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If the legs on this table were straight, it would be just another industrial design. But powder-coated steel with the soft curve of cabriole leg–that’s fresh. I love this IKEA design for showing the softer side of steel and office furniture.
Vika Finntorp/Hyttan desk, $129; Ikea.com
After hunting for a sofa for eight months, I was starting to think the chubby rectangle was the only style available. Massive upholstered blobs dominate the marketplace–but I knew there had to be something more, a sofa where grace and comfort could coexist. I’m thrilled to announce, I finally found it with the Greyson sofa.
Bobo Intriguing Objects has transcended the blob with flirty French lines and dainty clawed feet while maintaining comfort with the softest cushions and a depth deep enough for two to take a nap. The bolster and throw pillows give the sofa texture and dimension, as opposed to the two honking back cushions of most couches.
Though I love the cream linen–I don’t trust us with a light color and I’m going to take them up on their custom offer: Send Bobo Intriguing Objects your fabric of choice and they will upholster it free of charge. Now we just need to find the fabric. We are thinking of something simple in a caramel or chocolate color to help resist stains and go with any throw pillows we please.
Stay tuned for the fabric hunt.
I recently found the perfect bed frame at IKEA—or so I thought. I spotted it across the showroom floor: simple white, feminine shape, and IKEA-inexpensive. Then I came closer. The frame had massive carved tulips and hearts all over it! Shocked, slightly disgusted, and totally disappointed, we moved on to the next aisle. As Mike and I rounded the corner, I took one last look at the over-sized child’s bed and noticed it was smooth on the back. Hmmmm. What if we could built it inside out? No one would have to see the pre-school graffiti and we’d have the simple bed I thought it was. It was a gamble but we bought it and started building.
Flash back to three weeks ago and my backyard was a DIY testing ground for nine painted-furniture projects. The paint has since dried, the hardware been screwed back on, the bugs picked out of the air-dried paint, and the furniture has been moved inside. Some of the projects were just paint touch-ups and others, you’ll see, were a decorative overhaul.
(Above) This desk and mirror just needed a fresh coat of white paint. They go so nicely together, I think I’m going to buy a little stool for it and use the setup as a vanity in the master bedroom.
This antique beveled mirror was originally a natural wood color, but we painted it poppy red to match the wallpapered accent wall in our guest bedroom.
We loved this Macky Blue sideboard’s tin top and exposed tin bread drawers—despite its brutally chipping framework. We bought it knowing that, even with serious sanding, this piece couldn’t be smoothed over. So we vowed to try our best and chalk the remaining rough spots up to “character.”
Though the original paint job had a palette like a Greenbay Packer, the two-tone legs were really inspiring. We painted the piece plum but left the feet primer-white to match the tin top.
I still have dreams of having a tall chinoiserie china cabinet in my kitchen, but for $100 and a fun weekend project, this is a cute placeholder.
The greatest lesson I learned from Painted Furniture Weekend Part 1 was: NEVER strip furniture. It was the most disgusting, toxic, arduous yet deceptively easy project I’ve ever attempted for my home. The majority of the paint may gum up and peel off nicely, but the other 40% is a battle to get off the wood.
After stripping two sides of this piece, I abandoned ship and just went on to sand the front and top.
As you can see, our entertainment center is not ready, but we’d like to ultimately use this sideboard as a media console (when we buy a TV from the 21st century). To do this properly we’d take the top two drawers, cut off the fronts, and reapply them with hinges so they fold down for easy access to the DVD player and fold up to cover unsightly equipment.
Another project added to the list.