Picket Fence Decor Idea

If you like the look of old windows and doors used in home decor, you may also like the look of a partial picket fence. These old architectural salvage pieces make great back drops for other decor. Just take a look at my post on decorating with architectural salvage. There are so many cool ideas. So, when I found an old picket fence, I knew I had to have it for my home. My picket fence decor idea was to display it with other salvaged items. However, it needed a little bit of work.

I’m surprised that the fence even caught my eye. It was pink and was missing a picket. The original color was most likely red but after years of weathering it was left in a dirty pink tint. Luckily, these little flaws were easy to fix.

My Picket Fence Makeover

A Little Cutting Action

picket fence before makeover

Because the fence was missing a picket, it was left with some wild ends. So, I dragged that fence down to my craft room determined to saw off those wild ends before painting it.

Normally, I would have waited for my husband to come home so he could cut the ends for me with a power saw. However, I was anxious to get started and finish the project. And, there is no way I would use a power saw myself because I am way to wimpy.  Just hearing the words chop saw makes me think of accidentally chopping a limb off.  So, because of that, I used the trusty little hand saw that I had. It didn’t really take me that long to saw off the ends by hand. I was a woman with a mission.

Hello White, Goodbye Pink

Next up was getting rid of that pink finish. I wanted a bright and chic white to contrast with what I would be hanging from it.

Because there was quite a bit of bare wood, it was super easy to get a distressed look. I just applied the paint very thin on the bare wood so that you could see some of the wood underneath the paint. This is kind of the reverse of how I usually distress paint. See my normal painting techniques for getting a distressed look.

As I put on that fresh pure white paint, I began to relax. The fresh new color was soothing and I was almost finished. Once the paint was dry, I brought the fence up to my office to create my display.

Picket Fence Decor Display

picket fence decor

I wanted to fill some empty wall space so the best way to do that was to place my fence on top of a short bookcase. Then, I added the rest of my rustic decor to complete my vignette.

picket fence with old keys

I hung these antique jailer keys from a wide white ribbon so that they would fall more in the upper center of the fence. Because I wanted the ribbon to blend in with the fence, I used a sheer white ribbon. I wanted the focus to be on the keys.

picket fence with rustic vase

I wanted to add a little height to my painted vase, so I hauled out my section of pallet as a base.

Do you like decorating with architectural salvage? What items do you like to use for display?

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Creating rustic styling on a budget by giving new life to old things and using the beauty that is already found in nature. Read more about me.
16 comments
  1. The white is much better and goes bestest with your awesome home.

    1. Hey Tee! Thanks so much! Your comments mean alot 🙂

  2. Brilliant! I love it painted white with the rusty keys suspended from ribbon.Hugs! Thank you for your bloggy friendship and participation at Katherines Corner xo

    1. Thank you Katherine and you’re welcome! I always love hearing from you!

  3. Looks great! I especially like those keys and the stamped block wood underneath. Really nice!

    1. Thank you Fred! The block of wood was from an old skid!

  4. Yep – white was the right choice – the fence looks great in your space!

    1. Thanks Pat! I am really glad I made that choice!

  5. I want those keys! Your vignette is wonderful. So glad I found your blog, I’m a new follower. I love meeting new blog friends, so stop by anytime, Lori

    1. Thanks Lori! I’m so glad to have you here 🙂

  6. Love it!!!!!

    1. Thanks Marsha! I always appreciate your input!

  7. Visiting from “Katherine’s Korner”. This is such a cool project. And I just love that rusty old key set hanging there…gorgeous!

    Kathy

    1. Thank you Kathy! I was so excited to find those keys and would love to know the story behind them!

  8. it looks great, i love it!

    1. Thanks Norma! I’m so glad I finally got the project done.

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