“When in doubt, add a skull!” has clearly become one of my decorating and DIY mottos. So, it should come as no surprise that this week, I did just that, and transformed a simple thrift store find into a Gothic Skull Baker’s Rack Shelf. I just love turning trash into Gothic treasures!!
I picked this blue baker’s rack up at a charity shop. As many of you now know, I am a busy bat these days preparing a booth design for an upcoming expo, and I have been obsessively collecting anything that may work as a display. So, this shelf was a no-brainer. Perfect for my gothic curiosities!! While I need this piece for a display shelf, baker’s racks are a great piece of home furniture for everyone. I have one in my wine cellar that I use to display some favorite bottles, and glassware. I’ve seen baker’s racks used in kitchens as a coffee or hot cocoa station. I’ve seen them on a back lanai for potted plants and outdoor decor. They can pretty much work anywhere that you need storage or display. If you don’t already have a baker’s rack that needs a bit of goth love, keep your eyes peeled at garage sales, charity shops, or any home decor store… they are relatively common. Can you believe that 2 weeks after I bought this one, I saw the IDENTICAL one at an antique market. A shabby chic vendor had painted it white, and was using it for her booth display! I had to laugh at the stark contrast between our two identical shelves!!
Here’s what I used and how I upcycled this bakers rack:
- Bakers Rack
- Black Spray Paint
- Pine Wood Board
- Electric Sander
- Flat Black Paint
- Paint Brush
- Plastic Staples
- Styrofoam Skull
- Sharp Non-Serrated Knife
- E6000
To kick off my makeover, I needed to beef up the shelving. For my purposes, I was worried about the sturdiness of the metal slat shelves. I wouldn’t want anything to slip between the cracks!! This was one of those cases where it made sense to spend money on a thick, quality piece of wood. Since the shelf was all open metalwork, I thought a thick shelf would make this look more like true furniture and less like a cheap afterthought. So I purchased a piece of 5/8” thick Pine, and had it cut to size to fit the shelves. OK, technically, my husband did that handy work for me, but if you or someone you know is not handy with a saw, most home improvement stores will make cuts for you if you give them the measurements.
To go one step further, we used an electric sander to slightly round the front corners of each piece of wood, so there would be no sharp edges. We left the back corners as is in order to fit flush against the back of the rack.
I used a black gloss spray paint to paint the entire metal shelf.
I loved those little gold knobs, but unfortunately, the shelf’s previous owner was not as careful with the spray paint, and had gotten blue paint all over them. C’mon dude – all you had to do is unscrew them when you painted!! Anyway… a hard scrub with a brillo pad did the trick… good as new.
For the shelves, I gave a few coats of flat black paint with a brush. Recently I’ve been doing a lot of work with image transfer methods onto wood, but for this shelf, I just felt that the solid black with the touch of gold on the knobs was the way to go…. I wanted the skull to be the focal point. Though, I do have a great image transfer idea for the bakers rack in my wine cellar, so stay tuned!!
Once dry, pop the wooden shelves in place on the bakers rack.
I painted a handful of plastic staples black, and used them to secure the shelf to the metal rack from underneath.
For the skull, I tossed around a few ideas to mount it. One plan was to cut a thin piece of wood in the shape of the top arch of the rack, cut a skull in half front to back, mount the front half of the skull to the wood, and attach the wood to the arch. I still think that would’ve looked cool, but there was one problem. With the skull protruding from that top arch, I would have either lost shelf space (which I desperately need) or I would have covered up the skull by putting items on that top shelf… and I certainly didn’t want to do that!! If shelf real estate is not a premium for you, then some version of that plan may work for you.
Luckily, at this time of year when Halloween aisles are fully stocked, I have my pick of skulls to use for any given project. So, as I pulled several styles, colors, and materials of skulls to assess a new plan… I selected a Styrofoam skull that was already painted to look realistic. I really liked the look of the skull up against the black shelf, so I kept it as is without painting it any further.
Using a sharp, non-serrated knife blade, I carved an indention into the base of the skull, so it could slide right over the top decorative metal of the bakers rack. I set the indention toward the back of the skull so that the shelf can be pushed as close as possible to back to a wall.
To secure in place, I used E6000 glue, and allowed it to dry overnight.
Once dry and locked in…. it’s ready for use!
Load up your curiosities and enjoy!
Does that Arsenic Pitcher on that bottom shelf look familiar? Learn how to make one for yourself!! And those Skull Succulent Stands and Skull Cheeseboard? Those will all be for sale at the Oddities and Curiosities Expo in Atlanta. Come find me!! If you can’t make it to ATL for the show, I just might be listing a few of those pieces in my Etsy Store once the expo is over… so save the shop as a favorite, and check back or message me for a custom piece!
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