Previously, I’ve mentioned that I like to mix vintage pieces with new ones. With that in mind, I recently paid a visit to St. Jacobs’ Artefacts, a great source for architectural salvage. It just happens to be a few minutes’ drive from my favourite farmer’s market,
You can’t visit St. Jacobs without seeing lots of these.
and just seconds from my favourite out-of-town restaurant, Benjamin’s, so we made a day of it.
Our favourite place to eat when we visit St. Jacobs is Benjamin’s Restaurant & Inn.
Artefacts is about 2 blocks off the main street of St. Jacobs, next to a rail yard where they restore old rail cars, and on a street lined with lovely century homes.
How could you not be intrigued by a place that has an exterior like this? It’s my kind of ‘big box’ store!
We last visited Artefacts to select a piece of reclaimed lumber for a brick wall that we added to our front entry. If you go, be sure to take a list of measurements for pieces that you might want to source. That way, they can help you narrow your search, and if you need something cut down, they can do it on-site. On this visit, I was looking for something that might fill in the bare wall that will be created when we remove the exterior door in our kitchen. My idea is to possibly repeat the brick veneer that we used in the front entry (which will now be more visible from the kitchen) and to mount a reclaimed door or iron gate on top of it. I think this will add architectural interest and character to our new kitchen. Here are the items that caught my eye for this project.
This door turned out to be a tad too wide for the spot that I have in mind.
This door is a better size for my space, but I’m not sure about the colour. I like the idea of keeping the original finish on whatever I use — I think it’s the patina that makes these pieces more interesting than new items, so it seems silly to refinish it. I need to find an original finish that I like.
If you like Emerald Green, the colour of the year, then these might appeal. But I don’t think they are quite right for me.
Now these appeal for size, shape, and finish. Only $150 each! Hmmm….
I’m not sure these doors are for sale, but isn’t the glass interesting! However, one is too small, and 2 would be too large.
I love the way these old metal gates look with wood. I wonder if I can find one in the size I need?
There’s no shortage of ‘heavy metal’ to rock any room!
Here’s one that’s the perfect size, and I love the arched top to break up all the straight lines in the kitchen. My husband and I disagree on painting vs. leaving it as-is. Its patina is a bit rusty, but I don’t want it to look too new. He’s also not too keen on the $725 price tag, but I’m sure I can bring him around.
We also spotted this vintage Coleman cooker. It’ s only slightly older than the range in our kitchen. This is one area where I prefer modern over vintage! Can’t wait to go appliance shopping…
My Mid-Life Reno 