Vintage Expert | Joanne Palmisano
Oct 31, 2014 | by Becky Oeltjenbruns
Joanne, finding more treasures!
As any lover of vintage will tell you, referring to old treasures simply as “used” leaves a lot to be desired. Treasure seekers prefer to see the amazing history beneath the surface and get positively giddy about breathing new life into something that most people see as “past its prime.”
Our latest vintage expert, Joanne Palmisano, identifies with this mindset completely. A passionate promoter of incorporating found pieces into modern living, she creates spaces and places with an ingenious design aesthetic. We were lucky enough to pick her brain on all things salvage and are excited to share her thoughts with you. Joanne has so many clever ideas for transforming your latest find into something extra special. Her books and website are brimming with inspiration and we encourage you to check it out!
Joanne Palmisano
Joanne Palmisano
Vermont, USA
Salvage Secrets Design
I’ve always had a passion for salvage. As a kid in Vermont, I’d walk behind houses and find old bottles. I’d wonder what the story behind them was – why were these important to them? Recycling always involves a story. Even a piece of wood has meaning: someone used that to build a home to protect their family and keep them safe. Things breathe a soul and you feel that.
When Joanne isn’t creating inspiring spaces or writing about her latest discoveries, you can find her on the DIY Network.
How do you start your design process – do you shop with something in mind or let the pieces speak to you?
It’s definitely a mix of both. If I find something I’m drawn to, I’ll buy it because one day I will have a place for it. For example, I had a big barn door for two years before it found a home in the Mad River Barn project – in fact, I built the overall aesthetic around this door. Later on, I found some ladders and made some funky light fixtures that worked with that original vision. Whenever a client wants unique items I start my search in the salvage stores!
We love the retro headboard project and it would perfectly suite any vintage lover who is also an apartment dweller. Tell us how you put this fun idea together.
Retro frame headboard
This project is a great example of one of the things I always stress: frames are a tremendous resource for salvage projects. When you shop, don’t look at the picture in the frame, focus on the frame itself. Do you like its detailing? If the color isn’t to your taste – don’t worry, just repaint it. That’s easily solved.
For this project I purchased some nice gold frames and I painted them. I ended up wiping some the paint off before it completely dried so you can see some of that gold through. The hint of shimmer is a nice detail. Then I found a blanket in a complimentary color scheme, wrapped it around a piece of plywood, stapled it to the plywood, and then finally hung the frames over the blanket.
What are your favorite starter DIY projects?
One of my favorites is also pretty popular on the DIY Network. Memory bottles are fun because they are so easy to personalize and it’s not an expensive project. Start by filling clean, found glass containers with sand from a trip, small pebbles, or anything that has meaning to you and can provide some structure to hold up a photo. Next, add your photo (click on the memory bottle link for the step-by-step). Complete the project by adding any sort of attachments to the lid that you’d like.
Bed springs have new life
Table lamps are another fun and simple DIY project to undertake. Lamps are so easy to transform. Decoupage is a great place to begin or you can wrap it in rope to give your space a completely different look. Painting chairs is another way to quickly change your entire room.
One of my latest projects is another one to start with if you’re new to DIY or salvage. Using old bed springs for candle holders is such a clever reuse of something that’s normally tossed aside. The biggest bonus: it’s an excellent conversation starter.
What’s in your DIY toolkit?
It’s very easy to get a DIY toolkit assembled. When you’re starting out it’s best to have the following: a sturdy hammer, screwdrivers, a drill, staple gun, duct tape, and an assortment of paint brushes in varying sizes.
You do a lot of DIY – what’s your favorite for today?
Find even more great projects here!
With Halloween here, I have to say it’s the walkway lanterns. This is so easy to do, you can assemble it today before your trick-or-treaters arrive! Take four picture frames of the same size and paint them black. Find some Halloween imagery on the internet (spooky sketches are great) and print four out onto vellum.
Place these vellum prints under the frame’s glass. Secure the paper/glass to the frame with clear packing tape. Lay three of your frames flat and next to each other, in a line.
Then simply use black duct tape along the frames edges to hold them together. Stand them up, make a square, and complete the square by taping in your fourth frame. Put a battery-operated candle in the middle and boo! You are all set to greet your fellow ghouls and goblins…
Cause A Frockus would like to thank Joanne Palmisano for her time and great ideas
For our readers: Do you love to DIY? What’s your favorite salvage project?