Showing posts with label Bedroom Makeover. Show all posts

How To Incorporate Antiques Into A Modern Home

How To Incorporate Antiques Into A Modern Home

Antique daybedImage Credit: Christine Dovey
Do you love the rustic, cozy look of antiques and find yourself wishing you could pull that look off in your own home? The good news is that you can, and you won’t even have to break the bank to get a picture-perfect home. All you have to do is have an eye for design, know what you can get to work in your home, and follow these simple tips.

Don’t be Afraid to Clash

Unless you happen upon a matching set of antique dishes, picture frames, or other items, chances are you’re going to fall in love with pieces that don’t match. Don’t try to force your pieces to work together or work too hard to find matching sets. Instead, embrace the charm in the mismatched.

Give Old Pieces New Life

When you’re out searching for the perfect antique for your home, don’t discount the piece that may need a little work. Instead, look at it from a finished perspective. You may love the frame of an old chair but not the upholstery. If that’s the case, simply reupholster it tobreathe new life into your piece without completely changing its look.
Bathroom With Antique Vanity Designed By Park And Oak

Embrace Different Eras

Maybe you love an old Art Deco couch and a Victorian-era chair but don’t think they’ll look good together in your living room. There are no rules that state your furniture has to be from the same era, so embrace the eclectic look of having pieces from different eras. They’ll likely make great conversation pieces.
Kitchen Designed By Blakes London Mixing A Antique Table With Modern Philippe Starck Louis Ghost Chairs. Over The Table Hangs A Mid-Century Modern Pendant Light.

Find Alternate Uses for Pieces

You may happen across an antique that has no practical use in today’s world but you still love, such as a railroad tie, for example. Give old pieces new meaning by using them in new ways. A railroad tie may become a doorstop or a set of old mason jars can let you get the perfect rustic lighting.
Vintage Card Catalog As Floating Bathroom Vanity In A Modern Bathroom Designed By Rafter House

Find Pieces that Tell a Story

Part of the joy in hunting down the perfect antique for your home is coming across a piece that tells a good story. If you find an antique that comes with a rich history, don’t hide it away in a hutch or closet. Put it on display in your home where it’s a centerpiece of the room and people can enjoy learning about.
French panelled hall stand with bench and mirrorStunning French Panelled Hall Stand With Bench And Mirror Found In Angel And Boho

Don’t Overpay for Items

Hunt around for deals at auctions, yard sales, or estate sales. You’ll likely be able to snag a great find at a great price and can save yourself hundreds of dollars you may have otherwise paid from an antique dealer.
You don’t have to be a serious antique collector to get the perfect rustic look for your home. Simply follow these tips and be patient when it comes to finding the perfect piece and you’ll get the look you want in no time.
Glass Cabinet

Luxe for Less & DIY - Pottery Barn Mirror

I've loved this Pottery Barn mirror for years but at $699 it's overpriced and the wrong color.  There are numerous tutorials to DIY your own mirror  but they seemed a little too complicated aka they had math involved and I don't have the patience for measurements.  I also have an irrational fear that I might lob off a finger messing around with a circular saw so those tutorials weren't for me.  Nope, definitely not for me, I love my fingers.

Then, I saw this tutorial using Dollar Store mirrors and I figured, why not try it? Even if it was a epic fail I wouldn't blow a lot of money.

I didn't follow all the instructions in the link above because I wanted a much bigger mirror and needed a more sturdy and stable backing.



I started with 25 of these mirrors from the dollar store.  They're really cheap looking with a plastic frame and they come in black, brown and  I believe red.


I painted the frames with Martha Stewart gold craft paint


Since the mirror would have some weight to it and I wanted to hang it,  I purchased  this kit from Michaels for less than $5 to use.




I also purchased a sheet of 5 MM plywood and had it cut the Home Depot for $15. (no circular saw for me).  I screwed the hanging hook into wood on either side and I did pull my level out to make sure they lined up together.  The piece of plywood I used measured 43 x 54 3/8.



I made sure the mirrors hung over wood by about 1/4 of the inch on all sides and just lined them up by eye balling them and glued them down using E-6000.

Here's the final product.  Isn't it pretty?  I only had one mishap when I pressed down too hard on one of the mirrors over the hanging screws and it broke so be careful when pressing down over that area if you are going to try this project. Other than that mishap, it was an easy, peasy project than gives a great impact.



Here's a sneak peak of how it looks in my room.  I'm finally on track to finish the room after a gazillion years. Yeahhh!!!

Linking this to Thrifty Decor Chick 

Should I & Shouldn't I


You would have to be under a rock to not realize that chevron pattern is now mainstream and is everywhere.  I know a lot of people are sick of chevron but it's been around forever and it's so high impact that it always makes a statement.  I'm still in love with it, especially in tile work and I did a post here on bathroom inspiration and I loved the chevron tiles that were in the Tile Shop.



Target has jumped on the bandwagon and have produced a line of home decor items with chevron.  I was walking in the aisles of Tar-gay and I saw a gold chevron lampshade and of course I snatched it up.  I've been searching for a lamp shade to add to some solid brass lamps I picked up from goodwill.


Now that I have them home, I'm still smarting from the price tag of $20 a piece.  Yup I'm cheap frugal like that.
I haven't really unwrapped it because I'm still on the fence, so what do you think?
Should I or shouldn't I keep it?

Bedroom Makeover Part V - Progress

I'm slowly making progress on my bedroom makeover.  I still have my dresser to finish and the final accessories to choose but I think I'm well on my way.
Remember where I started out.

After painting, adding my chandelier, changing my linens and acquiring a couple of pieces of new furniture, here is the current room.  What do you think? 

Bedroom Makeover Part IV - Dresser Makeover

So I'm still in the process of working on my bedroom makeover.  I'm sure I should be finished by now, but I've decided not to rush it and take my time, plus I have design ADD so what I like today, I might not like it tomorrow.

I was going to buy a new furniture but I've inspired by Dayka from Life and Style and Kate from Centsational Girl  to revamp old furniture.  These women do amazing things with pieces that most people would pass up or throw away.


I found this dresser at my local Goodwill.  (Please forgive my son's junk in the photo.)  I think it will fit perfectly in my room, the only thing holding me back is my design ADD.  Should I paint it a glossy white or refinish and stain.  What do you think?

Since this is my first time refinishing a piece of furniture, do you have any tips to make the job easier?

Bedroom Makeover III - Ikea As-Is

I'm currently in the process of redecorating my bedroom.  So far I've painted and added lighting.  I've been searching for a sofa and although I do have a membership to Direct Buy and can get furniture at great prices, I'm always looking for a bargain.   During one of my visits to IKEA, I discovered this section called AS-IS. There is a little sign but you can really go through the entire store and not see it since it's off the side.


  It was while browsing the AS-IS section where I saw a sofa that looked  like the Pottery Barn sofa on my bedroom mood board.   The only thing was that the sofa was missing seat cushions and the price was $99.99.  I thought about it and decided against buying the sofa, and when I got home I started to kick myself about leaving the sofa. The next day during lunch I hightailed over to Ikea and Thank God the sofa was still there.  I know it was waiting for me.

After paying $108 (the tax man must always be paid), I nearly had to pay $50 to get it delivered, but the Ikea guy shoved it in my little SUV (ok the back was open and the sofa was sticking out).  Those Ikea guys are great!  Remember I was at work so I had to go back to work and park in the parking deck with sofa sticking of the car.  Folks were staring but after snagging my sofa for $108 I was doing the happy dance in my head so I didn't bother me at all.



It was also raining that day, but what's a little rain when you can a great bargain.
Can you imagine all the stares?  hahahaha


After dragging the sofa out of car and into my room, you could see that the slipcover wasn't in great shape.
Since the sofa was a slipcovered sofa, I bought a slip cover for $50 and I plan to get foam and batting to stuff the seat cushions.

I think I got a good deal especially since the regular price for IKEA sofa is $399 and the Pottery Barn sofa is $2,000.  What do you think?

Bedroom Makeover Part II - Lighting

I'm currently working on my bedroom makeover. I foolishly thought that it would be piece of cake, Ha ha ha, joke's on me. Now a month later, I'm not finished but hey I have an excuse. I started the process during December, my busiest time at work and the Holidays! Never said I don't like a challenge or maybe I'm just "haunted" like my twin said. She doesn't understand my compulsion to decorate and I certainly don't understand her compulsion to bake although I certainly appreciate it. :)

So far I've painted the room, you can see my painting adventure here.

The electrician showed up to put my chandelier and whoa he was HOT! So needless to say along with my light being installed, I viewed some major eye candy that day. Oh Happy Day!

Here's the light fixture before, very boring and did I mention it was shiny brass?




Here's the finished product.... Beautiful. It was purchased at ZGallerie, here the link

Bedroom Makeover Part I

I haven't been blogging for a while and I wish I could say that I was sunning in Turks and Caicos or exploring the street markets in Paris but alas I've been working really hard and hosting family for the holidays.

During this time, I've been working on transforming my bedroom to a peaceful retreat. I'm still only 33% finished but I'm so proud to have to completed the painting portion and moved back in, I really smile everything I enter the room.

Here is the mood board that I created earlier this month for my bedroom.

Here's my bedroom before:
After we removed all the furniture the color really stood out and definitely not in a soothing way.


My design assistants:


The first step was painting which should have taken two days, it took three weeks since I got comfortable sleeping in the guest room and it required primer and two coats of paint. Thank God I had my painting tool so I skipped the taping part.

I used slate and silver sage paint from Restoration Hardware. My design assistants helped me paint, my son Storm lasted ten hours and my daughter Dream lasted two hours. Did I mention that the ceilings which were 12 feet tall?

Here's the partially finished product, I'm very pleased to say the paint color was a beautiful as the swatch.

Soothing Master Bedroom Mood Board

I'm in the process of giving my bedroom a facelift. The current color is a mustard gold color and even though it's not a bad color, it didn't feel soothing to me and closed in the room since the color is so strong.

Here's my before picture, as you can see I already have the bed but it really blends into wall and doesn't look impressive at all.



Below is the mood board for the facelift I will be doing in the coming days. I'm hoping to get it completed before Christmas. I will definitely use the colors and the bed, but everything else is subject to change as work on the room as my budget is tight.




Any sugguestions?
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