a bright new hutch.

Yet another piece of furniture I've had since I was little (dresser makeover posted here). This hutch (from This Ends Up) was great on storage but light on style. The combination of the simple shape and natural wood made this piece boring, dull and an eyesore.

It took me forever to make up my mind, but I finally ended up painting it with Ace Hardware's Fast Fortune. This turquoise hue added some character to the piece, brightened up the space and created some much needed drama to an otherwise boring, narrow workspace. 

Unfortunately, the rest of the space is still under major construction so I'm a little confined as to what shots I can take of it at the moment. Better photos should be coming soon.

To be honest, I didn't even bother sanded or priming the piece. I chose a flat finish, added two coats and sanded the edges and corners for natural-looking wear and tear. To accomplish this, I simply took a sanding block, gave the entire hutch a sand to bring out the raised wood grain and added more pressure while sanding over the corners and edges in certain places. Every so often, I would step back, assess the "wear and tear" and then sand wherever I felt needed more distressing. My hope is that over time, the piece will continue to age and distress organically. 

Because of the new desk, I was able to stick the printer inside the closed doors, leaving plenty of room for my interior design books, box of interior magazine clippings and the gazillion magazines I collect each year. I organized the books by color and stacked the magazines vertically and horizontally to create a composition that's both functional and pretty. A jar of seashells from my beach vacations finish the look.

fab room friday: a functional workspace

via remodelista

why it's fab

• floor-to-ceiling built in bookcases (fake the look by pairing a few Billys next to each other!)
• cork board chock full of inspiration
• woven trash can to add texture (get the look here on Amazon)
• worn dining room table as desk
• light wood chair for a natural contrast
• white flooring keeps it bright

when in doubt, paper drawers.

I am on an organizing mission I'll-tell-you-what. Ok, maybe it's more like a container makeover mission with small spurts of organizing to make me feel better about myself. I mean, I got my beads organized right?

Taking inspiration from my now bead organizer, I decided my other set of small drawers could use a little loving. In the form of scrapbooking paper.

Going back to my workspace rant from yesterday, I knew I wanted yellow to accommodate compliment the kitchen tile and blue to blend in with the living room and (almost forgot) newly upholstered bench. Then, since apparently I'm into the whole pattern on pattern thing (see my bedroom and bathroom), I thought I could use a little in this space as well.

So I took a look around the room to see what I could update. Behold, the infamous Ikea drawer set.

I'd painted it white, beige and black while on a bit of a neutral kick so it was definitely due for a makeover. I headed over to Michaels and picked up some scrapbooking paper. I wasn't terribly impressed with their collection but I think I found some paper that worked.

Then, the rest was easy. I quickly traced around each drawer and cut out the shapes. Totally moron-proof, right? WRONG.

Mental note: patterns do not look the same when traced from all angles. D'oh!

After getting all the cut-outs right, I made my little glue shapes and blended them all around the entire drawer surface. For those that didn't know, glue shapes are similar to ketchup and/or mustard shapes you create while adding the toppings to your hamburger. For those that don't know what a ketchup and/or mustard shape is, this blog may not be for you.

Here's 1) my favorite glue shape and 2) the glue shape smeared all over the drawer surface.



From there, it was time to afix and dry. I used the old heavy-book-overnight-method to keep the paper from curling off and the rest was history. A simple, graphic update to add some punch to a workspace.

all photos courtesy of yours truly.

FAKE IT: A "built-in" accessory nook.

Since the age of three, I have always a surplus of jewelry and hair accessories. And over the years, I have continued to have a problem with storage. Since condensing my collection and renting an apartment with a walk-in closet are both not an option, I have had to get really creative with how to organize my ever growing collection. My current solution: the "built-in" accessory nook.

Since I am not exactly the neatest person on the planet, I needed a solution that could be quickly accessed, easily managed and able to be hidden. To accomplish this, I organized by accessory type, opted for open storage and positioned behind my bedroom door. 

The open storage is minimal while the accessories themselves offer an eclectic and colorful design. To dress up the space, I added a silver serving tray and candle holders to the dresser. Next, I plan to stain the frame of the mirror a chestnut brown to tie-in the darker shelf. I also continuously scour the thrift stores for some interesting containers that can replace my hair and bracelet boxes to add more visual interest.