Showing posts with label lounge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lounge. Show all posts

Thursday, 22 September 2016


So, just what have we achieved in our lounge room make-over so far?  Well the fireplace has been the main thing and it is just gorgeous!

Then we (well read that as I requested Michael to do…) made the very pretty dark grey side table you see in the front left of the photo – this one:
 











I draughted up a quick plan after I measured our lounge and worked out rough dimensions from there, then Michael drew it up on some ply we had around, and after a few tweaks cut it out and assembled it.  Then it was simply some filler, sanding and painting J.















I painted it with Rustoleum “Chalked” paint in Charcoal.  This is the first time I have ever used chalk paint and I was very interested to see how it went on and turned out.  I was very impressed by how thick it covered the wood, though that also meant it took quite a lot of paint to cover it too – about a ¼ of a tin for this small table – approx. $10 worth of paint.

While it was drying, it turned pretty chalky-looking which I was hoping wouldn’t quite be the final finish…













…which it wasn’t.  The chalkiness went away and left a lovely, true charcoal colour.  I did add on clear wax (as is recommended for harder wearing chalked painted pieces) – you can see the difference between the waxed part of the bar and the un-waxed below.  The paint had left quite  deep-ish brush strokes (this is normal) but they were a little strong to run your hand over (for me anyway, for this piece).  Again, I put the wax on quite a bit thicker than I expected but it certainly did change it and I think it looks great!













You probably want to see it in our room? 

Warning – really bad photo – but here it is J.


Wednesday, 21 September 2016


I have been keeping a little secret from my blog – not because it is a secret, but because it is a surprise for you all!  A great, big FUN surprise!!

Well that is how it is making me feel anyway, so I know you will join in J.

A couple of months ago, I emailed one of my favourite bloggers, Kristine from The Painted Hive (who shows her gorgeous home interiors and furniture make-overs on her blog) and asked if she could help me with working out what to put where in our lounge room.  I was truly stuck because I liked way too many things and had acquired way too many differing things and was just overwhelmed with knowing what I actually wanted…

Anyway, the secret surprise can’t be a secret anymore because there is this fantastic post on Kristine’s blog J.

This is the gorgeous room idea she (and I) worked on and I just love it!










We are working on getting our lounge room to look like Kristine’s render – it is so much fun to see it coming together – but the best part is knowing already, before we make side tables and cushion covers and buy a few things, that I will LOVE IT ALL! 

There shouldn’t be stress in making your house your home, but when you are as overwhelmed as I was with that gorgeous, but large, white wall and eclectic furniture that just wasn’t working, it has been well worth it to get this wonderful clarification.  Now, don’t you go thinking it was easy for Kristine, if you know me well you know I can write essays about what passes through my brain, and she may or may not have been the recipient of that and more!!!

Hmm, looking at it now, I wonder if she can work some magic in keeping it as tidy in real life?  LOL J.

Saturday, 6 December 2014


Our family have been asking to actually see the house - so here you are Kari, Denise, Mum and all - grab a cuppa, this is a long one.

The front of our home – looks a bit plain at the mo – but imagine some seating and greenery…it will look lovely about this time next year I reckon.


 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Front entry hall – you will have to imagine the credenza painted white – and I have only just put the pretties out – so it looks like a reddish, golden copper will be the new fabric colour scheme for the rocking chair (yes it rocks on some back springy things).  I have told the kids I am putting an internal door on one day – with a lock! – so I can sit in here and read in peace and quiet – ahhh, the serenity.  The chandelier is from Bunnings – they have a huge lighting range available only at the Armadale store in WA.  I had a ‘vision’ come to me one day a while ago, that the light fitting for our front entry hall would be a chandelier with a silver drum shade (drum shades are quite the trend at the moment – or has it passed??)  Doesn’t worry me either way – I like it!  Anyway, I looked online to see where I might find one to match my vision – and Bunnings in Sydney had this one – and it was the only one I liked anywhere I looked – so being clever, I did a store search and found out that the Armadale store, which had opened only a month before, had them too – yay.  And it was on sale when we happened to be there to have a look – double yay!

 


 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

(Goodness, when I edited the photo I saw the doily cover on the chair back was crooked– probably due to baby long legs relocation this morning – it is straightened now!).  Will get some hooks for the pictures one day – and a shade for the gorgeous lamp base I have had for 18 years without one…been waiting for the right home for the lamp – we are finally here – triple yay!

Lounge room – still needing plenty more furniture – we’ll get there one day.  These are the gorgeous sofas that have been in storage since March last year – finally out – and of course they are covered by slip covers when I am not taking a photo – kids and pale fabric – not the best combo just yet ;-).  Oh, and the floral cushions will be changed one day to plain – the blue is a gorgeous colour that I love but the house has let me know it is a silver, white and red/autumn colour scheme so the cushions no longer match…


 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I thought I had already shared a photo of the finished kitchen, but a quick search of my photos says otherwise – so I went and cleaned it up and took this photo (cropped out the dirty dishes of course) – yes, the things I do for you!  Actually I will have to take a photo later tonight or first thing tomorrow so I can show you my stunning sink – seriously gorgeous too.  And sorry about how dark it looks - it is overcast, grey and cloudy here right now.


 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Now there is a story behind the island bench.  Of course there is.  And if you are very, very astute (or can be bothered to go back and look at the last kitchen photo – it is in this post here) – you will see that the island bench was never in the kitchen before.   That is because I didn’t really want one (even though it was part of the recycled kitchen we had purchased).  Islands become dumping grounds in my experience, which is not the look I am after (ok yes, this was a dumping ground for a while, but I have got it mostly under control now – yay).  Anyhoo – my ideals in not having one was all well and good, until Michael’s mum was here moving us into the house – and all my kitchen bits and bobs no way fitted into all those cupboards L.  So Pauline suggested we try the island bench.  Hmmm, I wasn’t convinced…but try it we did – after Michael spent the day cutting the kickboard off (it was too big to fit through the door otherwise).  So I let the island bench be sat in its space, on it’s cut-off kickboards for a couple of days and glanced at it warily every few hours – and I had to agree that it looked good and provided some much needed extra storage.  You were right Pauline – thank you!

And folk, look back at the photo and notice the light fittings.  We got them at a local farm garage sale – I wonder if they were baby chick or piglet warmers?  I like the idea!!  They were a lovely shade of British racing green – it had to go in favour of this even more lovely red (which is closer to the tile red than the photo looks) – Michael did a great job spray painting them for me.  He has a good hand for spraying – I think it is because he has patience – unlike a certain non-spray painting me…

Oh, and table and chairs will get a paint and fabric revamp one day too – yes, I have a very long list of furniture painting – for one day…

So, you have probably had enough after the kitchen I think.  Ok, come back for Part 2 tomorrow y’all.