Doors Galore

Although I have been working diligently on DIY projects around the house lately I have been missing my old design job at Woodard Station and the creative environment that I loved so much. With this in mind I decided to take you along for the ride down memory lane...

One of the best parts about working for the company in which I did is that my boss had a huge warehouse full of items ready for "up-cycling". Now, if you have never heard of this term it is the new thing to do and you better jump on the band-wagon people. It's were you take something (anything from what some might consider garbage to furniture that needs a little TLC) and instead of throwing it away in order to get something you new you recycle it but make it better, hence the term "up-cycle". The warehouse had everything from office furniture to old pipes for us to utilize and I absolutely loved it!

Another part of my job was the sheer joy of designing show lofts. The purpose of these lofts were to stage the scene so people interested could visualize themselves living there. Another aspect was to fix the areas which some viewing the loft might be concerned (i.e. counter space). One of my most favorite lofts was lacking in this particular area and was one of the first comments made by potential tenants.

Now, I could have gone out and purchased a brand spankin' new temporary island for this loft however this was not the way we rolled. Instead my gears started turning and after talking to some of the oh so talented builders the decision was made to up-cycle and door to make a one of a kind island:

As you can see, the top of the island is an antique door (minus the hardware) and to prevent the paint from chipping either further (food+paint=ewww) a coat or two of polyurethane was used. There was also a 1/4" tempered glass sheet laid over the top to ensure an even prep space but since it's clear you can still see it's unique beauty.

I designed the base of the island so that the bar stools could be pushed flush underneath in order to maximize the space in this galley kitchen. I also added the shelf in order to add additional storage space for kitchen supplies.

{re-do breakdown}

Door - $0 (re-used from a previous building)

Glass - $75

Wood - $0 (re-used from a previous building)

Polyurethane - $0 (purchased for a previous project)

Total: $75

Stool Redo

Do you have a bathroom with counter space and storage? If you're renting or planning on moving soon - enjoy it while it lasts because it isn't guaranteed. I unfortunately took this aspect of life for granted and now live where the counter doesn't span much further than the edges of the sink. Now, for a guy, (most guys including my husband) this doesn't bother them one bit. Besides shaving and brushing his teeth there is really no need for excess prep space in the room that houses our 'oval office'. For a girl on the other hand there is the hair and the make-up and both of those things require space which could not be added to the bathroom. This resulted me in moving it to our bedroom. Sometime in the future I will go into detail what fully consists of my make-shift vanity but for now I would like to focus on one my favorite aspects - the stool.

After searching high and low for a vintage stool in need of a little TLC I had almost given up on what I was looking for. This is a proven fact because I settled on a stool and purchased it. Then, after a random stop I had a random find - my dream stool! Vintage inspired, TLC, and a lot of potential :)

Remember, I said it needed some TLC which included some sanding and wood filler. The seat of the stool had some cracks in it that would snag my clothes and most likely pinch my toosh. I didn't know that wood filler existed until my dad, who luckily was here for a visit, informed me of it and showed me the proper way to use it which is something I am certain will come in handy in the future. Also, the best selling point - $10!!!! (similar metal stools could run close to $300 at restoration hardware!)

I wanted a fun color but something that would go with our bedroom furniture so after the elbow grease was in place and the silver foot circle (for lack of a better description) was removed I started spray painting in Rustolium Aqua color and drum roll please......

I love this stool! It is a little pop of color in my vanity area and it also comes in handy for other areas too. It has become my personal computer prop as well. The little time I get with Jake, going to bed together is a ritual we hardly miss when we are together, however, since I get to sleep in and he doesn't I'm not usually tired when he goes to bed. To get the best of both worlds I will pull up this awesome stool, open my computer and watch a movie or show my computer with my headphones in.

{total re-do break-down}

Stool - $10

Spray paint - $3.50

Wood filler - $4

Sand paper - $0 (previously purchased)

Total - $17.50

Shoe, Be Gone

Do you know what happens when you downsize? You end up realizing how much stuff you have that you don't need. You also realize how precious the space you have really is. Since moving to California I have been filling my patio with stuff that I do not want or need in order to maximize what space we have been given. Although this may not happen right away, sometime in the next 4 years I'm sure a little bundle may be joining the family and although we would have the option of upgrading to a 3 bedroom unit, if I can help it, I don't want to move again.

Unlike the move out here (unorganized, unprepared, and any other 'un' you can think of) I am bound a determined to make the next move more productive by being proactive and prepared when I move the next time. If everything has a place then it will be easier to unpack everything next time and if I am begin now by being more selective on what I purchase it should make life in this house, and the next, less cluttered and stressful.

I began implementing this whole outlook by starting with my shoes. I know it sounds like an odd place to start but I was actually late for church one Sunday because I could not find the other shoe I was looking for. Also, all of my dress shoes were getting smooshed and deformed by the weight of all the other shoes (especially Jake's shoes because they are so much bigger then mine) which leads them to be uncomfortable as well since they were all thrown in a rubbermaid in the bottom of my closet:

As you can see, there is little to no light (especially when you've got your head in the closet trying to find the the mate to your desired shoe choice) it was quite frustrating until $17 and an hour later:

I put all of my dress shoes, sandals and ballet flats in containers I got at the dollar store and to make my search that much easier I drew a silhouettes of the shoe and a brief description of the shoe inside for an easy search. Even though they are stacked high they don't get in the way of my dresses or Jake's dress shirts. Also, the cost to do this was the same price of a shoe organizer however it holds many more shoes and takes up less horizontal space and utilizes the vertical space that would otherwise be unused.

Rental Redo: $8 Kitchen Make-Over

To be honest, the base housing that we have gotten is much better in some aspects and struggling in other. Some of the areas in which I think it excels is the fact that we have a 2 bedroom 1 1/2 bath townhouse. Surprisingly, we have grass in our front yard and a patio to the side and when we get around to it, we can paint! Now, some of the downsides are that we get what we get and there is not much we can do about it. With the number of people that are always coming and going they have to choose things that can withstand the masses.

One of those things that they have made as durable as possible are the kitchen cabinets. Usually there is some sort of design on the cabinets with handles but not here. They are slabs of wood...that is it. The sides of the cabinet sort of angle in so that you can grab and open it but the fronts are about as boring as they can get. I personally don't blame them. Having the job that I used to have managing a loft community with rentals I can see that there are many people who don't treat rentals very well and kitchen cabinets are an expensive thing to maintain - slabs of wood are easy.

It was the the very first thing that I couldn't stand and decided to change but on a budget and that wouldn't ruin the cabinet at all so here it goes...

No, I did not replace or ruin the cabinets at all. Here is what I did do - I laminated the front of wrapping paper and taped the edges with masking tape. By laminating the front with clear contact paper I made the surface of the cabinets water resistant and with the masking tape around the whole edge it gives it the appearance of being a finished but can easily be replaced if it ever gets ruined or loses its sticky factor.

First of all perfection is not really an option but the appearance of perfection is.

{How To Re-Do}

Step 1: Hold the contact paper up to your cabinet and cut the paper to the size of your cabinet. I left a 1.5 to 2" space all the way around so that I could give the appearance of an inlay inside the cabinet. Thankfully, the clear contact paper has a grid pattern on it so it makes it fairly easy to cut straight lines and to cut the same size for cabinets and drawers that are the same.

Step 2: Peel off the backing to the contact paper and lay it over the wrapping paper. (Note: This is a 2 person job!)

Step 3: Cut the excess of the paper away.

Step 4: Tape the laminated sheet up temporarily with scotch tape to make sure that it is square and then tape the edges with the masking tape. Now, if you cut some of your sheets a little shorter then you wanted you can use your masking tape by masking the difference. (Did you catch the pun? It was intentional just so you are aware.)

Step 5: Optional - you can cut the corners at a 45 degree so that the masking tape gives you a mitered look or you can leave them square depending on what kind of look you're going for.

{Price Break Down}

Clear contact paper: $5 (breaking the bank let me tell you)

Wrapping paper: $2 - I was lucky enough to find what I wanted at the dollar store and I needed a roll and a half to get it done.

Masking tape: $1 - again, dollar store.

Total - $8