Old Wooden Window turned Towel Rack

Old wooden, paint cracked windows are popular these days.  I picked up two of them from a thrift/antique type store in North Carolina several months ago.  I have been peculating on an idea to create a purposeful decor piece out of one window.  I've had a few ideas on what to use them for but creating a towel rack for our master bathroom stuck in my mind.  Our bathroom had no towel racks at all and has a boring builder grade feel.

I spent extra timing searching for a window with the glass intact

Aged window lock and perfectly imperfect cracked paint

I picked up some supplies including a basic towel rack,  two stainless steel pipe clamps and a french cleat.  I ended up going back to the store and getting a 30in rod because that fit the length of the window better.

I pre-drilled holes through the clamps so I could easily screw them into the exact locations I wanted on the window frame.  I'm not exactly sure which drill bit works best for getting through metal but definitely use a scrap piece of wood underneath.

After wiping down the window, adding a couple mason jars to the metal camps, securing the towel rod and the french cleat, this is what I had.  For me the devil is in the details and visibly seeing the french cleat annoyed me.  Back to the store to find a backing option.

I picked up 1 yard of neutral chevron material.  Believe it or not, but I used a stapler to attach the material to the back frame of the window.  The old wood was soft enough for the staples to penetrate.  In the future, it will be easy to remove the staples and change out the material background.

The material backing did the trick!  The french cleat is hidden perfectly.  I added a small preserved boxwood wreath which I love and I am really happy with how this project turned out.  The window adds a lot of interest to an otherwise dull bathroom as well as much needed towel rack space.

Happy DIY'ing!