Ladders Everywhere

I've always really dug the aesthetic of dark, wooden, rustic/industrial textures in my spaces. There is something to be said about how easily they can add warmth and character to an otherwise modern room, and they can act as awesome focal points when they they're placed in a neutral setting. What's even greater, though, is finding vintage wooden accents that had a former life in a barn, factory, or similarly utilitarian environment. I've noticed that they generally have been painted or stained multiple times over the years, and have beautiful undertones to them (similar to my vintage bookcase find earlier this year). Unfortunately for me, though, I can hardly ever find those cool, (actual) vintage pieces on the fly. So when I was craving a dark, wooden, rustic ladder for my apartment, I decided to follow my usual mantra and "make that ish myself".

And a "ladder" was born! This was a pretty simple and straightforward DIY with the help of some wooden beams, dowels, wood glue, nails, and stain. I distressed the stain a bit with some fine grit sandpaper for a little faux rusticity.

It works perfectly for hanging plants or textiles. These "planters" and hooks are bargain buys from Ikea, and some easy-to-keep-alive ivy really livens up that corner of the room. Can't wait for the plants to get big enough to cascade down the length of the ladder.

...and then a few weeks later, I happened upon the "actual" vintage ladder that I'd been looking for, of course. Things always pop up when I'm NOT looking for them. That's cool, though! I found this at Community Forklift, an awesome salvage warehouse in Maryland.

See what I mean about those undertones? Too stoked.