Make a DIY magazine rack or, OR, you can use it as a tea towel rack, a Christmas ornament display rack, a photo rack or the always popular with minimalists - rack with nothing on it.
I, like most sane people, hoard magazines as though they are the cure for cancer, rabies, pimples, the colour "hunter green" and wonky shopping cart wheels. The well known fact that magazines also probably offer 100% protection against nuclear war is just an added bonus.
What the hell are we supposed to do with all these life saving magazines?
Chuck em.
For real.
Throw. Them. Away.
The last time I took a week off I went through all of the magazines I'd been hoarding and got rid of 98% of them. I chose to bundle them up like little glossy babies (that I tied up very tightly with twine) and put them in my recycle bin.
And then, for reasons I cannot explain, I decided to make a magazine rack.
Using only this.
This, by the way, is already going down as one of my most favourite DIYs ever because it is EVERYTHING a DIY should be. It's easy, unique, useful, inexpensive, quick and cures canker sores.
DIY Magazine Rack
Grab some small dowels & a chain you're going to make a rack!
Materials
- 2, 6′ lengths of chain* (if you use brass chain like I did, add $20 to the cost of the project.)
- 2, ⅝″ dowels (4′ long each)
- 12 eye screws (#12)
Instructions
- Cut dowels to 13.5″ lengths.
- Stain the dowels if you want. (I used some of my super-fantastic vinegar/steel wool stain)
- Drill holes into the ends of all your dowels to make screwing the eye screws in easier.
- Screw in your eye screws.
- Using a pair of pliers or a screwdriver, carefully pry open all the eye screw so you can later fit them onto the chain.
- Attach your dowels to your chain approximately 10″ apart.
- Squeeze the eye screw openings tight again.
- Hang it up!
Prefer to keep your bomb shelter magazines tucked away somewhere safe? I don't blame you. Not to worry though. This magazine rack is both flexible and adaptive.
With no arguing whatsoever it will become a tea towel rack for you.
I know.
Best DIY ever. Seriously.
Guess what? It's about to get even better ...
Behold the mid-air, hanging magazine rack.
This just turned into a love story.
WE always seem to have corners or sections of rooms that feel like they're missing something. BINGO. Hang the rack there.
I used to have an antique church pillar in that corner which you probably never noticed because no one ever noticed it. I had no intentions of keeping this hanging magazine rack in my living room, but I wanted to show you how you didn't have to hang it against a wall. It has a lot of impact hanging mid-air. It's instant sculptural art. So I was just going to stick it up in my living room for the pictures and put it back on my foyer wall when the photos were done.
But then, like I said, I fell in love with it in the corner here and it finished off my whole living room for a few reasons. #1, it actually shows up (which the pillar didn't) so it expands the room by drawing your eye to the furthest corner. #2. It really highlights the other brass in the room that was kind kind of disappearing before. #3. A magazine is much handier for smashing a centipede than that a massive church pillar is. I mean for real, who wants to caber toss a centipede to death? It's exhausting.
A couple of notes:
- The total cost for this exact magazine rack was $42. ($27 for the chain, $8 for the brass eye screws and $7 for the dowels.
- If you want to make a more inexpensive rack use standard (not brass) chain.
- Using cheaper black chain will also make your magazine rack look more industrial/rustic/antique.
- Brass is very soft so be extra careful when you're prying the eye hooks open and squeezing them shut.
- If you're going to hang this from the ceiling make sure you use ceiling anchors. The kind you use will depend on the type of ceiling you have (plaster versus drywall).
- In the event of nuclear disaster you cannot rely solely on being saved by your hoarded magazines. You'll need your plastic bags and elastic bands as well.
Cathy Reeves
Holy crap! We have the same interior doors! We're probably sisters
Karen
It's more likely our doors are sisters I think. But ... that's just a guess and I'm kindda drunk so .... ~ karen!
Jenny W
Luv It <3 Can be adapted so many ways! I will be using it in my teenage daughter's room when I reno it next month
Ev Wilcox
Perfectly "Karen"! I would never have thought of it, so, Thanks!
Sarah
My nine grandsons (all under the age of 13 years) would LOVE your beautiful magazine rack. So would my nine granddaughters (under 15 years). I would have to have at least racks for the Australian sewing magazines. You're the the best. I like the towels on the rack.
Rene Walkin
Bloody fantastic! You are a superwoman! and by the way, I love your house.
Marna
Wow, so awesome! I love magazines and actually give them to my library for their annual sales and also for a few local schools for the kiddos to use in art class (I even get an art magazine they seem to love). I have so many ideas to use this idea, especially now I know how to display my grandma's old linens! Thank you so much! You are brilliant! ;)
Anne
Donate the magazines to nursing homes. My mom has Alzheimers. We scrapbook photo's that make her feel happy - its her happy book. Whenever she looks at it, she lights up with that gorgeous smile. So easy to do, and it brings so much happiness. A lot of people have never slowed down enough to figure out what truly makes them happy.
Lisa
Love this. Thinking of using it for some favourite photo frames as well as magazines. Brilliant idea - and that's why we love you - you think of them for us. (I'll hide it from the snakes though).
Karen
Actually, if you put this in a really warm corner, you could probably use it as a lounge chair for your multitude of snakes. Very artistic. ~ karen!
Lisa
Tee hee. I think they would have to fight the possums and cockatoos for climbing rights. :-)
Lois Baron
Perfect timing on your post because just tonight I found a pack of four dowel rods in my house. Possibly because a cleaning person came today and moved a few things around to better vacuum up all the animal hair accumulating everywhere.
Tracie
I absolutely love this diy!! I am so doing it too...I was just going to bed but made the mistake of checking my email first...I do have to admit that while I did not read through the entire post, I did stick around to let you know my opinion. :) I am very excited to read this tomorrow, thanks Karen!
Ardith
Standing ovation, ma'am. This is award worthy---complete with a gold statue to complement your other brass house jewels. Cheers, Ardith
Kathy Dicken
I absolutely love your living room, with the massive and beautiful furniture and the colors and textures of the fabrics. That being said, IMHO you should not be hanging magazines in the corner... again, just my opinion. This is either going to build up to be such a weight that it crashes or you're now going to have to recycle those mags every month. Sorry, I lurk a lot and probably shouldn't even comment... blame it on the flu & being housebound for a week.
Dani H
This looks great on the wall but truly stunning hanging from the ceiling! I'm thinking in the corner of any room or even the balcony with small planters hanging on the dowels with S-hooks.
Love your ideas and your blog.
Karen
Thanks Dani. :) ~ karen!
Marsha
So pretty, like jewelry for your house.
Jennifer Lee
This is a great idea, Karen! I see we like some of the same magazines. If you take the magazines and drop them off in laundramats or bus stations, bored people will worship you. I take newish ones to leave at the doctor's and dentist's waiting rooms, when I have to go there. As a suggestion: instead of eye hooks, one could use screws with big enough heads to not pull through the chain, or add a washer, if necessary. By the way, I tried to buy Cinema Paradiso- the DVD in your photo, according to Amazon, won't be released until March! And the BluRays won't play in North America. :( I put it on my wish list.
Jamie
Jennifer Lee - Cinema Paradiso (a top 5 fav of mine) is also available now on Netflix
Jani
This is amazing and the ideas are jamming in my head! Towel rack in bathroom. Hang on the side of a kitchen cabinet for cookbooks. The back of doors for scarves, hats, gloves. Oh my....the uses are endless!! You are the best!
Ingrid
You have inspired me! I am going to use your design to hang all my scarves and pashminas.
THANK YOU
Jennifer Lee
That sounds so beautiful, Ingrid!
Cred
That would be perfect for this, Ingrid.
Jasmine
Love it. I especially love #6 'Attack dowels...'. Because who doesn't want to beat up defenceless wood d now and again?
Mark
I was hoping there wasn't much bloodshed. :)
Mark
I had visions of your chickens swinging on that one in the corner...
But... be honest here... did you just make it so you people can say, "nice rack"?? haha
Karen
Pftt. They say that anyway. All the time. Everyone knows that. ~ karen!
Karen
hahahah. fixed. although it usually is better to attack a project. ;) ~ karen!
mel
This is my favorite post in months! Probably because these days I'm just an apartment dweller with no real garden space and this is a thing I could totally do. I love it!
Courtney
Love ! Ps - don't toss those old mags, your local library, free cycle or stash them in a little free library (I can so see one in your little yard)
Karen
Lolol. I laugh because I knew the first comment would be about not throwing out magazines. Trust me. I have tried to give away magazines (books too) and people don't want them. Not libraries, not used bookstores. They aren't going in the garbage they're being recycled, turned into compost or other products. I feel good about that choice, but if other people would like to find homes for them that's A-okay. ~ karen!
Rosie Walsh
ALL of the thrift stores here love getting magazines. Please consider donating them.
Love the hanging thingie being used for kitchen towels.
Karen
Hi Rosie! Nope I won't be donating them. 1. the stores around here do not want them, as I stated. 2. I cannot be bothered to drive around the world trying to find someone willing to take them. If I did that I wouldn't have time to come up with great DIYs 3. I feel it's a more responsible choice for me to put them directly into a recycling bin where I know they'll get recycled as opposed to giving them to a thrift store where they may in the end just end up in the regular garbage. ~ karen!
Rosie Walsh
OK, you. For other readers, consider taking magazines to hospital waiting rooms. I took a stack to a nursing station when one of my kids was having a kid. The nurses were thrilled.
Tessa Ryan-Lipp
Many hospital and doctor waiting rooms won't take them any more for fear of passing on germs. Stupid, I know, but it is what it is.
Autumn Britt
I'm an Art teacher and we love magazine donations at my school.
durandconnie
Schools use them for Art & Home Ec. Group 3-5 together and sell them. Yes, I too have a problem. ;)