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You are here: Home / Repurposing and Upcycling / The Tinkering Room

The Tinkering Room

January 4, 2013 By Karen Cooper 3 Comments

After Christmas, I took my kids to San Francisco to visit my brother, sister-in-law, and cute nephew.  While we were there, we went to the Exploratorium, which is a hands-on science museum.
Seriously, one of the coolest places I’ve been.
Even the water fountain has a gizmo attached to it so that, the harder you push on the bar to get the water, the louder it plays music.  I’m not kidding.
Super cool.
My favorite part of the whole museum, though, was called “The Tinkering Room.”  The exhibit showed how you can recycle and make new things from old things.
the "what it is" wall in the Tinkering Room - thediybungalow.com
Right up my alley.  My brother knew as soon as he saw it that I was gonna be in there a while.
arch out of silverware and platters in the Tinkering Room - thediybungalow.com
 This is the arched entry to the Tinkering Room.  It is made from old silver platters, bowls, and silverware, all welded together.  The picture (I only had my iPhone – forgive me!) doesn’t do it justice – the serving pieces and silverware design goes all the way to the floor.  I want this in my garden. Or my dining room.  Or anywhere near me, really.
Chandelier made out of repurposed hangers in The Tinkering Room - thediybungalow.com
Then, as you continue in, you see this light fixture that, at first, looked to me like a jellyfish.  Get closer…and you see that it’s made of plastic hangers!  The whole thing is plastic hangers, which have been spray painted, connected together.
Look to the left and you will see my most favorite piece in the whole exhibit:
The "what it is" wall in The Tinkering Room - thediybungalow.com
I have no idea what to call it, other than the “what it is” wall.  The exhibit is made up of blocks of wood, each with a crafty kind of word on it.  Each word is made up of what it says. For example, the block that says “tack” has the word formed out of tacks.  Same with “zip tie” (bottom row).  “Knot” is made out of rope.  I’m thinking I could recreate this on a much smaller scale. I just love it (me, lover of words and typography).   My favorite is “bedazzle,” made from sequins and rhinestones.
I stared at it for what seemed like hours.
My brother looked at me and said, “You’re thinking about how to make that, aren’t you?”
Yep.
I just loved this area and how it showcased how you can make cool new things out of old things.
If you like making new things out of old things, check out my repurposing and upcycling posts here.

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Filed Under: Decorating, Repurposing and Upcycling 3 Comments

About Karen Cooper

Hi! I'm Karen. I call myself a “recovering lawyer” - I traded in my power suits for power tools and a life of DIY adventures. Join me for DIY, home decorating, repurposing and upcycling, and organizing projects and tips as I transform a 1929 Tudor bungalow into our home. I believe in merging old and new to make a house a home.

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Comments

  1. Tami Michel says

    January 6, 2013 at 1:25 am

    Just stopped by to say hello and thank you for linking up to the Curb Alert! Friday Block Party! That chandelier looks very interesting, I had no idea it was coathangers either until you pointed it out! Wishing you a Happy 2013!!!
    Tami @ Curb Alert!
    http://tamicurbalert.blogspot.com/

    Reply
    • Karen Cooper says

      January 6, 2013 at 9:50 pm

      Thanks, Tami! Thanks for stopping by here! Happy New Year!

      Reply
  2. Chrissy says

    January 7, 2013 at 2:29 am

    That is so cool that there are coat hangers on the chandelier! I do like the color of it. Thanks for following me on FB. I’m now following you on FB, Twitter and Pinterest!

    Chrissy
    http://www.thetaylor-house.com

    Reply

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Hi! I’m Karen. I call myself a “recovering lawyer,” because I turned in my power suits for power tools and a life of DIY. This blog is all about DIY, home decorating, repurposing and upcycling, and organization. I believe in merging old and new to make a house a home.




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About Karen

A "recovering lawyer," I turned in my power suits for power tools and a life of DIY. I believe in merging old and new to make a house a home. Read More…

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