted (two coats) the casters and let dry overnight.
2. Because the wooden base of the crate was thin, we cut thick blocks of wood to swallow the screws from each caster. This ensured a stable, sturdy fit.
3. We then placed our thick blocks of wood on the inside of the base and pre-drilled our holes in the bottom 4 corners of the crate.
4. Lastly, we used lock washers and screwed in each caster.
Super quick and easy, right? Tell me, what’s an object laying around your house that you’d love to re-purpose? I’ve got a list a mile long and would love to hear your’s!
[...] Upcycle 101: From Fruit Crate to Toy Chest HGTV Design Happens Wed, May 16, 2012 2:48 PM UTC HGTV Design Happens Rate Share (function(){var [...]
Did you sand it down to make it smooth and protect the little one from splinters. That would be my only concern. Otherwise I love the idea
Ha, we didn't! Good call – one more thing to add to the list before she arrives!
[...] one arrives!), so this week I’m sharing a sweet (super simple!) fruit crate turned toy chest.Check out the tutorial at HGTV.com! SHARE: twitter, facebook, pinterest, stumbleYou might also like:my diy bench seating on Hfollow [...]
Love this, Erin! I'm always on the hunt for creative storage solutions. This is a great one!
Thanks, Jen!
This is such a terrific idea. I like this idea so much I am going to add wheels to anything that needs to be moved often. Thanks for terrific visuals too. Elizabeth
You're welcome, Elizabeth! And gosh, yes – casters are problem solvers for so many things!
Lots of splinters. I'm sure you must have discovered that.
Actually, the wood is pretty worn, so it's smoothed out quite a bit over time. But yes, we'll be sanding it down even more before the little one arrives!
i love it! and we also have that romeo and juliet book for our little girl
Isn't it the best? Such a cute book!
My only small concern would be any chemicals on the wood. If it's old wood, though, this would be less of a concern.
It's definitely old wood, so I think we're in the clear!
This would be great for a beach place to put towels for the beach at the front door.
Where is some good place to find a wood grate similar to this?
mary
If you want an old one – flea markets, antique barns and weekend shows. If you don't care if it's new – if you live in a large city that has a vegetable market; or make friends with the veg/fruit dept manager at your local grocery and have him call you when he gets one.
I just bought an old crate and I'm haveing my husband attach casters, and wood top that I can upholster for a foot stool. Might incorporate blanket storage inside, mine has solid sides not slats
As a mother of three and grandmother I can attest to the fact that if it is a box children will climb into it. I think I would reinforce the bottom and would also help keep smaller items from falling through the slats. Also, after sanding I would spray or paint on a poly finish to keep the splinters as bay. A matt finish would retain it's current charm.
My son, 23 years old, still bears a scar on his forehead from hitting the corner of
a similar "milk crate" toybox at daycare.
That is a creative storage for our kid’s toys. I will try this idea on the storage units from Perth that was delivered by my sister.
I'm always on the hunt for creative storage solutions. This is a great one!
Great fruit crate transformation! I never thought of adding wheels to make it easy for the thing to move around the house.
My Blog Site: http://easyhomeconcepts.com
I've learned to creat self storage Perth when I my daughter starts having lots of toys. Using a fruit crate for storage is a brilliant idea.I think we can improve it more by painting it with bright colors especially if we will convert it into a toy storage.
I’m dim-witted for throwing away the fruit crate last week. Next time I will keep all the fruit crates because I want to convert it into a toy chest as well.
-Gemma Glenny
Just saw this on pinterest but it wasn't the original post so I went hunting until I found you. I was hoping to share this with my blog readers but I always want them to go back to the original source. Glad I finally found it!
i've built probably 5-7 pieces of furniture with reclaimed wood, and it always looks fantastic – even if done semi-incorrectly. it almost adds that intentionally-ironically off look to it. each time i've used vintage / retro casters from http://cardinalcaster.com/vintage-retro-casters.h…. – they look amazing.