The Unique Home Accent Everyone's Overlooking On Broken Furniture

Finding antique furniture pieces that you love can be a lifetime pursuit, with many ways to incorporate older pieces like desks, dressers, bureaus, and other wood furnishings into your home. Antiques in great condition can be pricey and rare when provided by dealers, unless you get lucky and find something amazing at a bargain. You may, however, be overlooking the value of broken or damaged pieces to add character and style to your space, particularly if you're looking for unique accents. Vintage millwork and engraved wood panels, which can be found on many antique wood furnishings, can be a great way to decorate, whether you are putting them on a wall, above the door, adding them to another piece of furniture, or just leaning them against the wall. 

These unique panels and decorative elements have a construction that is far more intricate and handcrafted than many manufactured pieces today. Because these pieces come from damaged furniture, they can often be found at a steal in thrift stores, flea markets, estate sales, and other secondhand venues. This is also a great way to save and incorporate bits of bulky and damaged heirloom pieces without having to hold on to the whole thing. 

Vintage wood engraving and decorative millwork can be commonly found on older furnishings. This means you can remove and use them to add a decorative touch to your home. They are perfect for adding character, architectural interest, texture, and a vintage feel to your spaces. Scrollwork, botanical imagery, and art deco geometric details are some of the most popular, with many homeowners leaving the surrounding wood in its original condition. You could also sand and refinish the wood to match your aesthetic. Many damaged and scratched pieces can also be painted white or another color to match your décor. 

To outfit them for hanging, attach some picture hanging D-rings or a sawtooth hook to the back. Heavier elements may require drywall anchors, French cleats, or wire to hang securely. In addition to using these pieces alone as art or architectural details, you can also use damaged pieces for cool repurposing projects, like turning an old chair into an entryway shelf for extra home storage and organization. Or, try removing wood decorative panels, trim. or millwork elements to add to a newer, nondescript piece of furniture like a plain cabinet or the sides of a dresser. You can also upcycle old drawers into new floating shelves and storage bins for under the bed.