Decorative Ideas for old doors and windows.... ?

Question

I see these things at thrift shops and such... i love them for some reason... any ideas on how I might use them as outdoor decorations? I am considering hiding my chain link fence from view... could I buy these and paint them random earth tone colors and attached them to the fencing? This just came to me as I typed this! What do others think of this...?

Answer 1

I hung some old windows on my fence, with mirrors behind them/in place of the glass panes.  Now that the shrubbery and flowers have grown up and around them, the reflections look like little windows/doorways/paths into another, "secret" garden room on the other side.  It looks like the size of my yard has doubled!

I just painted mine white, to match my fence, but in addition to trying the earth tone colors, you could also try green to blend in with the foliage, or a color you want in your yard but have a hard time finding in natural plant materials, like bright blue or something.  

You could also try breaking out the panes of glass (or use this on one where the glass is already broken) and propping up the window/door as a trellis.  You could support it with stakes and let a vine like clematis or morning glory grow up and around it, or just lean it against a fence or building at an angle and let squash or runner bean vines grow up through it so the fruits hang down and are easier to pick.

Anyway, those are just a couple of ideas I thought of.  Hope this helps....