Refinished Old Windows
Become A Beautiful Picture Frame
Simple Story:
 Completed Windows, Shelf, Valance and Candles |
A couple years before the project began, my mother purchased some old windows at a garage sale. She's always buying old things and then takes them back to Michigan, re-finishes them in "shabby-chic" fashion and sells them. She was to take these windows back up north. A day or two before leaving she asked if perhaps I wanted them. Nope. But ... she had planted a seed. As I thought about them, ideas came to mind. The more I thought, the more I liked the ideas and came back to her asking "Can I still take those windows off your hands?" Like a good mom, she said yes.
The Photo
What I came up with is to hang the windows in the living room and have them be windows to our life. Put a photo behind those windows. I have a friend who prints photos on canvas at large scale. The prints are very nice! So, I looked through all our photos and found one I thought would work well. A photo of our horse in her pasture.
The Windows
From there I had to figure out how to get a photo into these windows. and how I would hang it all. I figured out a way to mount the print on the back and raise the photo and windows off the wall an inch or so to give it all a bit of a "floating" feel. I would mount the windows individually with a inch or two gap between them to further enhance the "floating" feel.
Many, many hours of sanding on the old windows. It's quite difficult to get these kinds of old items cleaned up. After sanding, the finish I used was a Cherry stain and then four coats of hand applied, hand rubbed satin poly finish. Very nice.
The Shelf
I finished the windows and mounted them on the wall. Very nice, but not great. They were simply lost in the space. They needed the shelf. Shelfs are not that hard. Unless your me. I had to add some style and flair. I had to make it "float" also. No problem, just a normal project to me.
I sat down with some paper and sketched some ideas followed by some tests on scrap pieces. The main part of the shelf is a 2 x 4 which is what is mounted to the wall. The visible shelf and edging is mounted onto that 2 x 4. For style and flair, I added a little "lip" around the upper edge to keep items on the shelf and it looks interesting. The fronts and sides are a little thicker to give it some visual weight appropriate to it's relationship with the widows. 45 degree beveled edges were added.
The Valance
The next item in the piece was the valance. With the windows and shelf completed, a style was already established. Again, floating it off the wall. The top edging mimics the shelf edging. Bevels on upper edge and lower edge further harmonize the valance to the other pieces.
The Candle Holders
I played with some wood in the shop and I made a couple of candle sconces. But, upon completion and holding them in place before mounting on the wall I felt they did not work well - not enough height and weight for the piece. So, back to the shop for some bigger candle ideas. By adding a tall candle holder on each side, much better. I included some copper and mirrors behind the candles. The tall candle holders have rounded wood candle holders. The short candle holders have recessed circular areas in the shelf to hold candle holders I bought at a candle store.
For more details and additional photos, click the "Whole Story".
Window Picture Frame Photos:
 Window Handle Detail |
 Window Corner and Shelf Detail |
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 Shelf and Window Bottom View |
 Project Completed Angle View |
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 Candle Holders |
