Thrift Store Bamboo Shelving

Casey is over the black and white room and would like an Anythingology makeover. 
I'm dying to get started! 

She is lacking storage and here's one solution I came up with.

Bamboo shelves, compliments of our local thrift store.

Priced at $45 it fit right into my budget. 
I was a little nervous about buying it on the spot without Casey's seal of approval.  Thrift stores don't take back returns.  I was afraid it wouldn't be there for long at the price and the condition it was in.  I wasn't sure it was the look she was going for, but she loved it right away and could see it would be perfect once painted a crisp white.

These shelves were in pristine condition, well made, and VERY HEAVY.

I got started painting right away.

Twelve cans of spray paint later, I completed the paint job. 
I WAY underestimated how much paint I needed and had to go back to buy more paint twice! 

In hindsight, I should have rolled primer on all the flat shelves and spray painted the lattice work. 

The paint ended up costing more than the furniture, ugh.

Oh well, I like the finished result and it's still cheaper than if I had bought a new piece of furniture.  It's also way better quality than a newer piece of furniture. 
This thing is so solid, you could throw a mattress on top of it and make it a platform bed or use it as a jungle gym.  They just don't make furniture like this anymore.

Here it is ready for the haul into Casey's room.

I love it against the black walls, but those are going soon.

Casey rearranged her room herself and wanted the shelves on the far wall where her bed used to be. 

Rearranging furniture as a kid is one of the first signs of a future addiction to decorating.

To see the original post I did about Casey's room click here. 

I must warn you that the pictures on this post of her room are really bad. 

 It was from my old, old camera and I didn't know how to edit photos back then.

What am I going to do without Picnik?

Black rooms are difficult to photograph and I have several of them in my house. 

The photos always need major help with editing.

Have you found a good alternative to Picnik for editing your photos?

Please share it with me.

Along with Picnik closing I won't have access to the Nikon D90 I have been lucky enough to be using for the past couple months. 

At least I know what to save up for now. 

I love that camera. 

Here are some last parting shots of the room before it gets a transformation.

I still love the black and white, but it's not my room.

The rug is from Target.  I made the window treatment from drapery panels from Target.  I did the crown molding and window casing trim myself, The bedding is from Kohl's. 

The bulletin boards are from Marshall's.  The dresser was mine when I was a kid.  The side table is from Marshall's.

Say good bye to the black and white, this teenager wants something softer and lighter.

Working on any storage projects or room transformations lately?

Found a new photo editing program you like as well as Picnik?

Thanks for checking it out.

To see other black and white rooms and bamboo projects check out the posts below.

Bamboo Chair

Bamboo Screens

Tack It

How to decorate a Niche

Re-Purposed Japanese Screens

I have had this Japanese screen from my Grandmother for many, many years.  I am lucky to have many family heirlooms.  I also have some of her water colors hanging in my family room.  My Grandmother acquired this screen while living in Japan in the early 1950's.  My brother also has one just like it.  They started out brown.  I painted it black.  I've used them in different rooms in my house, but they never quite worked?  My house has ten foot ceilings and the screens always looked out of scale with the tall ceiling height.  Another problem, (maybe it's just me) I like the top detail of the screen, but not the bottom basket weave portion.  It just seemed too busy together?
   

Here's what they look like now.

Grandma isn't around anymore to ask if she minds me redoing them.  This is how I re-purposed them.  I removed all the hinges and used my dad's table saw to cut the bottom basket weave and the top wood extension of the screen off.

I hope Grandma doesn't mind?  She was a very stylish woman so I'm hoping she would approve. 

At this point of the project I was liking the screens better already!

I primed them and painted them white.  I used wood glue to repair some of the loose wood detail. 
Here they are primed.

I planned on using the screens in my powder room.  I painted the powder room  like a castle ten years ago.  OK, before you start laughing remember it was ten years ago.  I wanted to re-paint it sooner, but my kids didn't want me to.  My tastes have changed so the castle went bye, bye last year.

It was my "Old World Tuscan"  period.

Last year I painted the bathroom black. No, I haven't transitioned into a "Goth" period.  I just have always loved black and white.  Sorry about the bad pictures.  This room is small and VERY difficult to photograph.  Black rooms are hard to photograph.  Did I mention photography isn't one of my strengths to begin with? 

 I added the Upholstery tacks to the ceiling detail and around the Ikea mirror.  The light fixture is from Habitat for Humanity.  I painted it silver and swagged it from the ceiling.  The room needed something else? 

 I just wasn't sure what?  I was looking for artwork and was considering painting something myself or stenciling a pattern on the walls?

How about Grandma's screens? 

 Re-painted and Re-purposed.

I hung four of them horizontally on the empty black wall next to the sink.

One behind the concrete shelf (another Habitat for Humanity find) above the toilet.

 Thanks Grandma!

I'm liking the added architectural detail and the contrast of more white.

Although the room is painted black it looks much bigger then when it was painted like a castle.  The black makes the walls recede.  To see other back rooms in my house click here.

 

 This mirror was free and I painted it white many years ago.  It was in my daughter's room in our old house.  I tried to give it away last year because it was sitting unused in my garage.  I found a home for it on the opposite wall from the screens.  It makes the room look larger (just not in pictures).

        

I would love to hear your thoughts. 
Do you think Grandma might be upset with me redoing her screens? 
Have you been faced with the same dilemma with one of your family heirlooms?

Thanks for checking it out!

Happy Pants

I always hear designers talk about how your house should reflect "who you are." Well I'm not really doing that judging by my wardrobe choices? My house is mostly neutrals, soft grays, greens, beige, black, pale blues, and browns. It's a very calm and soothing pallet. I like it that way. It makes me slow down and breathe if that's possible for a house to do? My wardrobe is anything but neutral. OK, I still LOVE to wear a lot of black, white, and gray,
but I also wear bold, graphic prints, and vivid color.


My house looks like this.

A small sample of my wardrobe looks like this.

My home decor and my wardrobe are at opposite ends of the design spectrum? I got to thinking about how this happened? Does my home reflect who I really am or does my wardrobe tell the real story? Did I design my house in neutrals so it wouldn't clash with whatever bold pattern or color I'm wearing that day?
Hmmm?

Here's what I'm talking about. I call these my "Happy Pants" because it's impossible to feel down when I put a pair of these on. First of all, they are incredibly comfortable. They feel like you have sweat pants on only I seem to walk a little taller and little peppier when I'm wearing them.
Here's what I currently have in my closet (this isn't my closet, I hung them up outside to take the picture). Notice there are two black and white prints in this batch. I can't get away from black and white. I also have velvet and velour pants (not pictured) that I wear when it's cold out. They aren't quite as colorful, but still super yummy and comfy.

I used to make them and sell them when I played in beach volleyball tournaments. I'm tall and I've spent the better part of my life not being able to find pants that were long enough. I can't count how many pieces of clothing I've ruined by accidentally throwing them in the dryer and shrinking them too short. I play volleyball with friends that are taller than me, some over six feet with the same problem.

Solution....make my own pants.

I wear my Happy Pants to work out, to go to soccer games, to slip on after I play volleyball, to run errands, to coach in, to lounge in, pretty much anywhere. I have to warn you. You can't be shy if you wear bold color like this. Strangers do a double take (my friends are used to me) because these pants stand out in a sea of blue jeans and mostly neutral fashion.

Was that a Humming Bird that just dive bombed me?

Hey up there. I want in on the photo shoot, pick me up.


Roscoe is much more photogenic than I am. She's a diva doggy.




I rarely travel outside of California anymore, but my pant fabric choices are globally inspired, and always made with stretchy fabric.
I love Asian motifs, although I don't have any in my house. Here is a pair I added some left over fabric to make a coordinating cuff at the bottom of the pant legs. I have a pair made with the cuff fabric too (more black and white).

Paisley from Persia.

Indian flavor.

Japanese umbrellas put a smile on my face.

Graphic black and white polka dots put a spring in my step.

I typically don't wear a leash, but is this print Dalmatian inspired?


Fun Fact, Dalmatians originated in Yugoslavia.

I came up with my own pattern. Some I make with a draw string top.

Some I make with a fold over yoga style top.

I got burned out on sewing when I made my couch slipcover, ottoman covers, and pillows, but I'm getting the sewing itch to make a new batch of pants for spring and summer. Maybe I'll make some tunics too? Not to wear together. Come on I know you were wondering about that?

Does your wardrobe or your home reflect your personal style?


Thanks for checking in.

Casey's Room

I have always loved black and white. I decorated my very first apartment in black and white. I couldn't paint the walls black because I was renting, but I had black lacquer furniture (It was the 80's) and black and white boldly striped living room furniture. I painted large, brightly colored graphic art for the walls. It was my modern period. My design tastes have long since gone away from stark modern, but I have never lost my love for black and white.

Black is my favorite color to wear, until they come up with something darker.

I have a few rooms painted black in my house. Several years ago I painted the whole laundry room with black chalk board paint. I painted the powder room and the rotunda leading into the master bedroom black too. I love the contrast with the white molding.

Contrary to what most people would think, it has been my experience that black makes the room look BIGGER! The walls fade into the background and the fabric and accessories become the star.

Last year I gave up my office and let the girls have their own rooms. They have shared a room for the past nine years.

This is Casey's room.

Casey loved the idea of a black and white room with splashes of hot pink and blue. I had a few raised eyebrows when I told people I was painting Casey's room black. I could see their minds questioning, is Casey turning goth? It's not goth, I would say it's classic and feminine. I continued the black paint on to the ceiling and cut in about 18". This painting technique highlights the molding and draws the eye up, making the room feel larger.

I did the molding myself. Much easier if you buy the corners pre-made. No mitering necessary for the long pieces. I borrowed my Dad's nail gun to make the molding job go faster.

This is a brass chandelier I picked up for cheap and painted it white. I have a chandelier fetish if you haven't noticed. I added the ceiling medallion and covered the chain in coordinating black and white fabric.



Cami's bedroom has a huge closet, so I made this closet into a computer desk area. My dad made the shelves for me. The drapes were purchased at Target and can be closed to hide the mess.



I added another piece of picture molding where the black and white ceiling paint meet.
I made the valances from the Target drapes. I could not have purchased fabric for less than what I paid at Target. Curtains and bedding purchased at discount stores is hard to beat on price and if you buy bedding, it comes in wider than 54" widths. The wider width is great for making slip covers slip.


This is a chair and a half that matches my living room couch. I made a slip cover with a bedspread quilt purchased from TJ Max. I buy just about everything on sale or at discount stores. One thing I don't go cheap on is paint. I always buy good quality paint. It covers better, with less coats, and last longer. My favorite paint is Benjamin Moore. This room is painted with Ralph Lauren Bone Black in eggshell.



I used the reverse side of the quilt for the bed and made bright pink and blue pillows for the bed and chair. The bulletin boards you see are covered in the Target drape fabric. The large bulletin board on the right hand side of the picture is made from 12" x 12" cork squares staple gunned to the wall. It's 3' x 4' and would have cost a good chunk of change to buy a bulletin board this large. I glued a 3' x 4' piece of fabric on top of the cork squares and added picture molding around the edges.




The pink bulletin boards are from Marshal's. Again covered with fabric to tie it all together.

I purchased the mirror for $10 at Big Lots and painted it white (it was gold). The picture above the bed is one of mine I painted. The dressers were mine when I was a kid. I'm currently looking for a bigger one on Craig's list that I can refinish for Casey. The book shelf is from a garage sale. It's oak and was stained brown. I painted it a distressed white. We already had the bed. This is one of the beds form a bunk bed set that we took apart. Cami has the other one in her room.

The great thing about the black and white color scheme is it's so easy to change the accent colors if Casey gets tired of the pink and blue.

Thanks for checking it out!