Reupholstering with Teal

Now that baby girl is maintaining a predictable nap schedule, I have been able to start thinking of new projects to begin. The trick with these projects is picking something that will improve our lives instead of just costing money. ;) Since the day we bought our dining room chairs we have planned to reupholster them. In fact, before we even found the chairs, I had decided the type of fabric and color I wanted to have on them! However, being pregnant and then being a first time mommy did not immediately lend time to the endeavor. 

Thanks to Jo-Anns I finally committed to the project! A 40% off sale on upholstery fabric coupled with a 20% off your entire purchase coupon got me and the hubby to the store to make a decision. The fabric was picked, cut, and bought. 9 yards for about $30! After about two naptimes and one afternoon, our chairs have now been stripped of their initial coverings and reupholstered with gorgeous teal fabric. I am LOVING the result and look!!!!! 

The dining room is almost complete. Anyone have any ideas for more mid mod style artwork? 

What is your reupholstering story? Was your experience good or bad? 

Here is the before picture. The cream/yellow fabric was the last owner's reupholstering job. 

Yuck.

This was the original fabric under one set of chairs. Double YUCK!

And the other original fabric (or rather vinyl) under the second set. Actually, not half bad but DIRTY.

Voila! The newly reupholstered chair! Love the teal fabric.

 Love, love, LOVE my "new" chairs! I hope that you love them too!

Wine/Bar/Storage Cabinet

As you all know, I  have been searching for a sideboard that would work in our modest sized dining room. Owning a 995 square foot condo requires creativity when decorating. Furniture must be both attractive and functional, which is why I am so glad that I have such a practical and smart husband to remind me of these things when my ooo-this-is-so-pretty side kicks in.

While eating breakfast Saturday, it dawned on me as I looked out the window that we don't need one long sideboard crowding one of the walls but two small cabinets on both sides of the window. I told Andrew and he completely agreed! We knew what we had to do!

A quick trip to American Furniture Warehouse just confirmed that they are definitely not our style. While they can have great pieces for affordable prices (we did find what we think will be Andrew's new desk), the style is much too large and traditional for our tastes. We have decided that we like the retro modern or mid mod look, i.e. clean lines and crisp finishes.

IKEA was our next stop and that is where we were able to design and create the perfect pieces for our dining room that would house our alcohol, glasses, and accessories. The line of custom storage is called Besta and we were able to buy little motion sensing lights to provide illumination within the cabinets.

Here are the items we purchased to create our dining room's new look:

4 packages of Besta Legs SW/CH: $40 ($10 for each 2 pack)
1 Inreda Bottle Rack: $10
1 two pack of Metrik Handles 9 3/16": $9
2 Inreda Glass Racks: $20 ($10 for each pack)
2 Dioder LED Battery Lights: $30 ($15 each)
2 Besta Vara Doors: $20 ($10 each)
2 Besta Shelf HT E: $110 ($55 each)

We chose the color black-brown but there are several other design choices available. The total amount that we paid, including batteries and tax, was $258.29. Not bad for a custom piece. :)

Here is our newly finished dining room. Hope you like it.

A Few Words on Accents

I don't know about anyone else, but, for me, accent pieces are the most difficult aspect about decorating. It isn't so much that I can't spot something that would look nice on a side table or on top of a shelf, it is the actually finding of the perfect piece. Believe it or not, I am a very picky person. I don't want to buy something to put on a table to later decide that I am donating it to Goodwill. I also have a really hard time paying thirty bucks for anything and most everything that is considered an "accent" starts at that price.

So, I have made most of my accent decor. However, within the last few weeks, I have been blessed with some really good steals and a few gifts from generous friends that I have just fallen in love with.

Here are a few tips:

1. Don't settle on something. Wait, create, or repurpose something that you will love and enjoy for a long time. This may take a while but it will be worth it in the long run.

2. Be smart about your purchases. Don't buy something new (a big glass vase or jar) that you can find at a thrift store.

3. Be thankful for the blessings that God has given you. God tends to bless you when you are least expecting it.

4. Don't be afraid to repurpose something. Just because it says garden or kitchen section, doesn't mean it won't be fantastic in your living room or dining room! Plus, you will probably get it cheaper if it isn't labeled "home decor". 

Meet Reginald (the little owl) and Arthur (the big owl). We found these ceramic statues in the garden section at Target. Reginald was actually on a metal rod for sticking into a pot. I took out the rod and he is now the perfect statue. Arther was $13 and Reginald was $3.59 (a GREAT deal, in my opinion).

Cool local artists took these photographs. They are sold on Etsy.

A Woman's Work is Never Done

Here I thought I was finished and then I found the most awesome mirror! Plus, Andrew liked it too! Thank you Target ($30)!

Master Bedroom Redo

After much rethinking and redoing, we finally found a style that was fresh, lovely, stylish, and that we both agreed upon. Thanks to generous Christmas presents in the form of gift cards, we bought a new dresser and a new bedding set. My sister-in-law designed and gave us the pillar candle holders and Andrew made the wine wall vases (tutorial found here).

I hope you like it as much as we do! Our bedroom has become our oasis. Let me know what you think!