Shabby Love: A Virginia Shop Where Every Piece of Old Furniture Has a History and a Future

Everything in <a href="http://www.shabbylovefurniture.com">Shabby Love</a> has a story - and it all starts with Hannah Kappes. With a keen eye for detail the 33-year-old mother of two scours auctions, estate sales, yard sales and thrift stores for solid furniture that has been abandoned as trash. Her store in Orange, Virginia (a small town with roughly 5,000 inhabitants) carries everything from a 1909 nickel-plated brass cash register to gorgeous oak hutches that might have been made during the civil war era and <a href="http://inhabitat.com/reed-residence-is-a-zero-energy-rustic-mountain-retreat/">rustic reclaimed barn wood</a>. She often finds chairs with broken legs or arms, but that doesn't bother her. If the wood is solid and the design catches her eye, Hannah will transform it into a fascinating conversation starter.

Hannah Kappes scours estate sales, thrift stores and other places for abandoned old furniture and other unique items

She then transforms these pieces into beautiful, modern conversation starters that she sells at her store

Located in Orange, Virginia, with a population of roughly 5,000, Shabby Love has enjoyed resounding success

This is a restored 1909 nickel plated brass cash register and it still works!

Hannah is very particular about the furniture she buys. Details like likes and vintage hardware are attractive to her

Old light bulbs wrapped in twine to look like pears

Shabby Love features Hannah's work and that of roughly 20 other artists in the area

This is an old ceiling panel recycled as a magnet board

Old doors make great chalk and headboards

Hannah helps a happy customer load their new purchase

She really has a knack for finding rustic gems

Colored paper flowers brighten up a table

Hannah replaced this cabinet's glass with wire, given it an almost industrial chic appeal

We love this lamp made of teapots and a burlap sack shade

One artist uses buttons in her mixed media pieces

There are a lot of mason jars out in the country, and it's fun to see them get new life and color like these

Cool coasters! No two are the same - everything is unique.

Recycling old clothing into funky headbands

Handbags made from recycled wrappers.

A cruddy old chest gets new life with Hannah's special whitewashing technique

Grandma's old teacup is now a candle!

A whitewashed door greets paying customers beside reclaimed barn wood painted as a decorative wall piece

Hannah demonstrates how she is going to turn this old globe into a lamp shade!

This is Hannah's warehouse - a beautiful old horse stable that still has most of its original brick. And this piece of furniture is about to get Hannah's a touch of Hannah's signature eco-love!