DIY hat rack from an old shutter

I am making a little more progress on my bedroom redesign and this hat rack was a great storage solution for us. I love using old pieces and repurposing them as new, useful ways for storage and decor. And most of you who know us, know we wear lots of hats. So we needed to find a better way to organize them – and making it look pretty was a bonus.

You can find old shutters at many flea markets, vintage and thrift stores. They’re usually very inexpensive – I think I got his one for $5. And they’re usually pretty worn which is perfect for this project. This shutter measures 14 x 55″.

To make a shutter hat rack, you need the following materials:

• Paint in your choice of color. I used a sample size since this is such a small project. Or you could even use remnant paint you may have leftover from an old project.
• Sandpaper or an electric sander
• Acrylic polyurethane (this is optional but I like to use this as a top coat on all my painted pieces)
• Paint brush, screwdriver and drill
• Various hooks or knobs. I used 9 for this project. An odd number seemed to work well since I alternated their placement so the hats had more room when hung.

First you’ll need to clean your shutter and sand it lightly to remove any residue.

Next, paint both sides of your shutter with two coats of paint. I used by Benjamin Moore Gulf Stream – I could paint my whole house this color!!

Let it dry completely.

With your sandpaper or electric sander, sand down the edges and random areas of your shutter so it has a worn look. This step is optional but I think the rough, worn paint and edges adds a rustic and more dimensional feel to this piece.

Wipe down the shutter to remove any excess dust. Then add a coat of the acrylic polyurethane to seal the paint. I use an acrylic based polyurethane because it doesn’t have the yellow tint that most oil based polyurethanes have. Plus it dries much faster.

Now your shutter is ready for the hooks and knobs!

I used 9 different hooks and knobs because I wanted an eclectic look. Plus I had these left over from old furniture and projects that weren’t being used so I didn’t have to spend any additional money on this project! When you’re using a variety of different pieces, like these knobs and hooks, but want them to all work together, here’s a few tips on how to pick them:

• Keep some of elements the same such as color or finishes. I stuck with basic silver and white
• Add interest – include one or two elements that are slightly different – such as a different color or shape. I added one brown and one more ornate gray knob.
• Use repetition – I used three of the same hooks (2 white and 1 silver) and two of the same knobs (1 white and 1 silver)
• Vary the placement. For the hooks and knobs, I spaced out the colors, shapes and finishes so they’re more pleasing to look at. The same idea works for all elements of decor – such as hanging different frames or artwork or arranging pillows.
• My basic rule is that when you put all your different pieces together – whether they’re hooks, frames, pillows or any decorative pieces – they should all look like they’re one group. Your eye should not focus on one element – it should move around all the pieces smoothly.

To attach my hooks and knobs, I used a drill and screwdriver. The screws for the hooks are attached from the front, and the screws for the knobs have to be drilled in from the back. And since I was hanging hats on my hooks, it worked better to alternate the spacing of my hooks and knobs versus lining them up directly across from each other.

This leaves a little more room when hanging the hats and I think it looks nicer this way too. I used 5 hooks and knobs on one side and 4 on the other. They are about 12″ from each other.

I added the hanging hardware to the back of the shutter and hung it on the wall. I also added a bit of Scotch Removable Mounting Putty to the bottom back of the shutter so it didn’t move around. You can also just lean this against a wall too.

Old shutters can be repurposed and used so many different ways and you can usually find them very cheap – or even free. I think this shutter hat rack adds a nice touch to our room and is a useful and pretty way to organize our hats. I’m having fun redesigning our bedroom and can’t wait to share more projects and hopefully the finished room soon. Have a great weekend!