Archive for the ‘after’ Category

Bench REMIX

Friday, March 20th, 2009

Last night I got home and was itching for a change. I was just in one of those moods where I wanted to either rip out the bathroom tiles or go buy expensive danish furniture. No money means no new tile or a brand new hutch….so it was time for a REMIX!

We’ve had this Ikea Flokati rug for a number of years and it is gross. It has been stored away and SHEDDING in the pit of a guest bedroom so that little Iggy would stop marking it.

BAD DOG.

Something about the rug smelling like a sheep made Iggy crazy and he kept putting little pee drops all over the thing. Yuck.

I also had this kind of ugly bench that was also wasting away in the guest bedroom as well. I bought it on the cheap at a thrift store and thought I would one day reupholster the cracking yellow vinyl in something fun…

I love everything sheep skin and thought that the rug would look really nice upholstered on the bench.

I cut a clean section out of the rug that was big enough to cover the bench

Removed all the legs – they just unscrewed.

Flipped over the rug so the good side was down and pulled out the trusty electric staple gun.

I just pulled the edges over and stapled them down onto the wood frame of the bench. I didn’t bother removing the old vinyl upholstery since it was pretty tight and solid. I was worried that the foam would be a mess underneath.

I stapled the rug section all the way around and folded the corners in. The rug was very furry and VERY forgiving so it didn’t matter if it wasn’t a totally clean and sharp upholstery job.

I then cut off the excess fur…

all the way around the edges so they didn’t hang down.

Screwed the legs back on and its DONE!

It took me about an hour and a half to get it all done and finished…with a few breaks playing with Iggy. He loves those Flokati fur balls.

Then like a serial killer I brushed, spot cleaned and vacuumed all the fur. It rubs the Flokati on its skin…or else it gets the hose again…

Ta-da!!! All brushed up like a show dog.

A lovely furry white ottoman. This way no ones walking on it and getting it all dirty.

I’m not sure where it will end up in the house, but the project scratched that itch for something new without spending any money!

FILED UNDER: after, before, decorating, DIY, thrifty

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Vignettes

Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009

I really have been considering the Eddie Ross school of vignette styling (although I’m very suspicious of it) it seems some of the basic rules are sound. Paying attention to scale, texture, pattern, and white space helps visually order things and show off the best parts of a collection. I’ve been attempting (and failing) to style the entry wall in the living room for the last year.

The top image is my current entry area “vignette”. I think I kind of dig it.

I’ve been considering a coat hanger and was thinking of the Eames Hang it All installed on the empty left side to hang coats, purses, ect. I also want to add a shelving unit behind the sofa to act as a sofa table and bookcase. If only I can find something stylish, long, and cheap…which is how I like my men… if you know what i mean…

This is when vignetting fails.

I love this marble table and was hoping to use it bedside for the Boy. The entry space in the bedroom is tight and his table needs to be small and floating to keep the room feeling as spacious as possible. First thing first – DESTROY that alarm clock. For SEVEN years he has had that ugly sticker covered monstrosity. Its like the size of a toaster.

Probably no table lamp will work. I’m going to have to do pendant lights or something wall mounted to keep the space open and symmetrical on either side of the bed. Right now the tables don’t match, the lamps don’t match, cords are askew and asunder, and we don’t have a headboard. It looks a hot mess. After all that is figured – I guess something simple, clean and with clear accent pieces will make it all come together. I hope.

The den is brown and crowded. Ugh. Eventually this will get some awesome vignetting and color action when the space planning issue works out. This pic solves the mystery of where the old coffee table ended up. The table is way to big and will be sold when I find the right perfectly priced white oval tulip base coffee table…or maybe a naked gold lady holding up a piece of glass.

FILED UNDER: after, bedroom, before, decorating, living

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Decorating!

Thursday, February 5th, 2009

l have a disease called decorator-itis. I’ve been futzing with my interior decor and can NEVER STOP or be happy. But I have made a few significant thrifty contributions.

Below are the dining and living rooms Before…this is what we call slow decorating…

And After…

Yes, it is the ubiquitous Ikea Stockholm Rand rug. Scored for $75 bucks in the as-is section. There are some small spots and I had to beat and vacumn the dirt out of it, but for its size (9 x 12′ !) and awesome graphic punch – it seemed like a great deal. It does kind of make your eyes go all wonky.

SHAZZAMMM! My new baby is this lovely vintage Danish expandable teak table. Found it at a thrift store and had to argue and LIE to get it. I may have used Christmas and dinner and FAMILY and the LORD to finagle this beautiful gem for $150.

Totally worth it for the surfboard shape and great condition. Oh yeah, and the tulip chairs are from the Long Beach Flea Market. I can have a real grown-up dinner party with matching chairs and actual room on the table for eating.

Get ready for some more of the After tour:

The Bertoia diamond chairs were a steal off of Craigslist. $40 a pop. A friend from Los Angeles picked them up and delivered these beautiful bad boys.

I’ve been installing new Ikea ENJE roller shades in the dining room and living room…and I’m still working on it. Eventually those horrible mini blinds will be GONE.

Here are the new roller shades in the dining room instead of the curtains.

Curtains:

Ikea ENJE roller shades:

These little windows are getting the Ikea ENJE roller shades as well. They had to be cut down to size to fit the 22″ width (which I will outline the fabulous: How to cut Enje shades!)