WHEN we first bought our house, there wasn't a lot of money left over for furniture.
In fact, there wasn't any.
Most of what we had was the result of trawling the streets, picking through other people's council collection piles — and we found some great stuff, notably my still-treasured art deco bentwood side table and child's wardrobe (now a TV cabinet) with the receipt for three shillings dated 1938 still in the drawer.
But when it came to chairs we found ourselves sitting on timber crates, suitably softened with a couple of folded bath towels, and hoping that no-one came to visit.
These days, old timber crates have become a trendy homeware, being transformed into myriad items.
Attached to walls, stacked, in a line or dotted around the wall, they make great shelves, especially as they can be used horizontally or vertically to accommodate tall or wide items.
They're also fabulous planter boxes.
Even better, you don't need to do anything beyond sitting the plants in their original plastic pots inside the crate.
Vertical gardens are all the rage at the moment, so why not line a box with landscaping fabric, nail or staple some chicken wire across the top, fill with potting mix and plant succulents through the holes. (The wire will hold the plants in place when it's hung on the wall.)
Crates also make wonderful rustic-looking side tables, coffee tables, storage tubs and, mounted on castors, under-bench roll-out drawers.
