Archive for July 2009
Making White Work
This week I spruced up the existing seaside theme of the sole bathroom in my house. This tiny white space has proved to me that, with a little imagination and the right accents, white walls really can work well.
I got the impression that my landlord, proud of his beautifully renovated all-white bathroom, didn’t want it painted. (He really, really likes white. He even installed “personal assistance” bars instead of towel bars so that they would be all white.) Therefore, I would have saved this room for last, except that a wonderful friend helped me decorate it as a thank-you present for letting her temporarily live with me.
Here’s a view into the ginormous bathroom from the hallway. I hope you can see the whole thing – it’s so large it was hard to capture it in one photo! (Insert sarcasm here)
Here’s a look at the tiny toilet nook. I added some driftwood and adorned the basket with a starfish to further emphasize the seaside theme. (Next I’d like to frame and hang a piece of beach art or a photo over that ugly and now defunct wall fan.)
Close-up of my candle creation and seaside guest basket:
Here is the other half of this spacious room, as seen from the toilet/sink area:
I eeked out a spot for bathroom storage and the dog’s water bowl (so easy to fill up quickly from the bathtub faucet) alongside the wall across from the bathtub:
I had a set of wind chimes but no place to hang them. So, like any good DIYer, I found a way to repurpose them – shower curtain adornments! They’ll tide me over until I find the right oceanic-themed shower curtain to replace my plain white one.
With that I conclude the long and extensive tour of my gigantic, cavernous seaside bathroom! :)
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Thrifty Fix: Clip It and Stick It
Clip it and stick it. . . to clip it and save it!
As part of my efforts to avoid the junk drawer that seems to inevitably sneak up on even the most meticulous of homemakers, I devised a quick and easy way to corral my coupons and save some precious space in the process.
I like my coupons near the kitchen, where I can grab them easily as I set out on a shopping expedition. Inspiration was born when I spied some fancy-schmancy adhesive file pockets at Target that adhere to your wall, desk, fridge, cabinet, or any other vertical surface. Then I spied the price tag. $9 for a pack of three? I think not.
Penny pincher that I am, I took a closer look for inspiration purposes, then motored home to create my own adhesive filing pockets. I crafted them out of decorative scrapbooking paper, smacked some double-sided tape to their backs, and tacked those suckers onto the inside of my kitchen cabinet doors to sort coupons.
And so, with a clip of the scissor and a stick of the tape, instant, free adhesive file pockets were born!
In a tiny rented kitchen like mine (with only ONE drawer!) it’s important to eek out every last inch of storage space without major construction efforts. I’m finding that the insides of kitchen cabinet doors are my sweet spot. What about you? Any other tips and tricks for making the most out of your kitchen real estate?
Boudoir Beautification: Exotic Escape
There’s nothing as sweet as the satisfaction that comes from transforming a dreary white room into a cozy space that feels like home. And the next best part? Well that, of course, is the sharing of the before-and-after shots!I set out to create an “exotic escape” in my bedroom with just a few small inspiration pieces. I had a beautiful antique oriental rug from my parents, a terracotta colored comforter set, two exotic candle lanterns, and a $3 painting from Goodwill. (Yes, this is at least the third time I’ve mentioned it in my blog; I’m thrilled with the price I paid!)
Here’s the depressing, apartment-white befores:
Now, without further ado, I present to you my cozy new boudoir:
After warming up the walls with a thick coat of earthy paint (custom-matched, supposedly, to my lighter colored throw pillows), I switched up the window treatments for a home made blind in a blue-based multicolor batik fabric. I wanted to add some contrasting colors to the walls while keeping the window area as open as possible. Therefore, I decided that a simple fabric blind would work better than the usual drapes. (Also, with pets it’s nice to have as few fabrics near hair-level as possible!)
I had this big, somewhat ugly (ok, really ugly) mirror that was surely all the rage when my stylish grandma bought it in West Palm Beach in the 70′s. For sentimental reasons I decided to make it work by using it to anchor the wall over my dresser. And it does work! It really helps to open up the room, and reflect the light coming in from the window. Next to the mirror I hung my shadowboxes which, as I mentioned in this post, are my new favorite way to store and display jewelry.
Moving on to the other side of the room, which houses both the door to the hallway and the door to the closet:
I warmed that space up with the mirrored candle lanterns and a framed batik cloth art piece that I snagged at New Jersey’s Golden Nugget Flea Market for only $20!
On a whim I decided to paint the ceiling as well as the walls. And I’m glad I did – it really warms the room up to have the ceiling the same tone as the rest of the surfaces in the room.
Here my little helper is demonstrating how he loves to coat the quilt with his soft and shaggy white hair. (Note to self, and to others: When choosing pet-friendly and washable bed coverings, always spring for a duvet cover instead of a quilted blanket. My lovely sateen comforter from Target holds onto pet hair like it’s going outta style.) My little inspiration painting looks a bit sad in the corner, though. Any thoughts on where I should move it to, or how I can make it stand out better?
That concludes the peek at my weekend completion of phases 1 and 2 of my bedroom. Now what might phase 3 have in store? Well, if I ever finish my other rooms, I’d love to come back to this one and add a stenciled brown Moroccan border around the room, as well as maybe some hand-painted wall art. And as you can see, I didn’t end up building an upholstered headboard. I may do that down the road, but only if I can find a cheap second-hand, footed headboard to spiff up like Julia at Open Hand Living did. That way I won’t have to attach anything that major to the wall. What do you think; does it need the headboard?
To me my bedroom now epitomizes the magic that a little cash (I did this for under $200), some thrifty finds, and a lot of elbow grease can accomplish to transform a dreary rented space into a personal retreat.
The not-so-productive project weekend
This weekend I had a list. A big, long list. I had ten reasonable projects listed on said list. I planned to finish each and every one of them. And I planned to revel in the glory of my weekend completions by posting updates and photos right here all week long.
Sadly, I have nothing to share. A few key things delayed my progress:
- Friday night I worked late, and spent hours collecting supplies at Michael’s, Home Depot, and multiple fabric stores for the aforementioned projects.
- I got home and fought with my sewing machine for over an hour.
- I woke up Saturday morning sick as a dog. My productivity flew right out the window.
Therefore, I had time to determine this one thing: There’s nothing more frustrating than laying around, exhausted, headache-y, and nauseous, staring at work just waiting to be done – and knowing you’re too incapacitated to do it. And knowing the clock is ticking down the hours until your weekend is over, and those two precious days of home improvement time are being squandered.
Sigh. At least I finished the bedroom on Sunday. I’ll have photos posted by tomorrow.
The many phases of DIY decor
Does this sound familiar?
You tackle a home decorating project with just a few items on the list. You glance at a few magazines, scan a few blogs, read a few books, and next thing you know – you’re inspired by a multitude of more project ideas, and tack them on your list. A few inspired cycles later, you’re faced with a to-do list that would intimidate even the toughest HGTV design show host.
Realizing that my decorating and DIY to-do list has entered this vicious cycle, I’ve started thinking that rooms must be completed in phases – otherwise, I’ll never feel like I’m done. Here’s a little breakdown of how I’m starting to view the phases. (Note: these are thoughts-in-progress!)
Phase 1: The Basics
A blank slate kicks off the start of Phase 1. It’s all about pulling the room together so that you’ve got a clean and coordinated space that is ready for guests, even if it is a little sparse. Start by creating a mood board to visualize the finished product. (Need inspiration? See this one at YoungHouseLove ) You’ll want to paint the walls, find and lay out your main furnishings, score some window treatments, and hang some key pieces of art. Your room will be clean and coordinated. But it may be a little bare, and you’ll be thinking of a million things you could do to really tweak the space. . . and that’s when you’re on to Phase 2.
Phase 2: Fun with Accents and Accessories!
Now that you’ve built the basics, it’s time to add some more acceessories, and maybe throw in a few simple DIY projects. Customzie your curtains with ribbons or trim? Refinish or paint a table? Paint an accent wall? That’s right, now you get to play with that basic room you’ve created, spicing it up and adding some personal flair.
Phase 3: Delving into DIY
Phase three really takes it to a whole new level, providing even more fun projects for you once you’ve created a great, and personal, space. These phase 3 projects are great to do, but not necessary. You can tackle some serious DIY projects, such as upholstering major furnishings or switching up your accessories to fit with the seasons. I know there’s more to it, but I’m still thinking on this one. :)
Stay tuned for updated thoughts on my three phases!
Inspiration: West Elm Living Room
Right now I’m really digging the browns, blues, and grays offered in many accessories from West Elm. I threw together a little living room inspiration on a mood board just for fun. And in the process, I discovered that, for me at least, throwing together inspiration boards was as fun as shopping!
Unfortunately this color scheme doesn’t really jive with the painting I’m hanging in my living room - otherwise, this would definitely be the living room for me!
1. Modular chocolatey brown couch. Easy to change up, easy to keep clean, neutral enough to allow color scheme changes when you get bored with blue, brown, gray. Enough said.
2. I love these African-print sheer curtain panels. Light and airy, but with a fun design that makes them more contemporary and stylish, and less like the sheer curtains your grandma hung all over her house.
3. This woven rattan floor pouf from Urban Outfitters is actually on my list for my living room to bring in some earthy tones. And I think it goes great with the blue and grey tones of this room.
4. The Trifecta Nesting Tables from Urban Outfitters are awesome! What a great way to get three tables in one, but store them compactly when you don’t need them. The glass design is an added bonus to keep things feeling light and uncluttered.
5. Another piece that I’ve planned to purchase for my living room, this retro mid-century modern GLAMOR wall clock from EQ3 rocks my world. It will tie in nicely with the glass and chrome of the nesting tables.
6. The West Elm pillows that started it all. Love the colors and patterns.
7. This fun and unique branch wall shelf from West Elm, priced high at $99, is another reason for the mood board, especially the part about it being just for fun. But wouldn’t it bring in another nice organic and earthy touch to the room?
8. Finally, this blue and chocolate rug would pull it all together. I like how the irregular stripes imitate the look of branches.
So there you have it – my first ever experiment with crafting a mood board. I think I just found a new hobby! Stay tuned for my real living room mood board in a few days.
Living Room Layout: Take Two
As mentioned in my previous post, I’m fighting with the layout of my living room. I’ve started a nice little collection of mid-century modern furnishings, but have not yet found a great way to arrange it.
The other night I played around a bit with the layout. Quick recap: I was fighting to arrange my chairs and sofa in a cozy grouping around the glass and chrome coffee table, while maintaining an open flow through the living room to the rest of the condo. Here’s the result of Living Room Layout – Take Two:
Note that I moved the fun and funky record cabinet to the side of the sofa, where it can double as an end table. I wanted it to be able to shine, which was not happening in its previous home (the corner by the window).
- The flesh must flee. Need to re-paint the walls to a much lighter, and much less fleshy, neutral off-white. I’m thinking a grayish-white.
- Pretty in Pink . . . only applies to small doses. Enough with the pink sofa. Hope to re-dye it to a neutral tan this weekend.
Dirt With a View: Brooklyn’s Rooftop Farm
If anything’s better than regular old farming, it’s gotta be organic farming-with-a-view. A couple of Brooklynites have created an expansive organic veggie farm right on top of a warehouse in Brooklyn, NY’s Greenpoint neighborhood.
Started in 2008, Rooftop Farms has already been featured in hip reads such as NY Magazine, the New York Times, and the Huffington Post, to name a few.
It can’t possibly get more fresh than this for New Yorkers. The produce is sold at the farm in Greenpoint, and is being showcased at Brooklyn restaurants such as Anella and Marlow & Sons.
