DIY Rustic Towel Bar From An Antique Harness

Who needs a rustic towel bar?

Me, apparently.

And maybe one of you.

One of the things we found on our property was an antique harness that would have been part of the connection between a horse and a buggy or horse and a farm implement.

At least, that’s what I think it is, but I could be wrong.

From what I can tell, these harnesses go by different names: Singletree harness, Whiffletree harness, Whippletree harness, and leader-bars.

Ours seems to be missing the center connection though. It looks like it could have been there and broken off, but that’s the only thing that makes me question whether or not it truly is an antique harness.

Either way, it looks like an antique harness, so if you find one, you can use this example to make a rustic towel bar too.

We chose to hang our rustic towel bar from a pair of screw-in hooks we had on hand. The screw-in hooks provided just the right amount of clearance between the rustic towel bar and the cabinet.

Was this the classiest way to hang the harness? Eh…probably not. This was one of those DIY projects that happened on a whim, but the solution worked out.

There are plenty of ways you could hang your rustic towel bar that would look more polished than the solution we chose. Go wild and level this project up! Then send me pictures, pretty please.

I’m not joking when I tell you that I’ve had that antique harness tucked away in a closet for 3 years knowing that it had potential, but wondering what to do with it. Wondering how I could use it in my particular home. Every once in a while I’d get it out and mull over my options then tuck it back into the closet.

Then one day when we were working on sprucing up our Carriage House for guests it dawned on me that we didn’t have a towel bar in there and an idea was born on how to repurpose that antique harness into a rustic towel bar.

Is this a justification for hoarding cool things until inspiration strikes? Hmm. Maybe?

It might take me a while to come up with an idea that works for our home, but I love finding creative ways to reuse objects in our home.

I am so happy that we could repurpose this antique harness into a rustic towel bar for use in a modern era.

P.S. We did not seal the wood on this antique harness to protect it from moisture because that wasn’t a huge concern for this particular area. It’s something to consider though if you adapt this idea for your own home.

Other Ways to Repurpose An Antique Harness Like Ours:

Use it as a hanging rod for clothing in a laundry room or elsewhere.

Hang it from the ceiling and use it as a place to attach bundles of herbs to dry.

Use it as wall decor.

Use it as a plant hanging rod.

Incorporate it into a welcome sign for your front door.

Learn More About Antique Harnesses Here. 

Shop Antique Harnesses Here.

Do you like rustic decor? Or do you like repurposing items? Do you have an idea on how to repurpose an antique harness? I’d love to know. You can always comment on this blog post (I have to approve it first before it appears), email me here, or reach out via Instagram or Facebook.

Thanks for being here today. I love sharing ideas and hearing yours! Here are some other posts you might enjoy.

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