For those of you who are either a part of, or who follow, the Annapolis Design District, you are probably aware of some of the projects we have going on to help beautify the neighborhood where many of our member businesses reside.

This week kicks off the first ever Design contest among members, and it was asked for those participating to create a unique planter made strictly from recycled materials! Here is the info:

As a Premier Design member of the District, there was no way we were going to pass up this fun competition! A few of us from the Kitchen Encounters Team spent some time over the weekend putting together our entry:

And last night, we planted the flowers, herbs, and vegetables we had selected to finalize our entry before the judging tomorrow morning!

It was easy for us to design a bathroom, since that is part of what we do here at Kitchen Encounters, and here is a little write-up of how the project came together:

“Last Chance Rest Stop”

This is the likely “the last chance” for everything used in our planter display.

The pallets are obviously left over from shipping something. The “wall caps” on the pallets were defective cabinet doors from a kitchen project.

The glass mullion door was the oldest least useful one in our collection of good doors salvaged from remodeling jobs. The door trim was saved so long it started to rot at one end. The hinges that hold the parts together are old mismatched rusty ones not useful for much else. The sink backsplash was a leftover cutout of plywood from a round widow opening.

All the paint was leftover from other jobs and the red was so lumpy it would not be good for any finer finished work. We also used old brushes and a roller that were at the end of their useful life.

The pavers were salvaged from an 1800’s home patio replacement and were piled next to a garage looking for a home for years.

The mirror came from an old wooden medicine cabinet that was salvaged and renewed for another project. The sink and faucet were sitting around for years waiting for a new purpose.

The galvanized wash tub was bent up and old but perfect for this outdoor shower. The shower head was another item lying around hoping to be used.

The planter boxes that create the “toilet tank” were in too bad of condition for use around the house and the toilet bowl was pulled from the ceramic “graveyard” at Second Chance where they throw things they think are of no value.

The tall grass, loriope, leek and viney thing are transplants from our home garden where we needed to create some space. The new herbs were the only purchased items and they will be moved to our home herb garden before winter.

Some new screws were used in the assembly and will be reused after the display is dismantled so I guess it’s not the “Last Chance” for everything.

We will have this on display out front of our showroom for several weeks and the winners will be announced at the Art in Action Fall Street Festival happening here in the Annapolis Design District on September 26th on Edgewood Ave from 11 am- 4 pm!!