Thursday, June 28, 2012

DIY IKEA RAST HACK




Finally! A new DIY project! It's one that I am pretty excited about, not only for its simplicity but for how well it turned out. I have been looking for new nightstands for what seems like forever. I didn't want nightstands that looked too dinky and with no storage so I originally thought I would try and find two dressers on Craigslist and refinish them, but then I was stuck with the dilemma that I wanted them to look the same. Luckily then I came across this blog...aubreyandlindsay.blogspot.com

She took a RAST bookcase from Ikea and made it into this (wish my photos looked as beautiful as hers!)

rast


First thing first, go to Ikea and purchase the nightstand for $34.99 (can't beat that!) and assemble the RAST nightstand...



Mitsy doesn't seem happy with this process!



Next I look the drawers outside and primed them. I like to use a foam roller for both the primer and the paint - it gives it an ultra smooth finish with no brush strokes. 



BM Fresh Start Enamel Underbody in White - I used this on my kitchen cabinets as well - It's oiled based so make sure you are well ventilated

PRIMER

I did one thin coat of primer as you can see above, next time I might do two thin coats instead to cover the wood grain more.



Then I did three thin coats of the same white BM Advantage paint I used for my kitchen cabinets

1ST COAT OF STAIN

Next I moved onto the nightstand itself. I used Minwax dark walnut. Just spread it on with a cloth in the direction of the wood grain. Then go back in about 5 minutes and go over it with a clean cloth to remove any extra that didn't absorb.


2ND COAT OF STAIN

Last step was to use a polyurethane in clear satin over the stain. And after everything dried I had this....


AFTER

I added some Martha Stewart hardware for the time being until I find something better. I still have one more to do for the other side of the bed. I am pretty happy how it turned out! Just wish I could take magazine quality pics haha! Here are some more AFTERs below...


AFTER

AFTER

AFTER

What;s next up for the bedroom you ask?
2nd RAST nightstand
New wall color
New tufted headboard


We be so grateful for some pins!


Tuesday, June 26, 2012

TRENDY TUESDAY

STRIPES
I am sure you are seeing stripes everywhere! From walls to rugs to furniture, fabric and more. It can be very easy to add some to your interior and with a little elbow grease and some DIY-ing you can easily paint a striped wall in any room of your house, and the best part about that - it can always be changed if you get sick of it.

CARPETWORLD.ORG
ELLE DECOR
KSARAHDESIGNS.TYPEPAD.COM
AMBERINTERIORDESIGN.BLOGSPOT.COM
BAHRAINIDIVA.BLOGSPOT.COM
COASTALLIVING.COM
CAITLINCREER.COM
DARLINGSAVAGE.BLOGSPOT.COM
KATE SPADE VIA PENCILSHAVINGSSTUDIO.COM

JUTE INTERIOR DESIGN
ELLE DECOR
M.E. BECK DESIGN
AMANDA CAROL
M HOUSE
S RUSSELL GROVES
HOUSE AND HOME
ANGIE HRANOWSKY
LIZZIE BAILEY
JAMES R SALOMON PHOTOGRAPHY
JENNA LYONS
CORNERAPARTMENT.BLOGSPOT.COM



Tuesday, June 19, 2012

TRENDY TUESDAY

LUCITE / ACRYLIC
Loving Lucite and acrylic right now! Especially the Kartell Louis Ghost Chair, which I am hoping to one day have in our dining room. Lucite is great for small spaces, as it doesn't take up visual space. It can truly be mixed with many decors, not just contemporary. My favorite is including it in a rustic space. Though Lucite is a brand name, it seems to have become a word to describe anything acrylic, along with Plexiglas, also a brand name. Take a look at some interiors below, what do you think?

POSTTEENAGELIVING.COM
TUMBLR.COM
INSPIREDDECORATING.COM
DESIGN SPONGE
  I am lusting over this chair! The combination of wood and acrylic and the metal bolts is amazing

ETSY.COM
DECOR PAD
LITTLEGREENNOTEBOOK.BLOGSPOT.COM 
WISTERIA.COM
PINTEREST.COM 
PALOMA81.BLOGSPOT.COM
L-IONTUMBLR.COM
STACYNAQUININTERIORS.COM
DESIRETOINSPIRE.NET
GUEHNEMADE.COM
HGTV.COM
THREEPINKDOTS.COM
PINTEREST.COM
APARTMENTTHERAPY.COM
HOUSEOFNADEE.TUMBLR.COM
HOUZZ.COM
FASHIONTOAST.COM
SAMANTHA PYNN
KRISTIN CUNNINGHAM
ATLANTAHOMESMAG.COM
ANGIE HRANOWSKY
SFGIRLBYBAY.COM
SILJE-VANILJEIS.BLOGSPOT.COM
MEGAN BLAKE DESIGN
DOUGLAS FRIEDMAN PHOTOGRAPY
PEEP MY STYLE

FELDMAN ARCHITECTURE
COCOCOZY.COM
DECOR PAD
NUEVO ESTILO
HOUSE BEAUTIFUL
LLOYD RALPHS DESIGN
AMANDA NISBET DESIGN
DECOR PAD
ALMIRA.TUMBLR.COM
HOUZZ
AIDEN DESIGN