Just back from the beach, enjoying the final few days of summer before the busy fall season begins. We've got a lot of exciting things planned, from flea market shopping trips and in-store appearances to flower arranging workshops and decorating makeovers. Speaking of, still wondering how exactly we went from this...
...to this?
Truth be told, nesters Jill and Craig Logan did most of the dirty work, peeling off layer upon layer of wallpaper in the bedroom of their 1920s Cape, then refinishing the floors and painting the walls Grey Owl from Benjamin Moore, one of my absolute favorites.
As usual, money was tight, and without a lot of furniture of their own to transform, Jaithan and I scoured flea markets and second hand stores until we hit the jackpot—a junk shop in Elizabeth, New Jersey, where I was giving a series of presentations on color.
I loved the pop of red in this old horse print, but the matting and frame would need an update.
These nesting tables had great lines but a dingy, dated finish, so to freshen them up, I roughed up the surface with steel wool, primed them with Zinsser to lock in the stain, then gave them two coats of high gloss white.
On the smaller tables, I used a wood grain tool to create a faux bois finish in a contrasting blue, while on the large table, I had a piece of mirror cut to give it more glam.
Now here was an easy, inexpensive transformation with plenty of wow factor. And how cute are Jill and Craig on their wedding day?
Back to the junk shop where Jaithan found a table buried in books.
Pair it with ginger jar lamps from the Salvation Army.
12 dollars for the pair.
Paint the bases white, swap out the shades, add grosgrain ribbon trim and voilà! The table and lamp together couldn't have been more than 50 bucks, including materials. The bedding is a great mix from
HomeGoods with pops of red, inspired by the horse print. Now, see that sparkly steel headboard? It didn't always shine so bright.
Here it is in our dining room, shortly before our intern Meagan got a hold of it with the steel wool.
While I loved its cool, industrial look, I wanted to soften it just a bit, so I had a piece of thin wood board cut to size, layered batting over the wood, then wrapped the whole thing in remnant metallic linen.
Did I ever tell you how much I love a staple gun?
So while I finished the headboard, Jaithan and Meagan assembled the frame.
Finally, the crown jewel—Jill and Craig's dining room chandelier, despised by both and destined for landfill.
That is, before I intervened with a can of punchy red spray paint.
I even painted the crystals to look like opaline, then added modern black shades.
For Jill and Craig Logan, first time home buyers and devoted DIYers, I set out to give them a budget makeover that, in the end, wouldn't look budget at all! I also wanted to create a room that suited their casual lifestyle but with a slightly more sophisticated, modern edge—a look they themselves could carry throughout the house, as they continued to renovate.
Huge thanks to Krissy Tiglias and everyone over at
The Nest for bringing me on board and also to Lauren De Bellis for mentioning the makeover on
shelterpop. And thank
you, everyone, for the time away. It's great to be back!
