How to give a beachy look to an old crate.

Hi Guys!

So it just accord to me that I never shared this beachy crate/tray makeover with you.

I shared it last summer over at City Farmhouse as one of my contributing post, but I never got around to sharing it here on my own blog.  It’s one of my favorite makeover pieces and as you may have notice, I use it all the time in my decorating.  I’m always moving it around from room to room.

So to begin, I had this old crate for a long time just sitting in our garage because I never quite knew what to do with it.  One day as I was cleaning out the garage I re-discovered it and realized that if I just removed the lid then it could make an awesome over-sized tray.

 I removed the lid by taking out the staples that were holding it together and then I painted it.  First, I painted all of the sides of the tray white. Then, I came up with the idea to paint the slats on the inside of the tray different shades of blue and green.

 All of the paints were leftovers from other various projects I’ve done, which means this tray fits in nicely with the rest of our home’s decor.

If you are interested, here are the colors that I used: (from left to right) Valspar/Night Scape, True Value/Reward, Sherwin Williams/Wythe Blue, Valspar/Night Sky, and Valspar/Mt.Rainier Gray.

The mix of blues and greens gives this tray a beachy look.  

I had placed the tray on top of a wicker basket in our living room.

 I then had fun accessorizing the tray; I just grabbed objects from around the house like I always do when decorating.

 Starting with a stack of books, a large seashell, and a strand of wooden beads.

I cut off some tiger’s grass from outside and placed it in a bottle.

And lastly, I added a glass float.

 I kept the look simple so as to not cover up all of the painted slats.

 One of my favorite parts about the tray are the rope handles. They really add to the beachy look of it.

 The tray come in handy next to a chair; it’s the perfect place to set down a drink.

 I’m not quit sure where I picked up the old crate in the first place, but if you would like one like mine, I’d suggest creating this look with a similar crate. And if you are handy, it seems like the crate itself would be pretty simple to make. 

Have a Wonderful Day!

Emily