From old window to new piece of wall art. | Simple DIY Wall Decor.

April 30, 2012 by Kelly Whitman | 11 Comments

“When you’re building a room, you’re building character, and character is the strength and wisdom of a home.” – Rose Tarlo

Old windows make me happy. The thought about the history that each window holds from days gone by, really speaks to me. I love giving something with history a new purpose in my home, something that has feeling in it & a story to tell means so much more to me hanging on the wall.

Today I was cleaning my daughters room getting it ready for a house showing, when I looked on the wall at a wall applique I applied last Fall and realized that I should probably take it off the wall to simplify the room since we are trying to sell our house. Saddened about the thought of wasting money by throwing it away-I stopped and thought, how can I re-use the wall decal somewhere in the house, where we can take it with us when we move?! I thought and thought, looked around the house for something..anything to put it on, when I came across my stash of old windows I found on Freecycle last year. Many of the windows were small, but in the back of the pile, was one large window calling out, ‘Pick me, pick me!’ I measured the wall decal & measured the window, and they were the perfect fit for each other!

Here are the few simple steps I took to turn an old vintage window into a cool & unique piece of wall art for my daughters room!

PROJECT: Vintage window wall art
PROJECT LEVEL: Easy
PROJECT COST: Under $20.00
PROJECT SUPPLIES: Old Window, Windex/rag, wall applique/decal

1.) Purchase wall applique/ wall decal. Many stores offer a large variety of very cool wall decals, including words, quotes, and images. I purchased mine on clearance at Kohl’s for just $9.00 , I have also found great deals on wall decals at Menards and Shop Ko. If you have no luck at your local stores, check online, there are unlimited options out there!

2.) Find an old window. Check your local thrift stores, antique stores, flea markets, Craigslist, and Freecycle. You can most likely always get old windows just by posting a wanted ad on Craigslist, people are always looking to throw/give them away.

2.) Clean window. Make sure to wipe down your entire window, including the wood frame and glass on both sides. If you desire you can also apply a quick coat of paint on the frame in any color you wish. I chose to leave this window as-is.

3.) Remove wall applique from packaging (or in my case, from the wall it was currently stuck to)….

Decal on the wall before I removed it. Don't mind the doll with the bald spot, that's Marble, I had her since I was 3 and carried her around by her hair.. her hair fell out & sometimes her head even fell off, thats a story you probably didn't need to hear, but I wanted to share )

….lay your window down on a flat surface …..

….& carefully apply wall decal to your window, push down slowly and evenly as you go to prevent bubbles from appearing. The great thing about most wall decals is that they are also removable, so if you mess up-just remove and try again!

4.) Place your window wherever you like. Vintage windows look neat as a headboard, or on a blank wall that currently has no (real) windows. In my daughters room I placed her new vintage window wall art on top of her dresser and she LOVES it!

Use your imagination when adding wall decor to your home, not every thing you hang up has to be new, mix & match the old with the new for a fun, creative, unique and vintage meets modern look that will add texture to your space and leave your guests never looking at old windows the same ever again.

Thanks for reading,
~Kelly

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Categories: Antiquing/Thrifting, Before & After, Design, DIY, Home Design/Decor, Primitives | Tags: creative uses for old windows, creative uses for wall decals, DIY, DIy old window home decor, girls room decor ideas, ideas for old windows, unique home decor ideas, upcycling old windows, vintage home decor ideas | Permalink.