Happy Monday! Hope you all had a relaxing weekend!
I’ve been a busy bee, working on a few things for our bedroom. There are some bedroom updates coming soon enough, but in the meantime, here’s a little sneak peak of a) how I spent my weekend, and b) what is on it’s way into our bedroom this week…
It’s obvious enough to me, but are there any guesses??
Ahh, that fabric just makes my heart flutter…
This post all started with this chair that I found on Pinterest…
So I clicked on the image, and it took me to… an error page. Is there anything more annoying than a pin from Pinterest with no source?! Dear pinners of the world, give credit where credit is due!
Moving on… this hack is easy enough… spray the legs red (or aqua, or emerald green, or slate grey, or whatever cool color you think would be awesome) and either gold leaf the seat or spray that gold too.
Zero talent required… my favorite kind of DIY.
I decided to track down this Ikea chair on their site, but alas… it’s either discontinued, or it was never a chair from Ikea to begin with.
I don’t want to let this slow me down, so I pulled together a list of other inexpensive Ikea chairs that this hack could totally work with…
Nailhead trim is big right now… like HUGE. It’s not just contained to overstuffed club chairs and headboards anymore. It’s running wild through the design world, making appearances on everything from side tables to stairwells, and everything in between…
A few of my favorites from around the web…
Isn’t this great inspiration for an Ikea hack?? You could totally recreate this look on this $20 coffee table from Ikea. And it comes in white so if you’re feeling lazy, there is no painting required… you’re welcome in advance!
Once I had finished measuring and taping the first curtain, I laid the second curtain panel over the first, and was literally able to see the tape through the curtain, so no measuring required for the second one – just started taping over the lines of the first. The first panel took me probably 3 hours total – the second took me 15 minutes or so.
Yes, I realize the picture quality sucks, but I was so excited I couldn’t resist!
I actually need to take the curtains back down and touch up a few spots where the paint did end up seeping under the tape, and the lines aren’t perfectly crisp, but overall I am loving my new wide chevron curtains! The navy brings a bit of color to the room since everything else is white, or creme colored in there. And with the new bedding… oh, I can hardly wait!
I keep reading that chevron is sooo last year, but I still happen to like chevron, and I LOVE my new curtains. In my opinion, the wide chevron makes the pattern more unique – you don’t see it often. Not sure if you remember the curtains we’d had in here… since I NEVER post pictures of our disheveled bedroom, but they were creme colored silk panels, that have since made their way into the living room… updated pictures of that are coming too.
I took a panoramic photo of this wall on my iPhone, to give you an idea of what this wall looks like. Remember how I said the TV stand was too low?? Well, now you can see what I mean. It is impossible to watch anything when laying down. That TV stand is going on Craigslist very soon, along with the gold shelf.
Can’t wait for more updates!
What do you think? Would you ever paint a pair of curtains, or am I crazy?? When I told my mom, she definitely thought “crazy” instead of “brilliant” but I kind of don’t care. I love them.
As you know, I have a laundry list of things I want to change in our home, but when it comes to crossing things off the list, I feel like I move at a snails’ pace! Remember last month when I drew up the grand plans for rearranging the living room?? (original post here) Well, for once, I got right on it, and have a few updates to share!!
To refresh your memory, this was the old layout:
Awkward short table next to the TV, wicker chair in the corner, desk blocking entry from entry-hall into the living room. Not ideal.
This was the updated plan for the changes I wanted to make:
On the list…
– Move the chair into the seating area (ultimately replacing the wicker with something else)
– Get rid of that awkward short table next to the TV
– Replace the awkward table with a bar cart or wine bar
– Move the desk next to the window
– Get a standing lamp
– Put two small x-benches where the desk used to be
First change (and the easiest one so far) was moving the desk next to the window – it really opens things up when you first walk in the room, and it’s so nice to work in this sunny nook! The standing lamp was also an easy decision to make, and I love how it looks next to the desk!
Moving on to the second change… here is a good snapshot of that awkward little table next to the TV.
It was WAY too short, and this is pretty much how it stood for the last year since we moved in. It’s not AWFUL, but it always drove me crazy. To say I wasn’t sad to see it go is a gross understatement!
Sayonara sucka!
We had a wine rack in the dining room, sort of tucked into the corner – you couldn’t see it, and it ultimately made the room feel a bit cramped.
One day I had an ah-ha moment, and decided that the wine rack would be the PERFECT solution for this area of the living room. Moving it out of the dining room would open up that space, and re-purposing it for the living room would mean one less thing to buy!
It’s not some unique, heirloom piece (it was from Target to be completely honest) but it was the right height and width, so I was determined to make it work…
Blah. Boring. Cheap.
I’ve long admired the look of campaign furniture – the brackets, and hardware really dress things up, and so with this image in my mind, I set out for a mini makeover…
I needed paint, and hardware, but the weather had been really cold here, so I was in no mood to walk down to the hardware store and pick up a new quart of paint.
Feeling lazy, I decided to try mixing some paint I had laying around. I had a dark blue-grey quart of oil based paint that I had used to paint the back of our bookshelves with, and another quart of taupe chalkboard paint that I had used on the console table in our hallway. My little experiment could have ended disastrously but I figured that if it looked awful, or I ended up with peel-y paint, I could just sand it off, and start over.
I wasn’t quite sure how the paint would go on since it was half oil, and half chalkboard, but I have to say, the combination brought the best of both worlds.
The oil based paint made the application go on super smooth, and since the chalkboard paint was also in there, it dried really fast, and feels REALLY durable. Time will be the true test to it’s durability, but after waiting 24 hours for the paint to “cure” it was ready to get some hardware!
While I really admire the look of the traditional campaign pulls, most of them require you to bevel out an indent in the drawer so that it lays flush with the piece.
– Move the chair into the seating area (ultimately replacing the wicker with something else) – Get rid of that awkward short table next to the TV – Replace the awkward table with a bar cart or wine bar – Move the desk next to the window – Get a standing lamp
– Put two small x-benches where the desk used to be
Of course, I’ve since added to the list…
– Hang two additional curtain panels on the center windows
– Replace wicker chair (with a white slipper chair perhaps)
– Replace black and white Ikea prints
– Replace or revamp coffee table
I’m sure as I continue to make progress, the list will continue to grow, but at least I’ve made some headway!!
I have been looking to replace the TV stand in our bedroom for a while now, but it seems like my list of requirements is a mile long… thus making it impossible to find anything that will work! The current TV Stand was a Craigslist find from a few years back – it’s dark wood, low to the ground, and really nothing too special. I think it may have come originally from Target. It does the job, but we need something taller, and it NEEDS to have storage.
To add onto this equation – it also has to be narrow, since our monster King size bed moved in with us, and the way our room is laid out, you walk between the TV stand and the bed to get to the SINGLE bathroom in our apartment. Awesome.
Anyway, I had been thinking “console table” but it’s rare to find a console with storage, and most dressers are too “fat” for this space – we need at least several feet for the walkway, otherwise it is just going to feel WAY too claustrophobic. I hadn’t been having much luck so far, so my hunt had nearly come to a halt… until I discovered this little gem at Ikea! The Tarva 6 Drawer Chest. Hello lover!
I know, I know… it doesn’t look like much, but when I’m done with it, this simple little guy is going to look phenomenal!
Don’t believe me?? Look at a few of these Tarva hacks I dug up online…
Pinterest… no source
Look at this lovely white number… that high gloss paint, really transforms it into something fabulous, and the greek key appliques covered up the holes where the original pulls went, so each drawer could have a single middle pull.
Source
This is another super cool take on the original – painted drawers – ombre no less – unique pulls, and a stained top and legs?? Talk about a transformation!
Source
No clue how they pulled this off, but they make this brand spanking new chest of drawers look old, and cool, like wooden shipping crates…
Source
And… it’s official… this may just be the most versatile piece of furniture, since it serves as a kitchen counter here!
Source
Finally, my favorite hack (I think) – this one draws inspiration from Hollywood Regency, and I love loovvveee LOOVVVEEE it. The gold border and the large gold pulls??
Fabulous!
Can’t wait to get started on my own version!!
Amen to Friday!
I’ve actually been down in LA for the week – my first week on the new job – so I’ve felt really disconnected from everything “normal”. The weather was so fabulous, and LA is one of those places you always feel like you are on vacation, but it was a busy week for sure. After a wonderful start to the new job, I am so happy to be back home, with Kris.
I’m ALSO excited to share a mini DIY project I worked on last weekend!
Our dining room chairs were looking very sad. I bought them from Craigslist with an antique (aka old) table for $50 total, and since buying them over three years ago, I have done nothing to fix them up. I like to refer to the chipped paint as “shabby chic” but the cushions were just plain sad. The old linen fabric was yellowed from probably decades of wear, and they were badly stained (from god knows what).
Actually confessing that on paper is so embarressing since we lived with them like that for YEARS, but last weekend, I finally did something about it.
While at World Market (picking up our FABULOUS new tripod lamp… yes, I pulled the trigger on that), I saw some curtian panels on sale for 50% off. For just $15, I scored some amazing fabric with enough yardage to cover four seat cushions (and then some). Sunday afternoon, I busted out the staple gun and went to work…
Here are a few “before” shots so you can appreciate the afters:
This is looking into the dining room from the living room – not awful, but the chairs were definitely on the plain side from afar…
Closer up, you can really see how badly the paint is chipping…
And another angle – this room is pretty small… maybe 11’x10′, so it’s hard to photograph from a distance, but the mirrored wall helps a little… also, ignore the mess in the corner – those frames are still waiting to be hung!
Ok this photo is the last “before” that I’ll post, but this one does a really good job illustrating how disgusting the fabric was – stained, yellowed… this is so embarrassing! I can’t believe we lived with these for YEARS.
Ok time for the “after” shots!! Here they are in all their glory!
One of the chairs still acts as our desk chair, but I love it as much in the living room as in the dining room, and dare I say it… it looks amazing with the tripod lamp 🙂
Here is a zoomed in shot – you can really see the raw texture of the fabric here – I love the “grain” in it (is that a term, or did I just make that up?)
I am loving the colors, the pattern, and the fact that in just over an hour, the chairs looked a million times better!
The paint is still chipped, but I’m going to choose to ignore that for now – we’ll get to repainting everything another weekend. One, step at a time, am I right??
Let’s talk about the process for recovering the cushions for a minute – trust me when I say that it is SOOO easy.
Step I:
Rip off old disgusting fabric – you would not believe how dusty it was. SO gross!
Step II:
Staple fresh layer of batting over cushions if needed – the actual cushions were in good shape, so I skipped this step.
Step III:
Staple new fabric onto cushions. I found it was easiest to get the fabric smoothest and tightest by working on opposite sides. Pull the fabric taut along one side and then staple (leave the corners for last!!) Pull fabric taut on the opposite side from the one you just secured, and then staple. Pull remaining sides taut and staple. The fabric on the corners should still be loose – this is where you finish the cushions. I just pleated the fabric along the corner as neatly as possible, and stapled as I went.
There are basically two different ways to pleat the corners. One was like a fan, the second like a box pleat (kind of). Take a look at these pictures – you’ll see what I mean.
“Box Pleat” fold:
“Fan Pleat” fold:
Step IV:
Finish everything off by cutting excess fabric from around the staples – any bulky fabric will prevent the cushino from sitting flush with the seat – if you are able to, screw the cushions back on the seats. Ours have a lip that goes over the front of the chair, holding them pretty secure, so I also skipped that step.
All in all, this project took me about an hour. One of the most labor intensive parts was cutting the fabric up, and removing the old fabric from the cushions. The actual reupholstering took almost no time at all!
Next on the list is to repaint the chairs (and table – god the table needs some love), but for now, I’m happy with the improvements to the cushions!
And then I ironed some more….
And some more… until it was perfectly smooth (side note, that’s not my beautiful kitchen in the below photograph… ours is perhaps the ugliest room you’ve ever seen. These beautiful cabinets are at my parents house – jealous?)
Once the fabric is ironed, it’s time to do some math. This was by far my least favorite part of this project, and the part I was definitely the worst at. Thank god for my mom! She corrected it several times, but let me see if I can recap how you need to measure.
Write down the length and width of the window. Once you have that, decide if you want your shade to be the exact length and width, or how much wider than the window you want your shade to be. If you want the shade to be wider than the window, add on the amount you want it to be wider to each side (for example, if the window is 40″ wide, and you want an additional inch on each side, add two inches, for a total shade width of 42 inches).
If you are lining this, it gets a bit more complicated. You’ll want your printed fabric to wrap around to the back side of the shade, and the lining to be less wide, so add on additional width for the fabric to wrap around to width you’ve already estimated (if you want the printed fabric to wrap around 2″ on each side, add an additional 4″. Make sense??
Finally, keep about 5 extra inches of “front side” fabric for wrapping around the piece of wood for mounting – no lining fabric needed here. You can cut off extra fabric later if you don’t end up needing it, but you can’t really add more on if you are short!
Ok, once the measurements are made, and your fabric is cut, start pinning the lining to the fabric. As you are pinning, you want the print side of the fabric to be face up, and the lining to be on top. This way once you sew the seams, and you turn it “inside out” so the seams face in, and the print faces out.
When you have finished pinning, the fabric will look odd – each side sort or folded over – that’s because the lining is more narrow than the front facing fabric for the extra length to wrap around (so you don’t see the seams or lining from the side once the shade is finished).
This picture below is how it should look.
Ok onto sewing. Set up the sewing machine (I could not help explain this step, but if you sew, just follow the instructions with the bobbin, etc), and sew along the seams, taking the pins out as you go.
After both seams are sewn, flip it inside out… or “right side out” I guess, and iron it again, so the fabric edge is even on both sides.
It should look like the below picture from the back side, with the lining not going all the way to the edge.
Next step is to get out the measuring tape again, and start marking off where the rings will go. Ignore the wrinkles in this photo, it started out ironed, but got wrinkled after sitting folded on the table for three months.
I wanted fewer, larger folds, so I pinned every 17″ or so for a 70″ window, I got 4 pleats.
A note I left out above was that at the bottom of the shade, I inserted a wooden dowel cut down to the width of the window, and sewed it in. This rod inside the bottom of the shade acts as a weight so that when the shade is pulled up, it hangs properly. You can kind of see the rod in the above picture. Some people put these dowels up the entire length where each fold will be, but I didn’t find it was necessary. My shade pulls up just fine – perhaps my fabric is heavy enough (and I ironed the folds in, so it has the memory).
Anyways, getting back to the point… sew three vertical rows of these rings onto the shade. One on each side, and one in the middle.
Be sure these rings are really secured on there – they are what is supporting the shade when it’s pulled up and down – I used a drop of super glue to make sure the rings and thread were super secure. I’m not sure this is necessary, but I feel better about it.
And here it is from the side.. pretty awesome…
And the pleats from the front – this was completely accidental, but the pattern is perfectly lined up – cause I’m a ballerrrrrrr!!
Here is a close up of the pulley system in action, along with the mounts…
And a final glory shot of the curtain, hanging in the hallway – it’s so pretty, although in these pictures, I am completely realizing that I forgot to wrap the side of the wood mount. I painted it white, but I’m not loving that unfinished edge. I’ll have to go back in with a little hot glue gun, and swatch of fabric to finish off the ends!
If you are thinking of attempting a roman shade of your own and have some questions, just shoot me an email! I could NOT have done this without my mama’s help!
xoxo
It’s done!! Remember a week or so ago I had posted about creating a gallery wall made up entirely of frames?? Well… for the first time, I jumped right on this project, and it’s finished!!
Remember this inspiration photo?
Well here is our hallway as of this morning!!
And just to refresh your memory… here are a few photos of what it looked like before:
And again after…
Even with all these frames and the ornate details, it doesn’t look busy, or overwhelming for the space. Quite the opposite – all the white makes it really clean and simple. I am thinking of selling this console table because I’m still not convinced it’s right for this space. Moving it out would open things up even more, don’t you think?
Anyway – back to the project. This could not have been more simple!! I went to Aaron Brothers and hit up the one-cent sale (buy one, get one for a penny). Of course, it was impossible to find white ornate frames, so I just picked up whatever ornate frames they had (many ended up being gold), and swung by the hardware store to grab a few cans of Rustoleum high gloss white spray paint. I sprayed all the frames with a few coats, and it could not have been more simple!!
Once the paint was dry, I brought the frames inside, and then started laying out which frame would go where on the dining room table. Even having them layed out on the table, it was still hard for me to envision how it wold look on the wall. I am definitely a visual person, so I traced each frame onto a piece of paper, and started taping it all up on the wall.
Unfortunately, I forgot to take any photos of this process, but you can imagine how easy it was. I found it was better to just play with the arrangement right on the wall until I was happy with the placement of each frame. In that process I discovered that I still needed a few extra frames, and so I grabbed a few smaller frames we had around here – they aren’t anything special, but a few simple frames in the mix actually makes the ornate ones pop even more! Once I was happy with the arrangement with the pieces of paper, I started hanging everything up, and ta-da!
Ultimately, I’d like to have mirrors cut to fit to each frame, but for now they are all just empty – it doesn’t bother me, but that’s the eventual plan…
And this guy is my favorite – it’s a hand carved wooden frame that has so much character!
What do you think?? I absolutely love it – it turned out just how I had hoped!!
Simply Styled 