Tag: furniture

Twofer Tuesday

Posted on Posted in Decor updates, Furniture fixupsTagged , , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

Today I’m coming atcha with two different makeovers from one room. I guess it’s technically a bedroom, since it has a method of egress and a closet, but it really serves as more of a walk-through space for me. But I wanted a spot for a sundry niece or nephew to stay, so I stuck a daybed in there! But a naked closet and a 1980’s daybed would not do for a spot in Chez Redopalooza.

Funny story about the daybed – I was cruising Craigslist with the vague idea of buying one, when I discovered one that was listed just down the street from me. I leaped from my chair and went running out the door in my comfortable clothes (okay, they were pajamas) and hustled down the street. There I met the nicest woman and carried the daybed home with me in pieces. Later on I would discover that she is the owner of this amazing etsy shop: ReMain Eco Designs, where she sells incredible pieces made from bicycle parts. Small world!

After many nights in my chilly basement and a substantial mattress investment, the daybed is now a much more palatable and comfortable orange. And just so the closet wouldn’t feel left out, I dressed it up with some cathedral windows fabric from Joann. That was another funny story – I bought the remaining fabric on the bolt and when I got home discovered that it was EXACTLY the right size! I didn’t have to cut it once. Okay, that’s not that funny. Sue me.

Anyway, here are the afters, in all their glory!


Hope you like them! Thanks for stopping by and Happy Thanksgiving!

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I’ve been posting . . . Periodically!

Posted on Posted in Furniture fixups, Thrifty finds, UpcyclingTagged , , , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

This is an oldie but a goodie.  At one point in time a few years ago, I was in search of a new coffee table.  It struck me at the time how boring most coffee tables are, and the ones that aren’t boring are usually hideous.  Neither option appealed to me or my living room decor!

So I got to thinking about making a unique coffee table and I just couldn’t stop thinking “Periodic Table.”  I considered creating a coffee table with the standard-issue chemistry class periodic table, but then I stumbled across this GENIUS project:  http://azuregrackle.com/periodictable/table/, and I knew immediately what I would do.  I tracked down a super-boring but high quality oak coffee table and used paint, paper, and Mod Podge to transform it into my own Periodic Coffee Table of the Elements.  Behold!

And here are a few closeups of my favorite elements (well, not favorite ELEMENTS, because I love all the elements equally [doesn’t everybody?], but my favorite PRINTS of the elements):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the interest of education, I’ll leave it to you to discover what the more cryptic of these elements are.  Please visit the project website, too, for more information:  http://azuregrackle.com/periodictable/table/.  I believe they may even sell prints of certain of the elements.

Enjoy and Happy Holidays!

Fill ‘er Up!

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I’ll take “Blog Neglecters” for $500, Alex….

In honor of getting back on the blog radar, I’m pulling out one of my biggest projects to date.  When I first moved in to my townhome, one section of my living room looked like this:

Sooooooo, yeah.  A wee bit sad (and blurry – apologies for the pre-blog photo tragedy).  I know my electronics are completely old school, but I like them and didn’t want to spend money on new ones.  But that part of the room was just asking for something to fill it – the ceiling is vaulted and that’s near the highest point, so the emptiness soared to tremendous heights, too!

What happens when a girl wants to fill a tall gaping hole in her living room with a place for her TV and stereo system from the Pleistocene Epoch but doesn’t want a just-begging-to-be-outdated entertainment center?  She designs her own shelving unit (in Microsoft Excel, of all programs),

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

then she tracks down a welder to make the frame, and creates wood inserts for the shelves, of course:

Lots of my favorite things on that thar shelving unit, with a tiny bit of cat tail for good measure (bottom left)!  I love the globe on the top shelf and the glass head on the bottom shelf just makes me laugh.

Now, lest you think we’re all basking in our post-shelf-creating bliss over here, let me tell you a couple things I learned from this process.  1)  Welders are NOT cheap!  2)  Measure, measure measure!  Once the unit was finished I realized how large the space is and it’s a bit of a challenge to fill!  3)  Drilling through your index fingernail may result in long-term loss of sensation.

The most astute of you out there will notice that something else has changed also (the floor, for the rest of you) – that’s a whole other post and a big part of the reason for my lengthy self-imposed blog exile!  I’ll tell you about it soon!

I PROMISE!

I’ll Get the Chair for This

Posted on Posted in Furniture fixups, Thrifty findsTagged , , , , , , , , , , , 10 Comments

Can you keep a secret?  I mean, really, like not tell ANYONE?  Cuz it looks like I may have committed a crime and I have to get it off my chest.  Can I trust you?

Oh geez, put the phone down, I’m just talking about a design crime.  And no jury in the world would convict me after it sees the evidence!  I’ll leave it up to you.

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I present to you Exhibit One:

An unassuming chair that had seen better days, but with fine lines and a proud lineage.

Suspecting a design icon in the rough, Ms. Palooza purchased this chair for the (what should probably also be criminal!) low price of $7.00 and spirited it away to a location she refers to as Craft Purgatory.  Ominous, no?

Her internet research turned up a very similar specimen, designated as a Saarinen office chair by Knoll.

However, the chair in her possession bore a brand name of Virco and had only four casters, not five.  Additionally, when Ms. Palooza viciously tore into the chair with a screwdriver and pliers, this is what she found:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The chair literally fell apart in her hands and spewed ancient upholstery foam debris (see second picture above) throughout her house.  After a halfhearted attempt at DIY upholstery, Ms. Palooza had it professionally reupholstered and now it looks like this!

Here endeth the Perry Mason (yes, I am 67 years old) bit.

So I bought this chair at a thrift store and it was disgusting.  I tell myself it’s a Saarinen knockoff so I can sleep at night, but I know there are design purists out there who are probably crying, “Sacrilege!”  In any case, I think it looks great!  i’d love to hear what you think, even if it involves design prison!

Thanks for stopping by!