Remember this Chicken Nesting Box?  A crazy person put this at the end of their driveway like it was trash. As if! Who knew trashed nesting boxes could be transformed into a cozy design piece?

After years of 4-H showing chickens, we always managed to end up with chicken cage duty as part of the after fair clean-up. Given my many years of experience scrubbing cages and trays, a little poop didn’t scare me. There’s beauty in everything, sometimes it’s just hard to see.

We loaded this treasure into my husband’s truck and my first mission, to clean it. They were full of remnants of years of chickens making this their nesting home. No worries, nothing a good power washing couldn’t take care of. At the carwash, we popped the old box boards and trashed them. They were nasty! New boards would be easier and much more sanitary. Who am I kidding, as if used chicken nesting boxes could be sanitary!

This project called for the big guns, BLEACH! It is my go to for almost anything that I want to make sure is clean.

I started with a big shot of bleach and a steel wool pad. A good scrubbing with hot soapy water, too, just to be extra “sanitary”. These steps may or may not have been rinsed and repeated several times. You can never be too careful!

Inspiration hit me….maybe it was the fumes from the bleach? How cool would this look hanging on the wall?

We demoed a small room in the basement that the previous owners used for their dogs. For me, this was a waste of good space and made the basement feel choppy. By taking out the room we were able to open it up and give the basement a whole new flow.  It’s the perfect spot and will be one of the first things you see as you come down the stairs. Glorious!

Here we go!

How fun is this? Now, how to give it character without overstuffing the decor. I wanted to keep it simple and bright. Cheery and cozy were the words that came to mind.  I am a minimalist and a firm believer that less is more (most of the time). A simple clean space creates fresh energy and inspiration.

Showcasing your favorite things is an important part of your style. Focus on the look and feel you want for an area and use pieces that help draw that out. Create a flow by using these items throughout the space in various places. Too much stuff in one place can be overstimulating and overwhelming to some. My personality is all about feeling and I try to incorporate this into everything I design. I center my style around how it makes you feel. Warm, cozy, at home and like you belong is my go to strategy.

I love the character and coziness this brings to the room. My favorite part is the roosting ledge. This beauty is full of charm!  Not too many people can say they have a chicken nesting boxes hanging in their house. Call me crazy, but I think it looks pretty awesome.

I would love to hear about what you would do with a “curbside” treasure like this.

Thanks for checking out our nest, we’re so glad you’re here. I hope you are inspired by our craziness and style. Many blessings!