50 Brilliant Upcycling Projects From HGTV Stars

It’s tough to top the thrill of seeing a worn-out piece that’s bound for the scrap yard and realizing, with a MacGyver-like tweak, that it’s perfect for your home. (Home Town's Erin and Ben Napier, seen here dreaming up a second act for gorgeous wood, know it well.) If you’ve ever hummed “The Circle of Life” while wandering through an architectural salvage yard or paused to admire a beaten-up barn that’s weathered just so, these buy-nothing transformations are for you.

Hidden Potential’s Jasmine Roth hung on to the 60-year-old boards and studs she blasted through to open up her clients’ home, and those materials became a one-of-a-kind, midcentury-inspired piece of art that honors the home’s bones.

This antique door is a perfect example of how effectively vintage materials amp up the personality of cookie-cutter spaces. Refitted with a custom-cut piece of wired glass, it’s a full-fledged focal point in the kitchen. (Who knew a pantry door could be a focal point?)

To outfit the nursery she and her husband built for their baby girl, Jasmine headed to the “hoarder’s paradise” that is the Long Beach, California, flea market and purchased a truly massive collection of vintage crates. She used them to create “imperfect perfection” with a built-in storage wall that frames a floor-length mirror (which just happens to be a perfect place to take photos with her daughter).