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Wish List Database

Wish List Database published on

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Did you ever wish you had your own personal shopper that you didn’t have to pay? Well, let Reclaimed Home be your shopper! No, we’re not talking about buying your knickers and perfume. All we’re saying is that we’ll keep our eyes peeled for recycled furniture and house parts for you.

It’s time consuming and not very cost effective to travel around trying to find the perfect sink vanity, desk or pier mirror. We’re out and about looking anyway, so we might as well include you in our plans.

This is how it works. You email us a sample photo of your desired pieces, measurements (if applicable) and budget. We’ll look for them when we go shopping for our own inventory. Make sure to give us a number where we can text images so we can make an immediate decision as to whether or not to pick it up.

Don’t rely on us to find everything immediately, but we’ll do our best to remember you on each shopping trip.

Now, does anyone know of an app for this kind of thing?

Smalls!

Smalls! published on 2 Comments on Smalls!

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Sooo, most of the smalls sold out during the opening, but ya’knowhat? We got more. Aaannnddd…now we’re drowning in smalls. Took a trip to Connecticut in the rain yesterday to visit Grace Napoleon of Folk Couture. She’s an upcycled clothing designer but she did sell vintage items in the past. She needed to get rid of her vintage inventory and we needed the goods, so it was a match!

Drove around a bit more while up that way. The result is that we have lots of great stuff but nowhere to walk in the shop.

Ok, starting to deal with the big pile(s) now….

Big Thanks!

Big Thanks! published on 1 Comment on Big Thanks!

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The moment we opening our doors.

A big thank you to all who came by over the weekend to support Reclaimed Home’s coming out party when you could have been outdoors enjoying the beautiful weather. Although we’re bummed that the entire shop wasn’t cleared of all inventory, the sale didn’t suck.

We’re excited about some new ideas thrown at us from friends and customers. We’ll be moving forward soon with the DIY classes that we really wanted to have but thought the shop might be too small. Well, we’ll just hold smaller classes. Duh. To start, we’ll be offering fun and easy techniques like photo transfers, stenciling and found object assemblage. If there’s a specific class you would like to see offered or want to hold a “tupperware party” style workshop in your home, please don’t be shy!

Another fun idea that came up is theme sales. Every week, we’ll gather some items and have a special sale. Starting this Friday and running until Sunday, it will be the “Furniture for $50 and Under Sale”. We’ll start gathering details on Wednesday. Who knows? Maybe the sale will start sooner.

One more thing….we’ve extended the weekend hours to 6pm closing instead of 5pm.

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It’s Go Time.

It’s Go Time. published on

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Countdown: 1 Day. Tomorrow. Manana. 24ish hours. Reclaimed Home will be open to the public.

So, are we ready? Yeah, for the most part. We didn’t get to do the gold leafing on the windows. That probably won’t effect anybody’s shopping experience but we did want it there as an example of the services we offer. Not as many upcycled items as we would have liked. Sure, there are a few, but no clawfoot tub sofa and no dresser sink vanities. They are SO the next things in the shop once we create more space.

What do we have? Lots of effin’ amazing painted furniture. None of that safe shabby chic stuff that you see all over the place. We went with bold colors. Bold, dammit!

What else? Some architectural salvage. Doors, new hand painted sinks, antique fountain sink, a copper bathtub, pillars, antique hardware and lighting. Tschotkes starting at five bucks.

The shop is less than 900 square feet and we carved out a work area from that, so if more than 5 people show up it may get crowded, but you’re welcome to hang out in front with your alcoholic beverages on the police station block. They take up half the sidewalk with their cars, so there’s your seating right there.

10am-5pm both Saturday and Sunday. 10% discount but we do have to charge sales tax. Directions here.

Hope to see you this weekend!

Countdown to Opening

Countdown to Opening published on

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Not even a week left to go and in true Phyllis and Emilia fashion, we are behind on our punch list. This is gonna be a fun week if it doesn’t kill us.

I (Phyllis here) am on telephone standby jury duty all week. Yeah, I flaked on getting out of that one. It’s most likely all good. Called last night and I’m off the hook, but then they mentioned that I have to call in every night for 2 weeks. WTF? If I got put on a trial, it would last less time.

Ordered stenciling online for the gold leafing for the shop window. The description said 4.5″ x 5.5″ and we thought that meant each letter, but the entire card with all letters was that big. Sooo, now we gotta find a local crafts store that sells antique looking lettering. The closest Michaels is Rego Park. We’re probably better off just going to Pearl Paint on Canal.

So, what else is on the to do list?

1. Price and display the gazillion items I bought at markets yesterday.
2. Paint some more pieces. Touch up and fix the ones we’ve been bashing about.
3. Paint the lettering if we ever get these damn stencils.
4. Clean! Clean! Clean!
5. Pick up food and booze.
6. More marketing. Hey, spread the word!

Well, it doesn’t sound so bad when it’s narrowed down to a list of six items, but please note that a “gazillion” pieces take awhile to price and we probably have quite a few pieces that need painting and touch up.

But it’s all good. It’s only Monday. Yep, alllll good.

Flea Market Season Is Here!

Flea Market Season Is Here! published on

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You know it’s officially Spring when the flea markets come back…along with the allergies. Some outdoor markets tough it out through the winter. Special shout out to Green Flea and Annex Market vendors for struggling through the cold this year. Maybe one of the reasons Manhattan is still Borough #1, although this Brooklynite hates to admit it.

Back in the boroughs, the Brooklyn Flea is starting up again this weekend. All of them. I can’t even keep track anymore. It’s a fleanopoly.

Queens gets going with the Long Island City Flea this Saturday and Sunday.

No offense to The Bronx and Staten Island but I don’t know their markets. Anyone want to post one? Comments, please.

Upstate and Connecticut are “springing” into action again too.

The Beacon Flea is back this Sunday. Can’t beat that backdrop (photo above).

Nearby is the new Dutchess Marketplace, which I checked out back in March when they were just starting out. Huge space, great vendors but a weird layout. Mix of old and new.

Up the road a bit is the Elephant’s Trunk. Get there early! It’s a 7am-2pm market. None of this NYC late start crap. Worth getting up early.

Me? I think I’ma gonna hit the upstate ones. Wake up at the crack of dawn, put some miles on my car. Schlepp around aimlessly and get some great merch for the shop. All in a day’s work.

Store Front Done

Store Front Done published on

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That was one harsh winter, huh kids?! We put off any exterior work on the shop until it warmed up. With 10 days to go until opening, we were cutting it close, but we lucked out with one nice day this week and our team of three got the entire front done in just a few hours!

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Ok, so we didn’t do any major work since we have a shoestring budget and want to bypass permits. We hung our 4ft sign because anything over 6ft needs a permit. We dry brushed the icky non-antique brick to brighten things up and added a lovely teal to the window sill.

As soon as the paper in the windows came down, people starting peeking in. What we thought was a low traffic block on a dead end street seemed fairly busy. Gotta get used to that feeling of being on display.

Can’t find the “before” shots we took, so here’s the tattoo parlor that was formerly in the space. Yeah, they photoshopped their sign in.

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Cleaning Marble with Polyurethane?

Cleaning Marble with Polyurethane? published on 1 Comment on Cleaning Marble with Polyurethane?

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*Disclaimer: Don’t try this at home. It was not a scientific experiment, but rather a happy accident.

We were using a beautiful marble top dresser as our desk for a wee bit. Probably not the wisest idea as it’s one of the better pieces in the shop, but marble is easy to clean. Oh yeah, the “desk” is also the dining table and sometimes work bench.

The freakout occurred the morning we discovered a spill on the marble top. Twas either glue or poly. It was clear and peeled off rather easily, like peeling Elmer’s from your skin. So, here’s the thing. When it came off, so did the dirt and stains underneath. The marble was sparkling white!

We did a test with some more water based poly and lo and behold, great results!

It would be irresponsible of us to tell you to spill water based poly all over your marble, but just sayin’, that stuff makes a great cleaner! Oh, if you’re gonna do it, make sure you don’t scratch the shit out of your marble when scraping off.

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Official Announcement. Word.

Official Announcement. Word. published on

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The details are set. The invites are going out (Tip: This IS the invite unless you are on the mailing list, then you get the same thing in your inbox.)! Oh, here’s the Facebook event page.

Our spiel: Reclaimed Home will officially open it’s doors to the public on Saturday April 12th. We’ll discount any item, large or small, by 10%, for the entire weekend. But wait, there’s more! You can nosh and booze it up when you stop by. Three Buck Chuck and Costco snacks….we’re going all out!

To start, hours will be 10am-5pm on Saturdays and Sundays. Weekdays will be 9-5 Wednesday through Friday with Mondays and Tuesdays by appointment only. This may change after we get a feel for our customer’s shopping habits.

So, what are we selling? The Reclaimed Home inventory consists of vintage items, antiques and architectural salvage in an as-is state. But! Our raison d’etre is taking near-death pieces and resuscitating them by the process of upcyclification. In other words, a headboard becomes a bench, a clawfoot tub becomes a sofa, an old dresser becomes a sink vanity and they live on. THEY LIVE!

Who are we? We are two middle aged New Yawk women, one with a background in DIY home restoration and the other with a fine art background. Together, we can turn an entire house into a work of art, so pieces of furniture are pieces of cake to us.

We hope to meet each and every one of you in person on April 12th and the weeks, months and years to follow.

April 12th

April 12th published on 4 Comments on April 12th

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We set the date for the grand opening. We may not be ready, but “Chaos” is our middle name. On Saturday, April 12th, Reclaimed Home will open it’s doors to the public come hell or high water.

There is plenty left to do! With the winter being what it was, the front of the store still looks like dreck. It’s supposed to warm up next week, so hopefully we’ll have our sign up and paper off the windows to start.

Still seeking more inventory, but it looks like a fine weekend for estate sales! We have some decent repurposed pieces and plan to create some more, but then we need to fill the gaps with awesome flea market finds at great prices. Something for everyone, knowwhatimsayin?

Marketing? Yeah, gotta get on that. Hey, spread the word, will ya? Please? And don’t forget to mark your own calendar. There will be refreshments all weekend.

Reclaimed Door Coat Tree

Reclaimed Door Coat Tree published on

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There are reclaimed door coat trees and then there are reclaimed door coat trees. Some folks just slap a small table or seat to the front of a door, throw some hooks up and call it a day. We had to choose the complicated method for our first try. A bench made from two doors.

Oh, don’t get me wrong. The process is worth it. At least I think so. But then I also thought this would only take one person half a day. Well, maybe not including the learning curve.

It took longer. Firstly, we really did like the chippy paint, so we decided to keep it. Five coats of polyurethane later, that paint was in place! Then the cut door started coming apart, so that had to be fixed. Finally, the bench had to be structurally sound so when someone goes to sit on it, they don’t fall on their arse.

At the end of the day (or two), it came out great! The next one might just have a table or ready-to-go bench attached though.

Click on image or link to BUY, BUY, BUY!

AD Design Show 2014

AD Design Show 2014 published on

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If you saw any of Reclaimed Home’s InstaTwitFB feeds yesterday, you would know that we hit the Architectural Digest Home Design Show down at the pier. As those trade shows go, it was inspiring and fun until the ole’ stomach starting to growl and the ole’ feet started to hurt.

Before full fatigue set in, we did get to cover quite a bit of the show. Here’s what motivated us to go on.

The wood block mesquite shown above is from Old Wood out of New Mexico. Although wood plank (which they carry) is a timeless, proper floor, the block is, to use a pun…cutting edge. Much of the wood used by Old Wood is reclaimed in one form or another. That’s not to say it came out of old buildings. Some of their lumber comes from forest fires. The mesquite is harvested from native land (with permission) without killing the root. It’s actually considered a nuisance like a weed.

room-setting-w-small-blocks_slider-image-860x450PTACEK Home is located in Garrison, NY and they work only with local wood. The image above is the burnt look. The piece of furniture that looks like a library card catalogue has reversible drawers so that every cube can have color or wood tone.

 

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Speaking of local, the rocking bench was created by Stefan Rurak right here in Brooklyn. He does work with some reclaimed materials, but there is no mention about the that being the case with this particular piece. It’s a cool bench though.

colorfloorPID Floors does some colorful graining! The gentleman explained that it’s a 7 step process and also informed us that we were the first to ask if it can be done on reclaimed wood. Yes, it can. But the company doesn’t manufacture it that way. They do have greens and yellows and blues in their “In Love” collection, so who cares about the environment? Kidding!!!

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Ok, are you ready to have your mind blown? See that wood countertop? It’s concrete. Yup. JM Lifestyles makes concrete objects that look exactly like wood. Check out this shower!

Some fun stuff at the show! It runs until the 23rd at Pier 94.

Reclaimed Lath

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Something so simple and easy to work with. A resource that you find in most old house renovations. And the best part? It’s free! Plaster lath.

For those of you whom haven’t had the pleasure of gutting a room in a historic home, lath is the stuff behind the wall plaster. It’s not used in modern building because these days it’s all sheetrock on studs. Rock on studs sounds sexy, but plaster is way hotter.

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Going back to lath being free. People just throw it away! But if you value your time, it ain’t so cheap after all. There’s a fair amount of work that goes into recycled lath projects. Nails have to be taken out, the wood has to be sanded and cut. They may need nailing depending on the project. Each small piece. Backsplashes need to be properly sealed. And that’s just the natural tone. Do you know how time consuming it is to stain each piece?

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That being said, we LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these sample boards we did! We left one with natural wood color and stained the other multi color. As mentioned, these will be our sample boards for various projects such as headboards, art installations, backsplash, furniture and entire walls.

Want?

It’s the Little Things

It’s the Little Things published on

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Gosh, it’s so nice to work on pieces that just need some refreshing. While I spent all day yesterday gluing, cutting and fixing broken furniture with my sorry carpentry skills, Emilia actually got to finish some smaller projects that unconditionally rock.

The gradation mirror was a white and gold antique mirror that needed some work and just wasn’t doing anything for us. The red to silver variation brought it back to life like an old Jew at an early bird buffet. (It’s ok for me to say that. I’m referring to my family).

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The table worked out quite well also. The little iron table lost it’s glass top when we were moving furniture around. The antique floor grill was just the perfect size! Expect to see some pieces made with those grills as I have collected a few for such projects. The problem is that they don’t come cheap, but the good news is that they’ll outlive all of us. Maybe that’s not such good news.

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More antique frames! These were finished last week but we didn’t get to highlight them. They were meant to sell individually but we love the way they hang on the wall together. Who needs to put photos or artwork in them when the frame IS the artwork?

Click on photos for more info on each item.

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