If you’ve got an old window or two hanging around your house just waiting for a makeover – a way to tie it in with your home decor – this one’s for you! Today I’m showing you the easiest way ever to customize an antique window so that it will work perfectly in your home without loosing any of that old character that makes it so charming!
In our old home, I had this lovely vintage window hanging over our fireplace.
It’s so full of chippy rustic charm and I really love the personality that it injects into the room! Right from the start, I liked the white paint on the front, but I have to admit, I wasn’t exactly fond of the dark green colour on the side and back. Time for a makeover me-thinks!
Since we’ve been testing out all sorts of colours as we make paint selections for our new home, I figured this would be the perfect chance to see one of my new faves in action … this Woodlawn Blue colour by Benjamin Moore has totally stolen my heart! It’s a lovely blue-grey colour that’s impossible not to love! In fact, I’m thinking of painting my craft room with it – what do y’all think?
This was seriously one of the fastest and easiest painting projects I’ve ever done! I started by carefully scraping the old green paint off of the glass window panes with a simple scraping tool. Thankfully this part was pretty easy as that glass was an absolute mess! Clearly the old owner hadn’t heard of painter’s tape. With just one quick coat of paint to cover the green, the back of the window was done in no time. Since you get just glimpses of the colour poking through the glass to the front or peeking around only one side, I wanted to add a touch of colour to the front as well with a bit of dry brushing over the white. This is such an easy technique to try – simply dip the ends of your brush in the paint and then paint most of it onto a scrap piece of wood (or even some newspaper). Then paint away! A light touch is key, though it’s quite easy to go over the paint with a rag to wipe off any excess if you need to.
This transformation took just minutes, but I’m SO in love with the result! It may not have a home on our new mantel yet, but I think it’s looking pretty good just hanging out on this old desk in our entryway for now.
If you loved this window makeover, you won’t want to miss my DIY Vintage Window Mirrors!
Or this Vintage Window Flower Box, which just happens to be one of my most favorite projects yet!
Wishing you SUCH a lovely day!!!
PS. You can find me sharing here and Savvy Southern Style.
I hope you have a lovely day, too! I think your window looks beautiful on that Desk!
Awwww, thank you SO much Corinna! It definitely adds a bit of character to our entryway 🙂
Oh i find all kinds of goodies on here!Thank you for sharing! Followed you from the wonderful wednesday hop!
I’m SO happy you love it! Thank you!!!
Love to decorate with old windows! I never really thought to paint them though… I have always just left them “as is” I think I have a new paint project coming up! Thanks
-Shonee
http://www.hawthorneandmain.com
Oh good!!! I usually do the same Shonee, but it was a fun way to bring a pop of colour to the room, while still maintaining a ton of character!
What a beautiful transformation! Love it!
Thank you KariAnne! It was a super simple update, but I love seeing the new pop of colour in our entryway!
Covet Nordstrom’s thou shalt not. Reasonably priced items cover I will. ~ Yoda~
😉
This is so cute and would be fun to do. I love those old window frames because they can be used in so many ways. Thanks for posting this cute idea. Stopping by from Imparting Grace.
Thank you Rebecca! I’m collecting them every time I see them now … so many fun ways to put them to work!
Kristi – I love your ideas!!! – I love old windows but have never venture to do anything with them myself. When we bought our lake house the previous owners left one out on the porch, but I always wanted to do more. Thanks for such great instructions and inspiring ideas. Your neighbor over at Imparting Grace.
Awww, thank you SO much Debbie!!! It makes me so happy to hear that you’re feeling inspired! I love the character that an old window can bring to a space and the possibilities to use them really are endless!
It looks soo good! Never thought to paint an old window! I love where you have yours! Looks beautiful!
Thank you SO much Kendra!!! I love the little pop of colour it brings to the space now!
I love it! I love old windows too. They add so much character and is a great way to repurpose!
Thank you Laura!!! I’m scooping them up everywhere I see them now!
That is SO pretty!! I will keep this in mind during my current home redecoration phase.
Thanks for linking up with the #homemattersparty this weekend. We’re glad to have you.
Thank you SO much Amanda! I’m so happy you love it!
Love old windows too. I would put them everywhere if my husband would let me. I especially like the one on your desk.
Have a lovely week,
Bev
Thank you SO much Beverly! I totally agree, they’re just so versatile and such an easy way to add some charm and character to any room! Wishing you a wonderful week as well!
Hi Kristi – I love all of your inspirations! Hubby and I were antiquing this weekend and I saw a lot of old windows for sale and wanted to purchase a few for some projects… but I didn’t because I was nervous about working with the lead paint. How do you handle that with the old windows? Thanks so much! Hugs, Holly
Thanks Holly! First of all, I’m no expert, but I don’t really worry much about the lead paint unless I’m playing around with it. If I’m just leaving the window as is, then I don’t think much about it (the EPA recommends that you don’t disturb lead paint), but if I plan to distress or alter it, then I do a simple lead check with a swab like this one: http://www.amazon.com/3M-717834209102DUPE-LeadCheck-Swabs-8-Pack/dp/B008BK15PU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1436274645&sr=8-1&keywords=lead+swab, just to make sure it’s safe to work with first. Again, I’m no expert, but because I rarely alter a window much after I buy it, I feel safe using them in my home. If you’re really worried, you could always bring the lead swabs with you to try at the shop before buying. Hope this helps! Happy shopping girl!
I’m loving all your window DIY’s, this one is no exception. It turned out really cool looking!
Thank you Sam!!! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE working with vintage windows! They are such an easy way to add charm and character to any room!
I love old windows! After seeing how you’ve used yours I think I need to get my hands on one some time.
Awwww, thank you SO much Cat! I’m so happy you’re feeling inspired! I just love the character and charm they can bring to a space!
Wow, you are fantastic with windows! I love the makeover, and I’ll have to pop over to those other two as well! Thank you for sharing on Merry Monday!
Awww, well thank you SO much Megan! I just love working with vintage windows! SUCH an easy way to bring character to any space!
I have an antique window sitting in my living room that I need to finish fixing and hang up already! 🙂
I love the look of antique windows, yours is so pretty.
Thanks for sharing at Talented Tuesday link party last week, hope you join us this week!
Thanks Kristina! We’ve been known to leave ours sitting around for ages waiting to find a spot in the house 😉 LOVE decorating with them, they bring so much character to any space!
Love this! I get so excited each week to see what you have been working on because it’s always AMAZING! Thank you for sharing this with us. Pinned and tweeted. I hope to see you on Monday at 7 pm, so we can party!!!! Lou Lou Girls
Awww, you are much too sweet Kimberly! Thank you!