5 Ways to Repurpose a Corbel

If you know anything about D. Luxe Home, you know we're cuckoo for corbels. The older, the chippier, the more elaborate and intricate, the better. But knowing exactly how to use one (or two or 10) of these can sometimes prove to be a real head-scratcher. That's where our Nashville residential design team comes in. We have lots of ideas for repurposing a corbel to give it a gorgeous new life in your home. Here are 5 of the best:

1. Use to support shelving, a kitchen island, or a mantel. This is the most obvious use, but it never fails to impress. We just installed a couple of corbels in a kitchen to hold up a shelf over a sink, and it was a foolproof way to add historical character to a spiffy new space.

2. Create a set of bookends. A fun and funky way to display some of your favorite volumes. 

3. Repurpose into a light fixture. We recently utilized a corbel in the design of a fixture that cantilevers over a two-story space. The fixture hangs above an island, where it adds punctuation to the kitchen. We also like the idea of creating one-of-a kind lamps from corbels; think how beautifully these would work opposite one another on a console table. 

4. Support a nightstand or console table.  If you are in possession of one enormous, painfully beautiful corbel, we can think of no better use for it than as a bedside table. A glass tabletop is a perfect way to keep things airy and accentuate a truly spectacular corbel. Have a pair? Use them to create a console table or even a desk and make the most of a tight space. 

5. Install beneath cabinetry. Adding corbels—whether they're antique finds or Home Depot scores--to the underside of basic cabinetry is an easy way to upgrade them and can contribute to a country cottage vibe. 

Finally, we love using corbels just about anywhere and everywhere, simply for the purpose of adding architectural interest. A few parting ideas:

Do you have corbels in your home? If not, do you want to? Come visit our shop and pick some out!