28 May

From a Shoe to a Penholder, Candlestick, and Lamp!

I’ve always loved the allure of antique wooden shoe forms…but when it comes to my decor philosophy at home, I like to choose treasures that hold both form and function.   Yet the patina of old shoe forms is difficult to resist.  With that said, I wanted to share a few ways one can repurpose antique shoe forms to be both fun and functional.

shoe form repurposed as pen holder

On a desk, a repurposed shoe form penholder holds a treasured writing utensil – ready to create when inspiration strikes.  I find that I enjoy this special pen, which was a birthday gift from the hubby, much more displayed on top of my desk than tucked away in a drawer.

repurposed-shoe-form-lamp

Shoe forms lend themselves quite well to becoming repurposed lamp bases, whether or not you have a shoe fetish.  Talk about a conversation piece!

repurposed-shoe-forms

While you would certainly need to ensure this shoe form is not left unattended, using them as repurposed candleholders is both quaint and a bit industrial.

How do you feel about antique shoe forms?  Are they finding a spot in your home?

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17 Comments

  1. 1 May 28, 2009 at 11:00 am
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    interesting post… I often saw these for sale on vintage sites and never quite ‘got it’. I feel the same as you that I prefer my ‘objects’ to have a function.
    (certainly in my home with limited space)!

    this is great… it makes sense to me now and the ones you have are particularly charming in their form & patina as well.

    come to think of it, I’ve seen these used as business card holders, resting in that groove that shows in your last photo…

  2. 2 May 28, 2009 at 11:42 am
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    i love the lamp! beautifully done.

  3. 3 May 28, 2009 at 2:20 pm
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    i never would have thought to use these as a decorating piece. Love the lamp idea!

  4. 4 May 28, 2009 at 2:59 pm
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    I love the look of old shoeforms, too.

    I saw a picture in a book (I think) where several shoe forms had been mounted in a row on a wall, with the toes facing upward, and they were used as hooks for hanging coats and bags and such. What a great idea, right?

    I’ll see if I can remember where I saw it…

  5. 5 May 28, 2009 at 7:06 pm
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    Ooh great ideas! I have one as well, Now I know what to do with it ;o)

  6. 6 May 29, 2009 at 12:47 pm
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    We used to have bags of these shoe forms from the shoe factory my father owned. Can you believe we used them for kindling? Now I have a few to remind me of my childhood, but I leave mine in their original form. The lamp idea is cute, though.

  7. 7 May 30, 2009 at 1:09 pm
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    classic and creative!! love them all! especially the lamp ones..
    i can imagine the stuffs being put on the corner of my living room.. awesome!

  8. 8 May 31, 2009 at 10:00 pm
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    The lamp is my fave!

  9. 9 June 1, 2009 at 8:15 pm
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    How cool! The pen holder is nice. I don’t think I would buy a shoe form, but that’s mostly because I don’t buy anything at the moment (a smaller apartment does that to you). But the idea is really neat!

  10. 10 June 18, 2009 at 7:58 am
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    I have one and wasn’t sute what to do with it… thanks for the great ideas! :)

  11. 11 October 18, 2010 at 10:33 am
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    Thanks for sharing this helpful info!

  12. 12 October 18, 2010 at 4:17 pm
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    Hey! Where is your rss link? I woul like to subscribe.

  13. 13 October 19, 2010 at 7:47 am
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    Useful site. Nice piece of info, very useful indeed…

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  17. 17 March 23, 2011 at 1:57 am
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    In fact, an appropriate imitation timepiece will certainly stick out your lifestyle along with original one.