Recentily, when visiting my friend’s barn I came across some old rattan and wicker carrier baskets belonging to his racing pigeon club that date back from 1930’s for transporting racing pigeons down south for races. These baskets needed saving!
My friend gave me two old baskets that looked rather unimpressive at first, but once he saw how well-kept and elegant they looked he’d likely be happily surprised!
Here’s what the crates looked like once I brought them home and began cleaning them:
Over time, the bottoms of baskets had disintegrated due to use, leading to pieces of burlap and thin boards being used to fill holes that had formed in them. All this debris needed to be cleared away before removal could take place.
After several water washes, Simple Green scrubs, and sandings, the baskets looked much cleaner and looked much better.
I used lacquer spray to highlight the beauty of the rattan in this top basket, adding LED Dewdrop Lightsin copper so they would illuminate through the basket weave at night.
From barn finds to meaningful end tables, these baskets will bring us years of pleasure. After being used and then stored away for nearly 90 years of racing homing pigeon racing across southern farmlands, it feels good to upcycle these repurposed baskets back into use!
