Very Cool DIY - A Headboard Bench

 Photo taken by me with my iPhone

So my love for benches continues....spotted this bench a few months ago in the lobby of a restaurant.  It wasn't until I got home and was posting it on Instagram that I realized that it was actually a headboard made into a bench...very cool, right?   I always love a good DIY and even better, repurposing something.  The bench I saw was made from just the headboard, but some of the ones below have cut the footboard in half and used it on the sides for arm rests...such a great idea...love this!  

If you're thinking of making one, I would suggest that to really get the full impact of the headboard you should paint it dark if it's against a light wall, and paint it light if it's against a dark wall.  These can be real show stoppers if put in the right surroundings.  The light ones below would look stunning against a dark wall.  Here's a tutorial if you're interested in making one...you can see more on my Pinterest board.

via shabby2chic Etsy

via recreatedesigncompany.com

via afewgoodpieces.blogspot.ca

Some of you have sent me pics of things you've painted and DIY projects you've done, and please keep them coming.  I love seeing what you've all been up to, and I'm always happy to hear if I've inspired you in some way.

Have a great week!

I Did It...I Painted My Stairs Black!

So my stairs finally got painted...and wow, what a transformation!

I know I say this all the time, but I can't believe what a difference a little bit of paint makes. 

This was a pre-owned home so unfortunately we weren't able to choose any of the finishes.   When we first moved in I painted the railings a dark grey (Iron Mountain by Ben Moore) to make them a little more bearable (see below).   The light floors and railings wouldn't have been my first choice, but I was very grateful for the hardwood.  Also, the stairs had beige carpet running up the middle of them (yikes), which over time was starting to look a bit nasty.  

I delayed taking up the carpet because sometimes builders cheat the hardwood on stairs to cut costs, and put a cheaper wood where the carpet is.  Fortunately, we had hardwood all the way up...whew!   The next challenge was taking all of the staples out of the stairs.  This next step took a really long time and it was a lot of hard work.  Let's just say that the guy that had the staple gun went a little crazy...some stairs had over 20 staples. .

Next I had to choose paint, and had heard about Fusion Mineral Paint on Instagram from The Learner Observer.  I saw that she was painting her stairs with Fusion Mineral Paint, and she was nice enough to answer all my questions.  This paint is used mainly on furniture so it was great to see it used on stairs.  The good thing is it really adheres to rough surfaces and goes on smoothly...so no brush strokes.  Also, it's not very thick and is very runny so a little goes a long way...one small jar did the railings and stairs.   I wanted the colour to be an off-black so I mixed equal parts Ash (dark grey) and Coal Black (very black) until I got the colour I wanted.

My original thought was to paint them all black and then I decided I liked the look of the light stairs and the dark risers...oops!...(like a really big oops!.. like run

 to your neighbours' house as fast as you can and borrow their sander oops)!  The last step, once they were sanded, was putting  a light coat of sealer on them.

Before

Ok so here's the before and after...keep in mind that the before is quite a 

few years ago...big difference!

After

I just realized that I've never really shown this front room's before and after pics...probably because it changes every week....before and after pics coming soon.  

Also, I really want to try another project with this Fusion Mineral Paint.  I'll give you a hint...it has to do with the bathroom but it's not the vanity.  Can you guess what it is?

It's All in the Details

Have you ever gone into a home and just had your jaw drop at every turn?  Well that happened to me a couple of months ago.  My friend bought this home in Toronto this winter and  invited us over for the evening.  The floors, ceilings, windows...absolutely everything in his home is quality and beautiful.  Unfortunately, the owner doesn't want the whole home shared so I can only focus on some of the details.  
Because as you know, design is in the details!  

First up is the eating section of the great room,  surrounded by beautiful windows which look out onto a terrace...and check out the coffered ceiling .

Below is a little nook just to the side of the eating area...again surrounded by windows.   The doors leading out to the terrace were mostly windows with an arch at the top and moulding on the lower portion.  I thought it was beautiful how they made the doors and windows with the same detailing in this house.  The pictures don't really do it much justice, but seeing a whole wall of windows as a focal point was quite breathtaking.

The floors were a dark hardwood with a diamond inlay... absolutely gorgeous! 

Last was this curved bookcase which was actually in a round room (hence the curve).  It's in a room that has doors again leading out onto a terrace.  I believe they're making it into an office so the lighting will change.  I just thought the detailing of this cabinet was so sweet with the glass cabinets on either side and the footing.  Also, this room had dark hardwood floors in a herringbone pattern.  Here's a wider shot below. You can see how they again panelled the lower portion of the doors.

(all photos taken by me with my iPhone)

Sorry that's all I can show right now.  I'm hoping to go back this summer and take some pics of the garden because it's pretty spectacular too.

If you want to do some custom windows, doors or cabinetry in your own home, you may want to check out Hoffmeyer's Mill.  They've been around for many years and do beautiful custom work.

Have a great week!

I've Been Painting Things Again

I've been doing a little painting & a big switcheroo lately around my house.  I'm beginning to think this is a pattern for me..seems to me I did this last winter.   (Like the sideboard above..it's moved).  We've lived in this very basic builder home now for 5 1/2 years, and it's taking a while - and some cash, to slowly transform it.  It's complete with light floors, stuccoed ceilings, and lots of "boob" lights...I'm not complaining, I'm just stating the facts.   I see it as a great challenge having only lived in century homes before, to transform this house.  I'm a firm believer that you don't have to have a lot of money to make a home look good, but it may take a little more time...and a lot of paint!  

 I seem to be painting everything dark gray or (as I call it) almost black. When I moved into this home I wanted everything very calm and serene so I painted a lot of the furniture a soft gray.  We had just come out of a very stressful time in our lives and I wanted a calm space... now for some reason, I'm going almost black.  I have a great love for French & English antiques (like Anton & K and that whole gray, black, taupe thing they have going on).  I first decided to change out my dining/kitchen light from a little drum light to a massive dark gray Hektar pendant light (below).   What a change that made... talk about lighting drama.  Also, things started to go a little industrial farmhouse so I painted this sideboard black (which actually is an island from Home Depot but I use it as a sideboard in this house). I've talked about this before...painting & changing the use of a piece of furniture.  (You can read about it here.)  I then got these massive baskets from Target, which is sadly leaving Canada, but that meant that I got them on sale so that was good.  

The "dining room" in my house is actually part of the kitchen, so I was going for a little more sophisticated look.   I usually like my spaces to have a more relaxed sophisticated look...hence the Hektar and gray velvet curtains.  (Just an aside here, when a house doesn't have a dining room, I think it's important to treat the eating area in the kitchen like a dining room).  This space has always been a work in progress, and I need to get an area rug and  slipcovers for the chairs... the list goes on.

  

Then I decided to paint the white shades on the lamps black. I just used some latex paint I had left over from another project and started painting.  I painted fabric before when I painted my pillows.

Then I went to the front hall and decided to paint my hutch black. I found this hutch at a garage sale about ten years ago. It houses all our stuff...you know, the stuff that everybody needs just inside the front door. Still need to get pulls for the drawers though.

Before

After

Are you still with me?  There have been a lot of changes, and I haven't even talked about my master bedroom yet ...it's changed too.   

So here's the lamp I painted in the master bedroom.  It's an antique light that I got at a thrift store years ago for $17.00  that I had stored in the basement.  Originally it was red and then with all the painting I thought..wait a minute...what if I paint that red light black and get a black shade? And what a change.  (Just an aside here,  "Unbroken" is an amazing book.  But definitely not a light read.) 

Oh ya, and I moved a couch into my master bedroom because I switched the family room all around.  But more on those two rooms later.

Here's a little sneak peek at the family room with the painted lamp shade. 

 I haven't painted these yet, but I still want to do it!  

Have a great weekend!!!

Contemplating Black Stairs

 via 123abc.tumblr.com

So this is what I'm thinking of doing...painting my stairs black.  I first got the inspiration last year when I fell in love with this house.  I've lived with light hardwood for five years now and although they are hardwood, I've never liked the colour.  I've actually never liked the more traditional handrail either so this would be a relatively quick and easy fix.  (Well maybe not that easy but relatively quick).  The first year I was here I painted the handrail a very dark grey to hide it a little, and this year I removed the runner that was going up the stairs. I always say you should make your space the best you can with what you have and that it should reflect you.  But the stager in me always thinks I should keep my space open to appeal to as many people as possible just in case I have to sell... so I'm a little torn.  (Especially since this would be permanent).

One of the biggest issues will be finding the right paint that will withstand dog and people traffic.  I recently heard about this amazing eco-friendly paint called Fusion Mineral Paint.  It's supposed to be fantastic for furniture and they even have a special sealer for high traffic areas like stairs and cupboards.  The issue for me is that the colours come premixed.  They have a grey and a jet black but I want an almost black like Off Black by Farrow & Ball.  If I go with this type of paint I'll have to buy the black and white and then mix it myself to get the right colour (which I do all the time anyway so that doesn't scare me).  

 via remodelista.com

  via desiretoinspire.net

 via littlegreennotebook.blogspot.ca

I'll keep you posted on this...still have to convince a certain someone, and find the time when no dog or kids are around for like 12 hours. Wish me luck.

My 2014 "Benchmarks"

In looking back over this year, my first year of blogging, I seem to have taken a lot of pictures of benches - built-in or otherwise.  So I thought it would be cool to recap my 2014 by showing all the benches I've taken photos of.  I don't know why I like them so much...I think I just find them classic and relaxing. 

Above is an old church bench painted white which sits in the porch of our friend's country home. I took this shot during our trip up north in the spring.  There was actually one exactly the same on the other side of the room, but the shot was too wide for me to take (with my iPhone), so I just took the one side.  The pic below is the inside of this same house and this bench is a great idea.  When you have a small eating space, make the window into a seating area and move the table over.  Great use of space!

The one above is from my friend's gorgeous country kitchen and below, a garden tour in June.  

The four benches below were from our end of the summer Muskoka trip.  This "cottage" was amazing inside as well and had built-ins in every bedroom and at the front entrance.  The one below at the entrance also had drawers and a cubby flanking it which I thought was perfect for storage.  The window seats in the bedrooms also had drawers under them for extra storage.

These two benches below remind me of England and have  black and white striped cushions to add to the classic look.  

And last but certainly not least, is this outdoor bench I saw this Fall.

Just want to thank you all for following me this year on this blogging journey.  I hope to continue to bring you photos of beauty and inspiration from wherever life takes me.  My goal has always been to show people that good taste and design doesn't have to cost a lot.  

I'm hoping to focus a little more on my clothing and fabric designs this year.  As much as I love interior and garden design, fashion design has also been a real passion of mine.  I often wake up at night with a design in my head and have to draw it right away before I forget it.  I'm also working on some fabric designs which I hope to share with you soon.  (It involves technology, which is not my thing, so it's taking a bit of time).

Remember, you can follow me on Google, Instagram and Pinterest.  And to those who are already following, thanks again for all your support!

Teen Room - Painted Furniture & Cheap Decorating

So it's been quite a while since I updated you on my daughter's teen room (like a couple of months).  If you haven't been following along, you can see where I started from here and the progress here.  I painted 1 1/2 walls black (which was custom but very close to Ben Moore Black Iron 2120-20) and the rest of the 2 1/2 walls white ( Ben Moore Soothing Mist OR483) so it's quite dramatic. 

 I finally got around to painting the furniture as well, which I'm absolutely loving. Keep in mind that all these painted pieces of furniture were purchased at garage sales, auctions or found.  The dresser we found at an auction about 20 years ago, and it's been white and green and now black.  The book shelf we found at a yard sale (before pic is below) and I painted the outside black and the inside white.  Then I found this amazing Kate Spade double-sided gift wrap at Chapters.  It's got gold polka dots on one side and black and white stripes on the other.  Beautiful!!  So beautiful, in fact, that I decided to line the back of the bookshelf with the black and white and then frame a swatch of each.  Talk about cheap decorating.  I had these frames I wasn't using, so I was able to just take the pictures out and leave the back on and glue the wrapping paper to it. 

Before

Since this book shelf is long and narrow,  I decided to attach the paper with the stripes going horizontal instead of vertical.   I absolutely love the black and white stripes against the dramatic black wall.   Oh ya, I also decided to tie a feather boa around the boring lamp shade to add some drama.   

Here's one more update - I also got some big, over-sized fur cushions from Pier1 Imports and a couple of chevron cushions at Fabricland ($10 for just the cover).  If you follow me on Instagram, you'll know that these chevron cushions keep moving to other rooms.  Not sure if they're going to stay in this room or not.

So there's your update!  

I just want to remind you that decorating does not have to be expensive, and painting a piece of furniture can really bring new life to a space.  You can check out some other furniture I've painted around my house here.

Have a great day!!!

Painted Antiques - Dual Purpose

Look how gorgeous this looks.  It's an antique I spotted recently.  I absolutely love how paint can transform an old piece of furniture and give it new life.  

The one thing to keep in mind when you're purchasing furniture is what other use the piece can have.  This is especially helpful when people move into a new home.  The furniture they purchased for a specific location in the old home, suddenly doesn't have a space in the new house.  This is when you need to think of what other purpose your furniture can serve before getting rid of it.  For example,  most people purchase a dresser for the sole purpose of being in a bedroom, but don't feel you always have to place a dresser in a bedroom.  The piece above would also look fantastic in a front hall and used for storage.  It could also be placed in a dining room and used as a sideboard or buffet.  

This cabinet below is another example of a piece of furniture that can be placed in any room.  This would look fantastic in a bathroom, hallway, living room, dining room or bedroom.

To see more painted furniture, check out these.