Things ain't what they used to be...

I love being able to re-use old objects in a new way - otherwise some of them would just be lost forever as their original purpose may no longer exist - I started taking a few snaps around the house and look what I found...

This old chiffonier back no longer had its base but looks wonderful above my French day bed (many a happy hour spent lapsing in and out of consciousness here!)

I bought this old chicken carrier from the lovely Corinne at Douce Campagne, but not having any chickens to carry I use it for holding my favourite magazines by my favourite reading chair...

I can't resist a crate or two - or three, and love the extra storage they provide - here they're storing my ongoing handicraft projects...

they also turn up in the bedroom...

 and the kitchen...

they're just so versatile...

This rusty old French trivet, wonky and worn to perfection, is just perfect for holding candles off surfaces...

Old shutters and windows are irresistible and technically these are decorative and not useful, but being decorative is a purpose in itself isn't it? At least that's what I keep telling my husband...

An old egg basket is the perfect place for vegetables, allowing air to circulate and keeping them close at hand when I'm cooking...
And, in the background, is another old window used as a mirror to reflect the light in our kitchen....

These haven't exactly been given a new purpose being bottle crates originally, but I love using them to store wine and, of course, my homemade sloe gin... 

More shutters, and this time I used them to frame a photograph I took in Paris - it seemed appropriate...

Old clock cases have lost their purpose when the mechanism disappears but they are lovely items in their own right and make great door stops...

I think this is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of things I've reused around the house: the French chest as a coffee table, the washstand as a TV stand etc etc, but I love being able to give new life to old things. After all, that's the ethos of I Love My Home and it inspires me to keep searching out more lovely old things x