Showing posts with label steal this idea. Show all posts
Showing posts with label steal this idea. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Steal This Idea...
...Paint drab sliding closet doors with chalkboard paint to create two oversized message boards for a home office.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Steal This Idea...
Take what would otherwise be wasted space under a staircase
And turn it into functional storage for those unsightly kitchen appliances. While you're at it create some space for a rolling butcher block cart that you can wheel out when additional prep space is needed.
Related Posts:
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Steal This Idea...
...Bring some color and pattern into a bland rental with wallpaper. What's that you say? How can I consider wallpapering a rental when the landlord won't even let me paint?
Use a brightly colored wallpaper, even more fun if it happens to be vintage, to cover a sheet of plywood from Home Depot. Lean the plywood against the wall behind your desk to delineate an office space.
And what's great about this idea is that it's completely portable. Rest the wallpapered plywood behind your dining table and it looks equally great as a backdrop there.
Photo Credits: Canadian House & Home
Use a brightly colored wallpaper, even more fun if it happens to be vintage, to cover a sheet of plywood from Home Depot. Lean the plywood against the wall behind your desk to delineate an office space.
Related Posts:
Photo Credits: Canadian House & Home
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Steal This Idea...
...Create a simple painted headboard.
A solid color painted about 1/3 up the wall creates the illusion of a headboard. Carry the stripe along the full length of the wall for added impact.
Photo Credit: Haven in Paris
Related Posts:
Small Space Solutions Courtesy of a Chic French Flat
Steal This Idea...
P.S. Haven in Paris site discovered thanks to Nichole. I suggest you spend sometime checking out the site and dreaming about planning a trip to Paris. There are some breathtaking properties available for rent.
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A solid color painted about 1/3 up the wall creates the illusion of a headboard. Carry the stripe along the full length of the wall for added impact.
Photo Credit: Haven in Paris
Related Posts:
Small Space Solutions Courtesy of a Chic French Flat
Steal This Idea...
P.S. Haven in Paris site discovered thanks to Nichole. I suggest you spend sometime checking out the site and dreaming about planning a trip to Paris. There are some breathtaking properties available for rent.
Sign up to receive Design Evolution updates via RSS feed or email.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Small Space Solutions Courtesy of a Chic French Flat
I love wasting the afternoon going through the small space galleries on the Marie Claire Mason site because (a) Europeans really know how to do functional, stylish, and we organized small homes and (b) in French they're called petits espaces which makes them sound so fabulous.
I wanted to share this charming 26 square meter (about 280 square feet) apartment because it has so many great space saving tricks anyone can emulate. First up is the stylish coffee table that is adjustable in height so it can also be used as a small dining table.
At first glance I though the fridge an microwave was so fabulous combo appliance that they don't sell in the United States, well okay they only exist in dorm rooms and look like this. With my wonderful translating skills (ahem, google translate) I discovered it is actually a custom cabinet built to house both of the appliances. The cabinet provides a nice separation between the living space and the kitchen and helps them to look less like appliances and more like a piece of furniture.
I think the most genius idea in this apartment is the extra storage space that is built on to the inside of the closet door. What a great way to build a ton more storage into a pretty small closet. Definitely mark this as a "Steal This Idea".
Related Posts:
I wanted to share this charming 26 square meter (about 280 square feet) apartment because it has so many great space saving tricks anyone can emulate. First up is the stylish coffee table that is adjustable in height so it can also be used as a small dining table.
At first glance I though the fridge an microwave was so fabulous combo appliance that they don't sell in the United States, well okay they only exist in dorm rooms and look like this. With my wonderful translating skills (ahem, google translate) I discovered it is actually a custom cabinet built to house both of the appliances. The cabinet provides a nice separation between the living space and the kitchen and helps them to look less like appliances and more like a piece of furniture.
I think the most genius idea in this apartment is the extra storage space that is built on to the inside of the closet door. What a great way to build a ton more storage into a pretty small closet. Definitely mark this as a "Steal This Idea".
Related Posts:
Friday, September 11, 2009
Steal This Idea...
...Create a contemporary doll house from wooden storage boxes, shadowbox frames, or display shelves and leftover scrapes of fabric or wallpaper. I stumbled across this idea in the September issue of Elle Decoration UK (my new favorite magazine by the way).
The wooden boxes pictured are from Heal's. You can find similar display boxes at Michael's, Ikea or Target.
The wooden boxes pictured are from Heal's. You can find similar display boxes at Michael's, Ikea or Target.
Releated Posts:
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Finally broke down and ordered a rug
After many hours of scouring the web, changing my mind about what colors I really wanted in my living room, and your general hemming a hawing, I have finally ordered an area rug for my living room and this is it:
It's the Moorish Tile Rug from Pottery barn and it was wayyy on sale. I actually preferred the rug in pineapple as opposed to the clementine that I ordered but I couldn't commit to ordering it fast enough and that color sold out. I'm happy with the color choice particularly since the living room pretty much devoid of any color. I wasn't tied to a color scheme so I can really make any color work.
So that's the rug I ordered, and here is the one that got away. Isn't she fabulous? It didn't actually "get away" persay. What really happened is that the sale at Macy's ended before I ordered it and the rug basically doubled in price and thus no longer fit in my budget. I'll get over it eventually.
The topic of my budget reminds me that I wanted to share with you how I decided on what rug size to purchase and how I figured out what would work in my space. I originally had my heart set on an 8'x10' rug for the living room. The Moorish Tile Rug that I ordered was actually a great price for an 8'x10' rug but once you factor in shipping and tax it was starting to become more than I really was able to spend. Would a 5'x8' work in my space I wondered. Only one way to find out.
Make a 5'x8' rug out of scrap paper and shopping bags and see how it looks. I was pretty pleased with the proportions and went ahead and ordered the rug in 5'x8' (for $199!). Once I have the rug in place if it feels a little small I might consider layering it on top of a larger sea grass or jute rug.
You can use this paper method for any piece of furniture you are considering bringing into your home. I recommend using newspaper which is what I should have done but it already went out with the recycling. It's also great if you are starting a room from scratch. You can make paper templates of all of the pieces you wish to bring in the room and mess with the layout in the sapce. This way you are only shuffling around pieces of paper instead of dragging around sofas. Personally, I love drawing layouts on graph people I but I know many people who can't visualize the drawing in the physical space. This way you get a feeling for how everything will look and fit.
Rug update not related to the living room. How fabulous would this Jonathan Adler rug be in Bedroom Option #1 instead of those striped mats from Ikea? I can dream can't I?
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