Many years ago, I was working on a new Junkin’ Journey blog post when I rolled up to a thrift store with an overflowing dumpster. Everything at the dumpster was considered unsellable, and my eyes fixed on a vintage chair that was leaning askew. Ironically, I’d been trying to come up with an an idea for an upcycled scarf organizer. And I wondered if the broken chair might be just what I needed to make that happen.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Admittedly, this project is quite old and hasn’t been on my blog in many years. And in those years since, I created yet another kind of scarf holder from a different thrift store find.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
But that one was more of a closet organizer for any number of accessories, including bags and belts. Back to the original project at hand, though.
To make a scarf organizer with the vintage chair I scored for free, I decided to use vintage silverware as my “hooks”. I’d scored a bunch of individual pieces from this basket that I’d found at Goodwill.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Now that I had the components I needed, it was time to get to work and put my plan into action!
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Making Spoon Hooks for a Scarf Organizer
Truth be told, more than half of the vintage chair was truly unusable and still had to be thrown out. So, first, we cut off the back of the chair for my project since it was still solid and safe to use.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
After we cut off the back, I sanded down the raw edges until they were smooth. Then, I cleaned the uprights and slats as best I could and treated the wood with furniture salve.
Normally, I would have painted this piece as a next step- especially since the wood wasn’t very pretty. But I opted not to for the purposes of this blog post, which I’ll explain later.
Next, I selected a handful of vintage spoons that I’d picked up from that Goodwill basket. Three of them were silver plate with the fourth being thin and flimsy. Meaning that all of them had handles that would be easy to bend into hooks.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
At the time that I was working on this project, I was still making this kind of spoon jewelry that I sold on Etsy. But these particular spoons were a bit too large for that, making this project ideal for them.
With chosen spoons in hand, we punched holes through the center of each spoon using an awl on a piece of scrap wood.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Ultimately, we created four “hooks” with the vintage silverware that we planned to attach to the scarf holder. Jon lightly expanded the holes with a drill bit on each one so that they’d accommodate some small screws.
Then, we determined where each hook would go on the chair. After measuring and marking our spots, Jon drilled pilot holes into the uprights before attaching the spoon hooks.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Lastly, I attached two D-ring hangers to the back of the scarf organizer near the top. I threaded picture frame hanging wire between them so that my upcycled rack was easy to hang. And that was it!
Scarf Organizer from a Vintage Chair
When all the hooks and hanging mechanism had been attached to the chair back, this is how it looked.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
And yes, I purposefully created this with the chair back upside-down. I wanted those slat scallops to be more conducive to holding scarves. And because the slats were thin, we only drilled into the two uprights. Also, this is why I didn’t paint this project before publishing it here on my blog. I wanted to paint it white, but if I did that before taking these photos, it would have been hard to see the project details against our white door!
Ultimately, I decided that my scarf organizer would ideally hold 10 scarves. Four on the hooks and six on the slats- doesn’t that work perfectly?
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
I should add that I applied two round felt furniture feet on the back of the scarf holder near the bottom points. Otherwise, the chair back made quite a racket whenever the closet door was opened or shut. But, depending on where you kept an organizer like this, you could likely skip that step.
But not too shabby for something destined for a landfill, eh? It’s quite handy and yes, I’ve since painted it white!
If you were intrigued by the use of vintage silver plate spoons in this project, then you may also enjoy this collection of other silver plate upcycles.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
And for more upcycling ideas for storage solutions for your home, I’ve also got this collection of project ideas, as well.
Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Craft on!
S
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Image credit: Sadie Seasongoods.
Sarah Ramberg is the owner of Sadie Seasongoods, a website that celebrates all things secondhand. From upcycling ideas and thrifted decor to vintage-centric travel itineraries, Sadie Seasongoods is a one-stop shop for anyone who loves thrifting and approachable repurposing ideas. Sarah is also the author of “Crafting with Flannel” and has been featured in numerous media outlets and magazines.
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