Tag Archive | "Do It Yourself!"
This Box Is My Box
Not long ago, I was at a small dinner party where each of the other guests was the owner of a $1 million-plus property. And there I was moving into a one-bedroom rental apartment. I felt ashamed of my place on the ladder of life, albeit cognizant that there are loads of miserable rich people.
I also happen to be a regular reader of blogs like Midwestern Malaise, If The Lampshade Fits and Arren Williams Design Lab where the owners are presently engaged in swish and expensive renovations of beautiful homes. And here I am trying to settle into a 624-sq. ft. box with zero architectural interest.
Smells Like a Makeover
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
StyleNorth reader Debbie wrote to me with her latest project, the dining chair makeover above. "I found the chairs on Craigslist for $15 (for all 4!!)," writes Debbie. "The beige fabric seat cover was grungy and stinky, so I got rid of it right away. A little bit of steel wool and elbow grease revived the chrome, a few coats of white paint on the cane backs and new Ikea fabric for the seats, and they look pretty good to me."
Caution, Decorating Ahead!
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Welcome to 2010! And what better way to start a new year than to pack all yourworldly possessions into boxes and cart them across the city to a brand new address. Mike and I are ushering in the lunar Year of the Tiger by moving house, which means there will be lots of decorating in our future. We're already hard at it actually, having made a couple of big-impact purchases that I'm dying to unveil.
Mid-Century Chair Overhaul
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
The amazing, mid-century modern dining chairs looked terrific in the ad but it wasn't until we got them home that we appreciated just how much work would be involved to renew them. The lacquer was worn revealing a yellowish undercoat, dings needed patching, the foam had completely disintegrated and nearly half the feet were missing. I didn't doubt that they'd be fantastic, I just underestimated what it would take to get them there.
The DIY Learning Curve
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Last week I spent what turned out to be a "wasted" hour removing paint stains from this Duncan Phyfe dining table. I say wasted because it wasn't until I got the piece cleaned up that I fully appreciated how damaged the finish really is. The table top will have to be completely stripped after all, making all of my cleaning effort redundant. But the process taught me a valuable lesson, which I then applied to our coffee table with superb results.
Friday, July 2, 2010
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