Renovating? Remodelista suggests unconventional, money-saving materials

Crawling out of the standard-materials rut when remodeling -- you know, the conventional idea that counters must be stone or tile, floors wood, yada yada -- opens up a brave new world of possibilities. New alternatives can also save a lot of money and win environmental Brownie points.

For full details, just ask Janet Hall, the San Francisco-based co-founder, editor-at-large and "materials maven" at the popular renovation and home-design website Remodelista.

Hall and her colleagues curate a wealth of mind-bending ideas, many of them from cutting-edge decorators and architects who are constantly seeking never-seen-before concepts for the home.

"Some motivating factors (for switching to new materials) include budget considerations," Hall says, "plus an effort to reduce consumption and repurpose items people already have in the home or that have been used by someone else. Also to add personality, creativity and originality into the design."

Just imagine a multihued herringbone floor made from dirt-cheap steel; old leather belts deployed as curtain rods; rustic barn siding on countertops; inexpensive plumbers piping repurposed for hanging contemporary pendant lights.

Hall's mantra is "Recycling, repurposing and reusing," and that applies to every conceivable safe, practical material out there.

New uses

Burlap -- that inexpensive, rough-textured, neutral-toned fabric of feed-sack fame -- is having its moment. Remodelista shows it transformed into window coverings, table runners, room dividers and more. Particularly unexpected was an elegant atelier at the 2013 San Francisco Decorator Showcase from designer Antonio Martins that had not only burlap "walls" but an eye-popping floor of mottled, bluish, cold-rolled steel in a herringbone pattern. Though supremely durable, it didn't look like metal at all.

The Richlite countertop and backsplash in the Bay Area home of Remodelista co-founder Julie Carlson are heat resistant, nonporous, durable, warm-to-the-touch and inherently antibacterial. (Matthew Williams/Remodelista)

For DIY curtain rods, Hall says, "We like plumbers pipe, especially if you want a vintage, farmhouse kind of look." If you prefer something sleek and modern, she points to a small, avant-garde light pendant that can be built, again using plumbers pipe, for $60.

Go here to see the original:
Renovating? Remodelista suggests unconventional, money-saving materials