It's been quite a while since I last shared a DIY project here because life has been really hectic and I haven't had much time to work on these projects and put my ideas into practice. More recently, I was surprised by a project I wasn't even expecting to do, but it showed up on my path. The project, actually, is the restoration of this old frame that I found in the trash during a casual walk through the neighborhood where I live.
The first thing was to decide whether or not to take the frame, because it was very damaged and I honestly didn’t know if I would be able to restore it and make it beautiful again. But I thought, well, I’ll take it, and if it doesn’t work out, the worst that can happen is that I throw it away again later. But here at home, everything that can be saved is recovered, almost nothing goes to the trash.
So, after a few days thinking about what I was going to do with the frame, I started the restoration process, I began by removing the entire back, the cardboards and also the paper that was stuck to the back of the frame, and I started scraping because it had mold, a lot of dirt, anyway, the condition was deplorable.
I should mention that the quality of some of the photos isn’t the best, because I ended up taking screenshots from the video I was recording to document the whole process. I forgot to take proper pictures of each step, and in the end it was easier to just capture frames from the video.
But anyway, back to the restoration. The frame had a section with plaster that was very broken, so there was no way to reuse it and I also don’t have much skill for that. So I scraped off the entire part to reveal the original wood underneath.
There was another area that, although it looks in the photos like it was also detailed in plaster and had some relief, was actually just painted. And the paint was in terrible condition, peeling, very damaged, with lots of stains, so I decided not to keep that part either.
After spending some time scraping everything and sanding it down really well to try and even out the frame again — because a few traces of plaster were still there — it was finally time to paint the piece, which, of course, is always my favorite part.
I used an enamel paint made for wood that I already had at home, since I didn’t want to spend any money on this restoration. I applied a generous coat of paint over the entire surface of the frame.
After that, I decided to paint some hearts and add these little branches around the frame. I thought the result already looked pretty cute, but to finish it off and make it even more beautiful, I added a touch of gold paint, outlining both an inner and an outer border.
That gave the whole piece a sense of movement, a unique charm that I thought turned out really cool — creative, pretty, and even a bit whimsical.
After everything was painted, I decided I was going to add a mirror to the frame. So I left the house determined to come back with it fully mirrored and looking beautiful.
And that’s me on the street, all emotional, carrying my new piece on the way back home. I was so excited I couldn’t even wait until I got home to look at the frame. I did it right there, in the middle of the street, walking in the rain.
Well, when I got home, I still wasn’t sure where I was going to put the frame. I considered a few spots and in the end I decided to place it next to my bed because I felt the colors and the somewhat magical aesthetic of the frame matched the style of my bedroom. I think I’ve already shown this part of my home here before, the interior design of this space.
The frame ended up with a color very similar to my headboard, which also has this super whimsical vibe, so I thought it made sense to put it there. I placed it, decorated the room, arranged the details and I’m completely in love with the result.
I also hope you really like this transformation and most of all that it inspires you, because so often things people throw away and think are beyond saving can in fact be brought back to life and turn out truly beautiful. They just need a chance.
See ya!!!