Tag Archives: living room

How to Paint Simple Wall Stripes [DIY]

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I’ve had my heart set on painting stripes in my dining room for a while now.  I  love the clean, refreshing look of vertical stripes…they make ceiling look taller too =)  I finally got the chance to make my striped wall dream a reality when I was stuck at home for three straight days during the Nemo blizzard!  I can say with certainty that my striped wall was the best thing to come out of that storm for me…it definitely trumped losing power for 72 hours, getting stuck in a snow bank mid-blizzard (and I’m referring to myself, not my car), eating cold hot dogs, the list goes on…Anyway, I am super excited with how my striped wall turned out, here’s a little tutorial for painting striped walls of your own!

Here’s what my dining room looked like before the stripes….

To get started, I mixed up a new custom wall color.  My walls were already painted a dark blue/gray but I wanted them to be a few shades lighter so they’d blend better with the cream colored stripes I had planned.

 

Here’s the wall, freshly painted and drying…

Once the walls had dried (which should be at least 6 hours, but I have no patience so I waited 2), I began taping them off for the stripes.  It’s extremely important that you use painters tape for this part.  Painters tape is designed for this purpose so it will not pull off your first coat of paint.

I wanted my stripes to be 12″ wide, and I was using 1.5″ painters tape so I taped off the wall in 12″, then 9″ sections (by sections, I mean the area inside the tape lines).  The 12″ sections would be filled with paint, and the 9″ sections would be the wall color.  The reason the wall colored stripes are only measured at 9″ is to account for the 1.5″ of tape on either side of the stripe (3″ in total).  This will make for perfectly even 12″ stripes.  You will have to vary this equation depending on the width of your tape (ie. if you’re using 1″ tape, your stripes will be spaced at 10″ and 12″)…

*Since there was no tape on the right side of my first stripe (it was the start of the wall), my first stripe was 10.5″ wide.

Once my wall was taped off, I rolled the stripe color onto the 12″ sections.  I mixed up an off-white creamy color, then added some pearl white paint to give the stripes a little shine.

*Make sure the tape is pressed down tightly to the wall to ensure clean lines!

Here’s a close up of the paint color…

Once my stripes were painted, I peeled off the tape carefully.  I think it’s best to peel off the tape while the paint is still slightly tacky…I’ve always done it this way, but that could be out purely out of impatience..

Here’s my new striped wall!

I just love the contrasting color!

Now you know how to paint wall stripes, it’s your turn to give it a shot!

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The Farmhouse Chic Cow Print Stool [before & after]

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I’m usually pretty conservative about using crazy prints and fabrics on my furniture revivals.  Don’t get me wrong, I love a vibrant, poppy print, but I usually like to maintain a classic look with more subdued colors.  This is the reason I get super excited when I have a small scale piece to work with, like a little chair or a stool.  I’m always more daring when it comes to fun prints on smaller pieces.  I came across the perfect opportunity to do this when I picked up this great antique foot stool at an estate sale a few weeks back.  It was in rough shape, but I loved it’s classic look and intricate detail.  Here’s how the stool looked when I found it:

Not really much to look at, but check out the great detail on this little piece!  Quality, character & detail are the three main things I look for when I’m searching for pieces to revive and this definitely fit the bill.

I decided to give this dated antique stool a chic farmhouse twist, so I chose to upholster it in a super-plush cow print fabric!   After removing the old fabric, I painted the stool in CeCe Caldwell’s Vintage White, then added new foam to the seat and finally finished with my funky cow print fabric!  I love the way this cozy little stool turned out!

What do you think of this bold farmhouse stool? Is this plush cow print fabric is too much or just right?  Share your thoughts and rate below!

This stool is available for purchase at Picklee on Spring!

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Fresh Picked Friday [10/12/12]

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This week’s Fresh Picks…

[10/12/12]

I’m dreaming of… [The perfect farmhouse kitchen]

A twist on the original [peanut butter & chocolate chip shortbread cookies]

Don’t buy it, make it! [DIY coffee table ottoman]

Picture frame missing a hanger? [DIY soda tab hanger]

Cozy up with a cocktail [Fall cocktail recipes]

Spiff up the laundry room [DIY laundry soap dispenser]

Fall Style [elbow pad sweater]

“Forward” can be more than one direction…[elephant march fabric]

 

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Re-purposed TV Console [your pick]

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Today’s wonderful “Your Pick” transformation comes to us from Allyson over at Domestic Superhero.  Allyson was in search of a TV console table for her new 51″ TV, so she set out to find one at her local consignment shop…but what she found was far from that.  Allyson found a beat up old dresser instead, but not just any old dresser…a dresser with a destiny…destined to become her new TV console table that is!  Here’s how the dresser looked when she found it:

Allyson sanded down the piece and removed the top drawers so that it would be open shelving for her TV console…

Then she gave the piece a good coat of primer…

Next, Allyson painted the piece a funky shade of yellow, how fun!

Since Allyson decided she wanted the piece to have a distressed look, she applied a coat of dark glaze on top of the yellow.  After the glaze dried, she painted the piece with one more coat of yellow paint, then it was ready to distress!  Allyson sanded down the paint in different areas (mostly around the edges) to give the console table a weathered look.

The last thing Allyson did was give the original hardware a coat of iron rubbed bronze spray paint.  Here’s how her re-purposed TV console turned out!  Pretty amazing, huh?!

If you enjoyed Allyson’s yellow painted cabinet, then you’ll love these yellow painted side tables too!

Rate Allyson’s transformation and share your thoughts below!

 

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Simple Curtain Panel Pillows {diy}

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Brett and I recently completed our finished basement (wheew, it thought I’d never see this day!)  Remember when we were just finishing up the floor a few months ago, and I created this vintage cage light? I love the rustic look the light added =)  Anyway, one of the challenges with the finished space was a built in bench that we created to cover up some plumbing pipes, simple solution right?  Well, my concern was that I wanted the built in bench to feel like a cozy, comfortable part of the space.  I decided to cozy up the built-in with lots and lots of fluffy pillows.  We all know how pricey good pillows can be, so purchasing lots of them was not in my budget at this point.  I was at a local flea market one morning when I found a gorgeous stripped curtain panel loose from it’s package for only $2 (a common occurrence at the flea’s!).  I loved the pattern for the newly finished basement space, so I decided to buy it and turn it into pillows for the built in bench!  Here’s how my simple curtain panel pillows turned out….

Curtain Panel Pillow {DIY}

Select an inexpensive curtain panel from (I found a single loose panel at a local flea market).  I chose a stripped pattern with buttons at the top.  Buttons at the top of the panel may make a great embellishment on your pillows.

 

Cut the panel in half directly down the center, this way you are working with two equal sections.  Depending on how large you want your pillows, cut the halves in half again (or into quarters if you are working with a large panel).  The object is to make sure that you are working with equal pieces so the pillows are symmetrical (especially if you are using stripes of a pattern like mine).

 

Now that your pieces are cut, lay two equal pieces of the panel together with the “good” side of the fabric facing in.

Using a sewing machine (**or no-sew fabric tape if you don’t have a sewing machine), stitch together three and one half sides of the pillow.  All three sides should be fully stitched together, the fourth side should be stitched half way so that you can stuff the pillow, then stitch back up!

Flip the pillow right-side-out now.  Use pillow stuffing (I used poly-fill) to fill the pillow.

Now that the pillow is stuffed, fold in the remaining open section of the pillow.  Use your sewing machine (or double sided fabric tape) to stitch up this final open section.

Your curtain panel pillow is complete!  Notice I left the buttons from my curtain panel on the top of some of my pillows, I thought it made a great touch!

 

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The Bright Painted Furniture Movement {Inspiration}

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I’ve shared a few posts lately about brightly painted furniture, like the trash-to-treasure nightstands and little lime table.  Bright, vibrant colors have it going on right now, from jewelry, to clothes, to furniture… Adding one simple piece of brightly painted furniture to a room can bring it from simple & understated to frisky & fun instantly.  And the best part about this trend?  It’s the PERFECT opportunity to transform and revive any old piece of furniture, so you’ll save $$ too!  Normally, when I paint furniture I like to look for pieces with great detail and character, but the process is a bit different for me when I’m painting something a vibrant color. Since bright colors have a voice all on their own, it’s okay to use more old & boring simple pieces of furniture.  So dust off that old, forgotten about table in the attic and give it a fresh coat of FUN!

The Bright Painted Furniture Movement {Inspiration}

 

Turqouise floral print side chair (Style Key West)

Little Yellow Side Table (Style Key West)

Yellow painted Victorian table (TatorTotsJello)

Lime green side table with seagrass inlay (BelleMaison)

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Coral Painted Island (NineMSN)

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Orange Cane Arm Chair (Houzz)

Blue Dining Table (tumblr)

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Traditional Periwinkle Table (centsational girl)

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Coral Painted Mirror (lilhoot)

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Aqua Dresser (Natty by Design)

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Lime Kitchen Island (we heart it)

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Coral Entry Table (the sweet beast)

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Baby’s Yellow Dresser (houzz)

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Red Retro Desk (pink wall paper)

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Go paint something!

xo

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Vintage Cage Light {DIY}

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Vintage cage lights.  I’m so in love with this trend right now.  The pure rustic, industrial chic look should remind us of a day when things were much more simple.  Fixtures were created more for functionality…to serve a purpose.  THIS, in my opinion, is the definition of good design.  We are in the final stages of finishing our basement right now…here’s Brett laying down the last piece of flooring, he’s so proud =)

So we came to picking out the lighting for the stairway landing, and we both knew we wanted something simple.  I really feel in love with this cage light from Ruby Lane…

…but at $145, I did not buy this.  Come on, this is Picklee!  You know I HAD to figure out how to make this myself.  I grabbed some extra wire we had laying around from the installation of our drop ceiling (12 gauge hanger wire) and some wire cutters, then began bending and twisting away…this project was so simple and I’m MORE than happy with the way my DIY Vintage Cage Light turned out…

Vintage Cage Light {DIY} 

Start with some wire cutters and a roll of wire.  I used some extra 12 gauge hanger wire we had left from installing our basement drop ceiling (only 6.97 for a roll of 300 ft. at Home Depot)

Twist the wire into a circle the size of the light base you will attach it to, my circle was approx. 6″ in diameter.

Next, cut a piece of wire in the length that you will want your light to be, the length of my light was approx. 9″.  Attach the wire to the circle.  Cut a second piece of wire the same length and twist it together with the first wire.  Continue this around the circle, spacing each wire extension about an inch apart.

Once all of your wire legs have been attached, connect them by twisting another wire circle around the bottom.  This circle should be a bit wider in diameter than the base circle, but the size will vary depending on the size of your light.

Twist the ends of the wire legs around the circle bottom to secure it.  Cut any loose wire.

Enjoy your new Vintage Cage Light!

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The World’s Ugliest Chair Gets a Makeover! {Before & After}

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The sun is shining, the birds are chirping and I am out thrift shop scouring!  Man, there are so many helpless pieces of furniture to save, but today I will only choose one {space is limited due to some other exciting pieces I picked up over the winter…stay tuned ;) }  On my thrift shop missions I always hold out for old pieces with great bones and unique details.  I can overlook the ugliest paint jobs, fabrics and fixtures, in fact the uglier a piece starts the better I feel about saving it =)  Well, on this particular day, I’d say I found one ugly piece of furniture.

I’m just going to go ahead and proclaim my find The World’s Ugliest Chair…

I was really excited about this transformation because I had been inspired to create it ever since I set my eyes on the Louis XVI Arm Chair in Ikat Medallion by Ballard Designs, here it is…

Okay.  So here’s how the transformation of the World’s Ugliest Chair began.  I grabbed my gloves and goggles (you never know what could pop out of one of these old things) and started pulling off the hideous orange plaid fabric.  The key here is removing the fabric ever so carefully so that you can use the old pieces as templates for cutting the chair’s new fabric.

Then there was a shocker…just when I thought I had found The World’s Ugliest Chair, I discovered that the The World’s EVEN UGLIER Chair was hidden underneath it the whole time!

Enter this guy…

Yikes!

Next, I laid the old removed pieces of fabric on top of my new fabric and cut out my new pieces.  Surprisingly, this whole chair only took one yard!

Once all my pieces of fabric were cut, I went to work attaching them with my staple gun…

The last step was attaching a fabric cover to the back of the chair.  For this step, I used silver upholstery tacks.  Here’s the finished product, I think I’ll stop referring to it as The World’s Ugliest Chair now =)

Here are those silver upholstery tacks I used on the back…

Share your thoughts on The World’s Ugliest Chair transformation!  Do you have an ugly chair transformation?  Submit it to Picklee’s Your Picks here!

UPDATE!

Check out this 18th C. French Burlap Chair I found on Restoration Hardware!  Different fabric, but looks a little familiar, huh?  At $1695 for the RH version, I’m feeling pretty good about my transformation right now =)

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First Time Home Buyers Seek Transitional Living Room Design

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Kate & Lou purchased their first home in December 2011.  Now that things are beginning to settle, they are ready to tackle the design of their living room.  They’ve already made a few key improvements, like painting the walls in a shade of mocha, adding cream linen window treatments, and purchasing a light blue oriental rug.  They would like to keep their leather sofa and are willing to paint some of their existing furniture to stay within budget.

Lou prefers a darker color pallet and Kate would like to brighten up the room with lighter, brighter colors.  They both have somewhat of a traditional to transitional style, but it’s all about the compromise now!

Kate and Lou would like to keep the brown leather sofa and rug, they are willing to refinish the coffee table.

 

The owners would like to put a console table below the TV.

Here is the proposed design board.  The proposed design uses traditional, nuetral tones, while subtlety introducing brighter shades of red and yellow for a look that’s revived and refreshed.

 

  1. The Ballard Designs Exmoor Console Table, this shallow console will blend perfectly beneath the thin, wall mount television.  The cream color will pop against the mocha colored wall.
  2. Victoria Tufted Velvet Chair in Coffee, by World Market. Tufted chairs are super transitional and can work with almost any decor.  This muted tone will work perfectly against the chocolate brown sofa.
  3. This table is an example of a refinishing technique that can be done using the owners current coffee table.  The paint swatch above the table is a color that can be achieved by blending Annie Sloan Chalk Paints, one part Coco, three parts Old White.  Annie Sloan Chalk Paints work great on furniture that’s already been finished, since the chalk paint will bond to just about any surface.  Annie Sloan makes some amazing colors and wax finishes for a finished look that mirrors that of a Pottery Barn or Restoration Hardware piece.
  4. Hand Blown Glass Vase, by Wisteria.  Since the base colors and furniture in this room are heavier, its best to introduce accessories that are lighter in scale, glass is always a perfect way to do that.
  5. Pottery Barn, Gold Chunky Stripped Pillows, these pillows are classic and traditional with just a hint of gold tone to lighten up the darkness in the room
  6. Diamond Links Pillow, by West Elm, this fun design introduces an uplifting shade of red to the room
  7. Bee Hive Vase, by West Elm, accessories like unique vases are a fun way to spice up a room, and the yellow/gold accent tone ties in with the rest of the room, add some Forsythia Branches from Pier 1, and you have yourself a fun and simple custom arrangement
  8. The Chateau Clock from Ballard Designs, a classic metal transparent clock allows the depth of the mocha walls to come through
  9. Simple Red Candles from World Market for a splash of the red accent color
  10. Ballard Designs Winslow Large Wood Mirror, a contrasting piece that enlarges the room and ties in the cream accents throughout the room.

*Update: Kate submitted a great vase that she created for her living room after reading the Painted Vases DIY.  She picked the perfect shade of red paint and wrapped a thistle rope around the top of the vase, here it is!

 

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Drapes, Curtains and Sheers, OH MY!

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I’m about to head out fabric shopping for some new drapes I will be making.  I’ve found it really tough to find pre-made drapes or curtains in a fabric and material I really love at a price I’m willing to pay…so I’ve decided to make them myself.  Of course I will be posting the DIY on making your own curtains as soon as mine are complete, so stay tuned!  But first, here’s a inspirational photo of an unconventional (and inexpensive) material you can use for curtains, pillows, cushions etc.-burlap!

A great resource for burlap is your local coffee shop, they will often give extra burlap coffee sacks away for free, or charge a minimal amount.

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