DIY Design: The Sn(ugly) Chair.

My girls and I spent much of the week curled up together - both of the girls were sick and they needed some intensive Mama TLC to get better.  It definitely helped to have a nice big chair to curl up in...

...poor sick kiddos!

The chair is something I've been meaning to tell you about. I've been looking at our living room for some time now, and I've been thinking that it is missing something but not quite sure what. We currently have a tiny IKEA sofa and armchair (Klippan and Tullsta, respectively) in the room, and not much else...unless you count the toys that are threatening to take over my house. That back corner between the two windows was basically dead space, and we've been wanting more seating for when guests come over. In my mind's eye, I could see an upholstered wing back chair with a really modern print, but they are really way too expensive for our budget (our budget is IKEA Klippan and Tullsta!).

When a friend of mine suggested that I look on Craigslist, I laughed out loud, thinking I'd find only really dated furniture. So what? Was my wise friend's response. Ummm, excuse me? And that was how the plan to re-upholster an old chair was born....

Now, I have absolutely no idea how to go about doing this, but I do have the internet and a very handy friend who has promised to hold my hand (and my pliers and staple gun) as I bleed, sweat and probably curse my way through this project. What the heck, I thought. Let's do it! Yousuf thinks this whole exercise is nuts (which is code for "don't spend too much money!"), so I'm going to have to prove him wrong. It should be fun, right?

But first I needed a chair. A really cheap, but not so cheap that it was gross, chair.

Craigslist is a DIY'ers fantasy brought to life. Even in the quiet little market where I live, you can find absolutely anything. The chair that I settled on was going for $75, which was a bit more than what I had intended to pay, but I liked the overall shape of it and also that the ad said that it was in almost-new condition.

It was the first time that I ever made a Craigslist purchase on my own - Yousuf is usually the haggler, but as this was my project, I decided to go for it myself. Aside from the 90's green color, the chair was in great condition, and get this, El Cheapitan - I even haggled the price down to $60!!

Off to a good start, I'd say!

So we've been living with this GREEN chair in our living room for about a week. It's really comfortable, it makes a lovely accent piece and I love it's vintage lines.

I do not however, love the color. At all.

GREEEEEEN. I'd call it Pondscum, but that name's already taken by our van (which was another used purchase) The birds are a-chirpin': CHEAPY CHEAPY CHEAP!

But there is definitely the potential for character with this piece...I just have to figure out what fabric will look really fantastic, and oh - also how to reupholster the chair. No biggie.

So, if you have any great upholstery advice, websites, links, videos - hit me! I could also use help with my fabric choices too. It needs to be durable for sure, and I'm thinking no geometric patterns because lining up all that fabric in the right direction will give me a heart attack.

I'm envisioning the walls in my living room to be a very pale grey (gray for you Canadiurns). The IKEA sofa is in the process of being re-covered to a slightly deeper grey, to pick up the silver tones in these fantabulous pillows that I just snagged for sale off of West Elm. Hello, lovelies. I'm so loving this Indigo hue right now:

And then there is the IKEA Tullsta chair to deal with as well. It needs a new cover too - but thinking about all these different pieces and what fabrics to choose has me overwhelmed, which is SO WEIRD. Finding design inspiration is usually not so difficult for me, but I think I'm afraid of making an irreversibly horrible choice in my own home.

So - here is my Design SOS! Or, you can just sit back and watch how this whole thing unfolds. I'll keep you updated as the process develops.

But for now...I'm going back to doing more of this:

(I kind of adore it when my babies get all sniffly and need a little extra Mama love. The new chair helps to make it all extra comfy!)

Happy Weekend!

p.s. I just came across this fabulous website, it's called InCircle Interiors, and they offer design advice online to fit tight budgets. How neat! I thought I'd pass it along in case any of you are interested. xoxoxmahreen

Spaces: Ceilings, Walls, and Windows.

I thought it might be nice to update you on some the goings-on in our interior redecorating process.  Even though it seems like I've only got bees on the brain lately, I've also been at work here behind the scenes (and by me, I mean Yousuf, mostly - because I've had bees on the brain!).

A few things have gotten updated since my last "Spaces" post, some small, some not so much - but all have made a big difference to the way our house looks and functions.

Just a couple of days ago, we finally found a home for this fantastic piece of art. It was made for me as a thank you gift by the incomparable Carla of hat-and-scarflette fame. It's been sitting on top of the piano in our dining room (doesn't everyone have a piano in their dining room?) for months because we wanted to repaint the house before we hung it. Well, the house hasn't been repainted, but the kitchen has been. It's a very pale blue that picks up the colors in the poppy pods and contrasts with the vivid red of the lacquered frame.

I think it looks like this piece of artwork has been living in my kitchen all along, and it makes me happy whenever I see it as I'm washing dishes (we don't have a dishwasher, so I spend a lot of time at the sink!). The best part about the piece, other than the fact that it was made by my dear friend, is the background. You have to look closely to see it...

Closer....

Do you see? It's made from the pages of a vintage math textbook! Which is so appropriate for my math professor hubby. I love that we can both stare at this piece and get something different out of it. I get smiley happy thoughts, and he gets formulae. We're both at bliss. Carla knocked it out of the park with this piece, don't you think?

Yousuf says this is his favorite equation, it's something having to do with solving something else about integrals. He tried to explain it to me while I was taking this shot, but all I could think was, "ooooh...pretty poppy pod!"...

...which is why this piece is so perfect for the both of us.

We also hung not one but TWO ceiling fans. Again, when I say "we" I mean Yousuf because honestly, who am I to interfere with my husband's handyman talents? Mostly I just stood around and watched him up on the ladder while I said, "Are you okay up there?", and then he grunted down at me, which I took for an affirmative, so I got back to washing dishes and zen-ing out while I stared at some gorgeous artwork (see above).

Ceiling fans are a necessity for us because in addition to having a piano in our dining room and no dishwasher in our kitchen, we also have no central air! And now you know why we never have guests! (Ba-dum-bum-CHING!)

But the problem with most ceiling fans are that they don't give off adequate light, or if they do - they're usually quite hideous. We didn't want a ceiling fan with lampshades or exposed bulbs. We wanted a modern fan with clean lines that wouldn't overwhelm the entire space. We also wanted adequate lighting and a high quality motor (read: not so loud that it sounds like an airplane flying overhead). We (read: Yousuf) searched high and low until we found this fan - and I didn't run away screaming in terror when I saw it online, so we bit the (very expensive) bullet and bought two of them.

Check out the ring around the collar where we took down the old light fixture. The whole ceiling definitely needs a repaint. Hope Yousuf doesn't mind!

They have been worth every penny. Each fan takes four 13W CFL bulbs (equivalent to four 60W incandescents), and that's more light than I had with the old fixtures. Most of the fans we looked at took halogen bulbs, and I love that these ones are less heat-producing (it seems counter-intuitive to me to make fans with halogen bulbs, but I'm not a ceiling fan designer, so what do I know?). I now have TONS of light in the kitchen and dining area, and I'm not sweating to death as soon as I come down in the morning to make breakfast. And they're nice to look at. Bonus!

Lastly, I finally dealt with the bathroom windows. Remember my last post about the bathroom, where I was looking for something private but that still gave us lots of natural light? Well, we decided to put up frosted vinyl window clings to solve the problem. And then, I decided to paint some dandelion flowers on the downstairs window cling, because it looked very sad and lonely and undecorated.

What do think? I'm semi-pleased with the end result, I always feel like I'm too nit-picky and can see the spots where I messed up. Yousuf keeps telling me to please shut up they look gorgeous and I love them. And he means it, he's not just saying it to make me stop complaining (I loves my man). Do you like the way it turned out?

 

I used a paint pen - you can get them at any craft store, and it wasn't too hard...just hard in the sense that you only have one shot to get it right because it's permanent. Not stressful AT ALL.

(I would actually be happy to do another post about the whole window-clinging process, which nearly drove Yousuf and I to tears on more than one occasion, if you are at all interested. I have pictures to prove it!)

And that's what we've been doing around the homestead. Our next project is to clear the back corner of the backyard of all the kids' toys and sad-looking scrub. We're getting a HUMONGOUS shed delivered at the end of the week, and it's going to go right THERE.

It will cover up that hideous fencing (which is not on our property so there is nothing we can do about it). We'll move the kids toys to another location, paint the shed a cheery red, and all will be right with the world.

And then we shall go inside and bask under the cool breeze of our ceiling fans while we lose ourselves in the splendor of math equations, poppy pods, and painted dandelions.

Trippy.

There's still time to enter the V2B/Honey Girl Organics Do Something Good Giveaway.You have until 5pm EST on Wednesday to enter, and it's SO EASY to get in on the goodies. Go check it out and pass the info along! xoxoxmahreen

Bathroom Blues.

Now that you've made and eaten your beans, we can move on to what naturally comes next. If you're like me, perhaps you've eaten a bit too many beans because they tasted so good that you couldn't stop yourself before you got too full. Like anything in life, there are consequences to such frivolous behavior, and in this case most of them will take place here:

That's my very tiny, very much in need of help, main bathroom. I could hardly get a full picture of this space because of it's itty-bitty factor! For such a small space, there are many spots that need an immediate design makeover. Small space, big problems. That's always the way, isn't it?

This is the view of the bathroom when you're sitting on the porcelain throne (don't worry, I wasn't actually DOING ANYTHING on the throne ewww yuck gross). Notice how the pedestal sink actually juts out into the walking space. I told you that it was a tiny bathroom! The door (and walls which we primed white) is a rather sad shade of beige, and the paint is completely cracked. There is also a row of hooks that has been attached to the door and painted over...

 

...I think it's more visible in that photo above. I don't think the hooks will come off the door without doing some serious damage, so we're going to have to work with it, even though "Painted Floral" isn't exactly part of my design aesthetic. We're also going to have to take care of the unsightly door as well. I'd like to spruce it up without using gross chemicals to strip the paint away. Maybe it will require a good sanding and then a fresh coat of not-beige paint? This will be a good outdoor project during the warm months, I'm thinking.

The door has an unsightly latch, and it will need to come off. We recently replaced the old and icky faux brass door knob with this pretty little (oil-rubbed bronze!) thing, which has a WORKING LOCK! Hooray and huzzah, and now we can finally take that ugly latch off.

We've had to get creative with storage solutions in this smaller-than-postage-stamp-sized space. We found a toilet paper holder that hangs over the side of the toilet tank; it has been a great space saver. Notice how close the (very crusty) rad is to the potty - toasty buns, anyone? Yousuf wants to build a wooden radiator cover to enclose it...I'm hoping we can get that done this summer too!

Because we're working on a budget, we've had to make changes slowly throughout the room. The first thing we did (that was really inexpensive) was to put up a new shower rod and hooks. I picked out an oil-rubbed bronze tension rod and similar-colored hooks, and then got a white cotton shower curtain that had a bit of texture with alternating matte and glossy stripes. It was an instant face lift for what was at that time a dark and dreary space.

Warning: Taking pictures standing on the edge of the bathtub, tippy-toed, is not for the faint of heart!

I also couldn't wait to replace the faucet, but I had to wait until my birthday to get the piece that I wanted. Who asks for a bathroom faucet for their birthday? ME, that's who! I'm glad we waited and saved up for it, though - every time I look at this I feel like it was worth being patient for.

We recently primed the whole bathroom even though we hadn't chosen a color for the space. It was just really not nice to look at, and the walls had some moisture damage that needed to be addressed pronto. After we painted the room and trim with a simple white primer, the room opened right up and seemed a lot brighter (and bigger).  This is a good shot that shows you what we're working with as of today:

It looks like it's not too cramped in there, but I was actually standing inside the bathtub because it was the only way I could get everything in one shot.

There I am, with some artwork of Inara's that was drying on wall behind me. Good thing I didn't lean against it while shooting!

Did you notice the "light fixture" (and I use that term loosely), above the sink? It's just a bare fluorescent bulb, and it's hideous.

That's one of the first things we need to address, so if you have any lighting ideas feel free to share!

You can't really tell in these photos, but the bathroom is actually quite a dark space. For these shots, I threw up the blinds and was immediately struck by how light and airy the room was transformed. Wouldn't it be great if we could always have that much natural light coming into the room, and not have to worry about privacy issues like this:

That's my sweet unsuspecting husband, taking care of the recycling out on the back porch. So yes, privacy is definitely an issue (welcome to city living), and I have a great idea for the window that I can't wait to share with you in an upcoming post. It's going to be mahvelous (I hope!), and I hope it will allow me to keep all that lovely light while still preserving our privacy. Otherwise I'm just going to have to make sure nobody takes out the trash while I'm showering. For EVER.

I've been looking at tons of inspiration photos for this space, and the one thing I keep coming back to is just how much I like the white. In this tiny room, I can't help but feel as if a predominantly white background will keep things looking fresh and open. But that's not to say that I am opposed to color altogether. I'm thinking white with a few big pops of color. Here's some of my inspiration photos to show you what I mean:

 Apartment Therapy

I absolutely love that grassy green color of the garden stool, and am thinking about using it on the bottom half of the bathroom walls, below the trim. The rest I'd like to leave white, and I'd like to change out the medicine cabinet and add some interesting visual pieces to that big empty wall space.

Here's what is inspiring me right now (and if you're on Pinterest, you can follow me there to see the things that I'll be adding in the future):

House Beautiful

There's that green again - I'd love to wallpaper the entire bathroom, but when I mentioned it to Yousuf he just laughed at me. Pffffft. I might have to wallpaper my own closet, just to spite him. It's just so PRETTY!

Both Yousuf and I love these next photos - so I think there's lots for us to go on as we plan and design our main bathroom in the days to come. I think it's going to be a lot of fun...as long as we don't strangle each other first.

Apartment Therapy

Restoration Hardware

West Elm

Etsy

What do you think of these ideas? Like, love, meh? Comment away, and let the inspiration flow!

How To Get Your Husband To Write A Post.

I know this may come as a shock to most of you, but there are some skills that I am not naturally good at - building things being one of them. That is why I knew I was in over my head when I asked Yousuf to explain, in very simple words, how he installed the rain gutter bookshelves so many of you have asked about.

I listened - with the patience of a saint I might add - as my dear husband went on and on about drilling, leveling, anchoring, and goodness knows what else. I tried REALLY HARD not to let my eyes glaze over. And I tried even harder to ask him intelligent-sounding questions such as, "So, does your laser level come in any other colors? Like purple, maybe?" At that point, my sweet, sweet husband put me out of my misery by grabbing my laptop and listing what he did to create our DIY masterpiece:

(sweet little book-loving cherub not included)

Hey, all. This is Yousuf, aka El Cheapitan, coming to you from behind Mahreen's laptop. The rain gutter bookshelves were really easy to build. In fact, they're so easy that they hardly need any explaining at all (Hey! I read that!!). This is what I did:

- For 3 shelves that were 5 feet each, I purchased 2 rain gutters (12 feet each),  6 brackets (2 per shelf) and 6 end caps from our local big-box hardware store.
- Then I cut the rain gutters to the right length. I tried it with a saw at first, but the gutters were too flexible and ended up bending instead of actually being cut. Ultimately, I had success using a Dremel Rotary Tool with the Diamond Cutting Wheel. It worked perfectly, except for all the gutter dust that flew all over me, all over the Dremel and all over the workshop. But that's why Shop Vacs were invented.
- Because we have an old house with plaster and lath walls, I couldn't mount the gutter brackets with standard drywall plugs. Instead I used Wall-Dog Anchor Screws but  if you don't have a 100 year old house you won't have that problem.
- I leveled and marked off where I wanted to mount the gutter brackets to the wall. I did not use a purple laser level for this. (But you know you WANTED to, right honey?)
- I drilled pilot holes for the Wall-Dogs and then mounted the gutter brackets to the wall using an impact driver.
- I then stuck the gutters into the brackets. Instant shelving.
- For added stability, I also anchored the endcaps of the gutters to the walls with the Wall-Dogs. Those things are now on so tight that you can use them as a climbing wall, as Nissa demonstrates daily.
- For the entire project, we spent about thirty dollars, and it took me less than half an hour from start to finish to put the shelves up. Cheap, easy, and really useful - that's my kind of DIY project.

Mahreen's Note: For those of you that are like me and need more detailed (and more visual) instructions, I happened to run across this great online tutorial for installing your own rain gutter bookshelves. I hope it will help to fill the gaping hole left by the non-existent purple laser level. Such a tragedy!

Now go forth and build! And be sure to link to the pictures of your finished projects in the comments below, whenever you finish them. I would love to see how they all turn out! Happy building, and happy reading! 

Wanted: Stylish, Sleep-Inducing Window Coverings

One of the first things that attracted us to this old house was the windows.  The house may be on the smaller side of life, but it is brightbrightbright, because of the numerous and very large windows scattered throughout our home.  Now, however, what started out as a beautiful and attractive feature is quickly becoming a pain in my backside, and something needs to be done - fast.

The problem becomes complicated by the fact that I don't really want to do anything with the windows, and mostly I'd just like to leave them the way they are, showing off their beautiful trim and crown moulding.  Check it out...so pretty, no? 

 The window at the top of the stairs.  So dreamy...until you see the parking lot right outside.

However, I also don't want to look into my neighbor's kitchen when I come out of the bathroom, you know what I mean?  Right now there are really, really not-so-pretty plastic blinds on the bedroom windows, and I'd like them to be gone, like yesterday.  It sounds like it should be a relatively easy task to take out the blinds and replace them with something modern and stylish, like a printed roman or inside-mounted roller shade - but again, it's a little more complicated than that.

That little complication comes in the form of two angelic cherubs who, given the opportunity, will wake up at the bumcrack of dawn if even so much as a sliver of light enters their room, at the right angle, at the EXACT WRONG time.  In our house, bedtime is a complicated ritual that involves bizzare light-eliminating acts from every single nook, cranny, crevice, gap, and crack...everywhere.  We basically walk around smoothing down every bumpy surface around the windows and doors, and then cross our hearts and hope to die, stick a needle in our eye and pray to the heavens above to not be woken up at 5am by two little people who don't NEED TO SLEEP IN ORDER TO SURVIVE.  They freak me out, man. Especially when they're staring at me with their wide, non-sleepy eyes and their heavy, non-sleepy breath and saying, "Mama!  MAMA!  Look...I can see the light! The light...the light...I must go towards the light....."

Okay, maybe they don't say that last part, but the fact is that my kids have an uncanny knack of sensing daylight and it must be constantly quenched in order for me to function like a marginally normal, occasionally-twitching human being. 

Enter my design dilemma:  Do there exist pretty shades that a) show off my GORGEOUS window casing, and b) keep bedrooms so dark that you can't see your own hand in front of your face?

Yousuf thinks that we should go with cellular shades...but honestly, I find them to be a bit boo-ooring.  But, I think I could learn to live with them if they really are all that and a can of beans at keeping out light.  I need your advice, oh wise and sage internet readers!  What's a sleep-deprived, yet style-hungry mama to do???