1-Hour Update Ottoman

Happy New Year!  We had a great week off but now it's back to school and work and we're all struggling a bit.

I was doing some photo clean-up and came across a few projects that I documented but forgot to blog about last year.  This is a small part of a much bigger project that has been happening in our upstairs den over the course of the last year.  As soon as I clear out the random Christmas junk I'll show you, but until then here's the story of a sad ottoman I purchased from a local listserv about a year ago.  I think I paid $10 for it.  It was in good shape physically but the denim fabric was a goner.

Purdy, right?

So, probably 6 months ago, I found this fabric on Etsy and loved it (Cuzco Orchid in Stone).  I was going to recover the stool but then got lazy and decided to just sew a quick slipcover instead.  It took less than an hour and required no measuring - just turn the fabric inside out and pin the seams.  Easy-peasy.   

I think it needs something around the bottom edge like a sweet yellow ribbon trim or something like that.  If I find the right thing then I'll add it but I'm not going to spend a lot of time looking!  

What do you think?  Nice little improvement.  

Den: The Rug

This post is really long overdue since I found this rug back in March!  I actually thought I posted about it a while back but clearly I didn't.

And here it is with the new rug...

And a close-up...

It's such a bright and sunny room, it could definitely handle the darker rug (found here).  I also wanted something that would be able to stand up to art projects and whatever else my family can dish up. It's an indoor/outdoor rug with no pile so it's relatively easy to slide a chair on it.  Also the price was definitely right since I got it on sale for $135 with shipping.  These pictures were taken a few weeks ago and the wrinkles have smoothed out considerably since then.

Still hard to believe that this is the same room where my kids slept for the past 5 years!

And now...

I really need to paint that cabinet door this weekend!  Have you done any rug shopping lately?  Find a great deal?

Den: Closet Organization (Part 1 of 40?)

There are loads of projects to be done in the den closet. This is and always will be a catchall closet for, well, everything.  One of its purposes is to hold all of my wrapping supplies. With 2 kids at prime birthday party ages, we use this stuff constantly.  I wanted to first tack the ribbon which was exploding all over the closet. 

I even found more ribbon in the dresser that I made over for the room a couple of weeks ago (more on that here).  This stuff has been in the attic for a couple of years but still perfectly useable for all sorts of upcoming crafts and gift wrapping.

I corralled everything by making use of the clothing bar which runs the full length of the closet. Fortunately we have Elfa closets in here too, so I was originally going to switch it out for a shorter bar like I did in Alex's closet (more on that here).  Instead, I decided to just keep the long bar and use it for my large and most frequently used curling ribbon.  It's so easy to pull a long strand and snip off the right amount!

 

I also used some inexpensive baskets and boxes to keep smaller rolls of ribbon, scissors, tape, tissue paper, and small cards and labels.

I also cleaned out my gift bag collection and corralled the remaining bags into a basket that I "won" at a school auction last year. It held a collection of children's books before but it's size is ideal for this purpose.

My rolls of gift wrap are still kept in another basket on the other side of the closet. Nothing special so not really worth a photo but I'll try to get one soon! It works really well for me because I like to quickly grab a roll then toss it back in the basket when I'm done!

Any great gift wrapping organization ideas?  What are you organizing this week?

Den: Adding a Door to the Bookshelves

Fortunately 99% of the work involved in transforming our nursery to a den (home office + guest room) was cosmetic.  The one exception was that I wanted to add a door to the lower right shelf. I love open shelving but we had more than enough in this room, and sometimes you just need to store ugly stuff like extra paper, labels, and other office supplies.  Yes, I understand you can buy pretty storage for this stuff but it doesn't always go into those pretty containers the way it should - especially if you have kids!

You can see the shelf at issue in the lower right hand corner of the above picture.  A few hours of work by Handy Hubby and we had this.

I got lucky and found another knob like the others at our local hardware store. Then I need to paint it all white and it will blend in a bit more and seem more seamless and intentional.

Other than the knob (about $2), we had the wood and door left over from our old kitchen. Handy Hubby rounded it over with a router to mimic the drawers.  I'll be sure to share once it's painted out - hopefully by next week!

I have a whole bunch of other tweaks I want to make in this room. Next up is a rug I think. Sofa will have to wait a few more months but I have it picked out I think.

Fast Fix Friday: Updating a Painted Dresser

This is a great low-effort project that made all the difference in our upstairs den, which is a combination home office and guest room. We’ve made a lot of progress in our den, (it was previously our children’s nursery) but most of the work so far has focused on the desk and bookshelf wall – basically “the office” part of the room. Now it’s time to start looking at the other parts of the room.



Throughout the nursery-to-den conversion process I’ve been trying to keep the costs low or non-existent. This project is no different. We started with a pretty blank slate, but knew that we needed some storage for our guests when this is used as supplemental sleeping space for visitors. I may end up using the bottom drawer for craft storage or giftwrap supplies currently stored in the messy closet. We will have some hanging space in the closet once it’s cleaned up, but a dresser is handy too. Fortunately, we had this old dresser hanging out in our (very messy) attic. In fact, when I opened the drawers, it was still loaded with giftwrap supplies. I guess I bought new ones and totally forgot I had these!

The dresser lived in our guest room prior to our renovation and in our two apartments before that – both as a media stand and as a dresser in our second bedroom/office. The dresser originally came from my grandmother’s basement and may have belonged to her mother before that. It was originally painted a hideous brown/black color that I stripped off before moving it to our apartment. So, long story short… it’s really old. (My blog readers may also recognize the mirror that now resides in our half-bath!)
Unfortunately the dresser was not in great shape. My Handy Hubby went to work regluing joints, fixing the drawers, and making sure the drawers slid more easily and didn’t fall out too easily. It wasn’t much work fortunately. I decided not to fill any of its exterior imperfections because I liked its rustic-ness.

These dovetail joints are so neat, I had to show them.

Next I gave the whole thing a very light sanding. Then I brushed on three thin coats of metallic dark gray-silver paint with about 2 hours of dry time between each.

It didn’t look so hot after the first coat but my experience with metallic paint on my bathroom ceiling taught me that the coverage is poor but patience pays off. Fortunately it dries quickly so you can do multiple coats in a day. Honestly, this could have probably used one more coat but I’m not going to sweat it since this is the guest room.
Just a few hours before my parents arrived for the weekend, we moved the dresser into place.

The hardware was picked up at a local hardware store for about $20 for 10 knobs. I only needed 6 but it was a better deal than buying them individually. I love how they highlight the metallic paint. With a little bit of styling I think it really works in this room both for function and design.

I purchased the original watercolor from a wonderful artist at the Adirondack Balloon Festival. It has been waiting to find a home in my house until now. The mat works perfectly with the wall color and the frame was given to me by mom for another project but it works well for this one so I decided to use it here instead.

I still want to line the drawers with pretty paper so guests do not have to worry about snagging their clothes on the slightly rough drawer bottoms. Now I just have to save my pennies for a rug and pull-out sofa!

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Linking to: Primitive and Proper

The Den: Hand-Painted Desk Blotter

Somehow I got a little crafty last week. It came out of nowhere and shocked me as well. I wanted to add a fun detail to the plain white desk.  I had been thinking about getting a blotter but decided to save money and paint on a blotter-like detail.

So, I grabbed a roll of basic blue painter's tape, and taped out a rectangle on my desk. I did not use a tape measure and just eye-balled it. I figured if the taped lines looked okay then the painted lines would be fine.  I had to do a second coat of white on a few spots on the top, so I decided to try the "lock-in" method of painting the base color over the tape so the feature color won't bleed through. Sorry, forgot to photograph the first two steps but I did photograph the part where I painted the teal rectangle. It's the same English River (California Paints color matched to SW HGTV paint) as the back of the bookshelves on either side of the desk.

I painted on three coats because the semi-gloss is a little difficult to cover with flat paint (that I already had on hand).  I was impatient so painted the first two coats within a couple of hours and then the third coat int the evening.  After the third coat, I pulled the paint up. I only had tiny touch-ups to do, thanks to the lock-in method of painting the base color over the tape.

Here's the result.

I like the effect. At a minimum it needs a coat or two of polyurethane. It may need a piece of glass cut to fit the space so that we have a hard and kid-proof service which can withstand a lot of abuse.

What do you think?

p.s. Please vote for HOUSEography in the Apartment Therapy Homies (THE design blog awards!).  Thanks!!  Click here, and scroll down to you find HOUSEography!

Den: Desk Chair Found!

On our way back from our ski weekend in West Virginia, I sweetly asked Handy Hubby if he would stop at a consignment store in Manassas, Virginia that specializes in model home furniture. For most Americans, the town of Manassas makes them think about a famous Civil War battle, but to me it means a large street lined with several great consignment and thrift stores. It takes me 40 minutes to get out there so if I'm in the neighborhood it's hard to resist. Of course, in the first two hours of the ride, I was thinking about which one I would ask (or beg if necessary) to stop at. Fortunately, the kids were fully engrossed in a movie so we made a quick stop!

Fifteen minutes later, I came out with this...

It was $99 so not dirt cheap but it's in absolutely perfect condition, it's comfortable, and the colors work perfectly for what I have planned in here. It looks more olive in the pictures than it is in real life - it's dark gray. It was still an impulsive decision for me since I can't return it but I think it works. I tried to negotiate the price down bit more to justify my impulsiveness, but they were having none of it. Occasionally that works so it's worth asking, right?  Not exactly like my other chair which was the hands down winner in the chair try-outs but I really like it.

What do you think? Does it work?

Den: Small desk details

I have a bunch of small things to share in the office. This may be the last update for a while unless I score a great deal on a rug this weekend!

First Handy Hubby filled in some gaps on the sides of the shelves which were really irking me. They were probably irking me when we built the shelves circa 2003-2004, but we forgot about it soon after!

Now he has filled in the gaps on the left and right side. I still need to touch up the paint but it definitely looks loads better. I still would like to add a door to the bottom right cabinet so we can store extra printer paper and other unsightly office gear.

Note to self: Do something about that random phone cable on the floor in the top picture. At a minimum, just reattach it to the wall inside the bottom bookshelf!

Finally, I added some cute details to the desk top. First, a vintage desk lamp purchased at a yard sale for $5 last summer.  I thought about spray painting it but now I love the gray in this room, so it will stay as is.

I also wanted pens and scissors to be easy to grab.  I picked up a clear plastic cup on clearance at Target for about $1.50. These are so cute and the teal color works well with the bookshelves. I have wanted a tape dispenser for a while and now I have one - sad but true. It's the first time I've had a real desk in 6 years, so give me a break!  No more digging around for tape to wrap gifts.

Let me know if you see any great deals on gray rugs! The room feels cold and loud without a rug so I am itching to find one. Still looking for a permanent chair. The acrylic chair is taking up residence right now, but that will return to the basement when my parents visit next.

Have a great weekend! What are you making for the Super Bowl? We're heading to our friends Amie and Brian's Cheesebowl. It's a blast but not good for the thighs! No idea what I'm bringing yet but it has to be cheese-based. Ideas welcome!!

Den: Desk Chair Try-outs

I recently started calling our home office and guest room the "den".  Not sure why really but probably because my family always had a den growing up - kind of a cozy place to hang out and where my dad always had a desk covered in paper. So, from here on out, the home office may be called the den or it may be called something else!

The next step in the decorating process for the den is finding a chair. I really didn't know what I wanted. I had looked in some of the usual haunts - Home Goods, World Market, TJ Maxx, etc. So far, nothing has come along. There are loads of options online but I decided to hold some "try-outs" with chairs I already had around the house.  Of course I documented it for you!

First up, my acrylic TOBIAS chair from Ikea. Not sure I have ever shown this on my blog but it hangs out in our basement at our seldom-used desk down there - all a work in progress which needs to be documented at some point soon!

I like the look but it disappears a little too much. The desk is the centerpiece of the room and the chair doesn't feel like it really centers the eye as it should. It needs more weight at the center of the bookshelves. But I do really love this chair and it looks really expensive. Even my traditional-loving father really approves of it!

Next up, was one of the chairs from our living room (which I clearly kept after this post).

I really like this actually, but I still have one more to try... one of our kitchen chairs from World Market (documented here)

Not bad but not sure I would want to spend a lot of time sitting at this chair while working. It works well enough at the kitchen table since we generally don't sit there for more than 30 minutes at a time - we're fast eaters.

So, that little exercise really helped narrow down the options I think. I'm definitely leaning towards a parsons chair of some sort. I also like the dark wood of this chair. Hmmm.... wish I had 3 of these chairs already!!  If anyone sees one at your Home Goods, let me know... actually don't because that may cause a tizzy of calls to shipping companies which Handy Hubby will not appreciate.

Here's the zoomed out view...

The great part is, whatever I do choose will definitely not have to be the "end all, be all" because it's just a simple chair!  Remember that - no decorating decision has to be a forever choice, just the right choice for right now.

And of course, a "before" picture for comparison...

What do you think?  Is this the right choice?  Anyone else think that Ben is a horrible Bachelor? Did you have a "den" growing up?  Wondering if that makes me a child of the '70s...

Den: Styling the Bookshelves

We have a lot of books. A lot. I cannot even begin to estimate but the numbers are in the thousands. We've moved these books from one end of the house and back through the years. Many of the books (pretty much all of the "nice" books) were inherited from my grandfather, but we also buy some books but nearly as much as we used to.  As a result of having so many books, bookcase styling was never a priority. The books had to fit wherever they could and styling was not a priority. Generally, ever bookshelf was jammed with books. Here are some examples:

Basement Built-ins

Living Room

See? Filled!  This is about 3/4 of our book collection. We had more in the attic in boxes, in our room, and in the family room. The family bookshelves were the only remotely styled bookshelves we have.

Now that we have our office back (more on that here), we could finally unpack the last few boxes of books from the attic and spread out some books in other places so things don't seem so bookstore/library-ish. 

Stage 1 was moving some living room books to the office. Here's how it looks now. 

Not at all finished but a good first step. I'm going to add some more layers over time but it's a good first start.  I've some plans for the two spaces on either side of the desk, although nothing totally ready yet. I was anxious to share because this room is coming together. The rug is definitely not staying and the roman shade needs a make-over but all in good time!

I have so much more planned for this room that I don't know quite where to begin.  At the same time, I don't have a real vision yet and I try not to decorate without an ultimate goal in mind. When I browse for things, I seem to be all over the place.  All the more reason to take a slow decorating approach, not a 2 weeks and we're done process - unless I find things for cheap or free!  

Next up is a window treatment and a desk chair, and then we'll probably be on pause for a month or two while we deal with and pay for other projects (like the screen porch!).  I have lots of organizing (free!) to do in here in the mean time so I'll feel like we're making progress even though we won't be making any more big changes.  I wish the progress was going to be quicker so we'll all just have to hang in there.

Introducing Our Den

Since we moved Alex to his big boy room (more on that here and here), we were left with a completely empty room. When does that ever happen?  It doesn't happen to me. Even when we moved into this house after renovating, every room had furniture. Seriously - every room. And it looked full (and finished) to most people.  Not to me, of course! Now over 2 years later, we have lots more furniture and we were filled up, until I sold our guest bed and stored the night stands in the attic either for future use or sale!

So, in a matter of days, we went from this...

To this...

Of course, there was whole lot of this in between...

Here's a few more pictures of the finished colors. The wall color is Benjamin Moore Sidewalk Gray and the back of the bookshelves is California Paints English River (both color matched in HGTV paint by Sherwin Williams).  I took a few more days to pick these colors than I did in Alex's room, where I walked into the SW store and picked and bought the paint in 20 minutes or less.  In this case, I did have samples hanging on the wall for a bit.  Neither space is that big so repainting would not be the end of the world.  I should also note that this is the first room I have painted completely on my own. I even did 99% of the prep work. Handy Hubby did do the calking because I don't really want to learn how to do that.

Hard to believe this was a nursery less than 4 weeks ago!

Obviously more to come...