Ready for Guests

The guest bedroom in the new condo is sooooo close to being complete that I've deemed it ready for guests and a reveal. This room has been in the works for more than a year - gosh it takes a long time for a plan to come together!! The faux bamboo bedside tables were found on Kijiji in December 2011, and they were given a makeover as part of a D.I.Y. challenge in June 2012. In the meantime, I put together a floorplan and design scheme, which was largely inspired by the chartreuse lily lamps I purchased in a Peterborough antique shop.

With the idea to spread costs out over the course of the year before the move, I tackled projects one at a time, slowly building my design arsenal. The vintage lamps needed to be rewired and new shades were custom made by Lia at Mod Pieces. I had my old headboard reupholstered in a grey velvet found at Designer Fabrics and upgraded to diamond tufting for a touch of luxury.

While rug hunting last summer at the Elte Outlet, I happened upon the SDH diamond coverlet, and then sewed my own pillow shams from a fabulous printed linen also found at Designer Fabrics. You may remember when I found the kantha quilt at a West Elm event last spring; I like how it adds just a touch of pink to the room.

The showstopper in this guest room is the Sanderson "Lilia" wallpaper in lime & silver. I painted all of the walls in Para Paints Pearl (SR30 from Sarah Richardson's designer palette) to match the ivory background of the paper, and then had the focal wall behind the bed and side tables professionally papered.

Some small finishing touches and the room is ready for guests to arrive. Drapery is happening soon, and then the room will be at 100%. My Mom has already stayed in the unfinished room a few times, but now I'm super for her to see the finished product next weekend!

Source Guide:
 

Wallpaper: Sanderson "Lilia"

Vintage Lamps: Nostalgic Journey

Lamp Rewiring & Custom Shades: Mod Pieces

Coverlet: S.D.H Linens via Elte Outlet

Kantha Quilt: West Elm

Fabrics: Velvet & Printed Linen via Designer Fabrics

Paint: Para Paints Pearl, SR30

D.I.Y. Challenge: D.O.N.E.

OMG, I have never procrastinated on a DIY as long as I have on this one. I found and purchased a pair of vintage faux bamboo bedside tables on December 31st, and then they sat, and they sat, and they sat... Until one month ago, Kisha over at Chronicled Blog came up with a group challenge, which I thought for sure would be the motivation I needed to get going on this DIY. Well, I still managed to procrastinate until the very last day. Sigh. Why do I do this to myself? There's nothing like a crazy amount of pressure to light a fire under my butt.

As of 2 o'clock Sunday afternoon, the bedside tables still looked like this:

Here's all I needed to get the project done: Fine/Medium grit sanding block, Zinsser primer, sponge roller and brush, 2 cans of Rustoleum Ultra Cover spray paint in Dark Grey Gloss :


I paid special attention to the laminate top, giving it an extra coat of primer, since spray paint will not stick to laminated surfaces:


The legs also needed special care and attention, since it looks as though they had been hit by the vacuum a few hundred times over the years:


Here are the tables freshly primed. Thank goodness my office includes warehouse space where I can do all of my dirty work!!

Are you ready for the After? Do I hear a drum roll?

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The entire project only took about 5 hours from start to finish (including drying time), and the huge bonus is that I saved about $400 by doing this myself. Thanks to Kisha for the setting the challenge. I am so glad that I finally got this done!!! I only wish that I could have styled these up real pretty, but that will have to wait until I move to the new place this fall. These tables will be in the new guest bedroom :-)

Check out today's blog posts from the other bloggers who participated in the DIY Challenge: From Inspiration to Creation:

Renee at RB Squared
DaVida Chanel at DaVida Chanel
Kristin at Le Fabuleux Destin
Kandyce at Chota Peelea Auto
and
Kisha at Chronicled Blog

DIY Challenge: From Inspiration to Creation

Last week, Kisha at Chronicled Blog tweeted about her DIY challenge to other bloggers: From INSPIRATION to CREATION. The concept is simple: Take a project you've been thinking about tackling and get it done.

This is just the kind of challenge (aka kick in the pants) I need to get off my butt and get working on a new DIY. My proposed project is to prep and paint the pair of faux bamboo bedside tables I found just before the new year. I had every intention of having them professionally sprayed, but when the quote I received for the work was beyond the budget, it quickly became a do-it-yourself project.

BEFORE...

The finished tables will be a lovely shade of dark grey,
La Cloche Granite, by Para Paints (upper colour):

There is one month to complete the DIY, and the reveal date is Monday, June 18th. You can see some of the 'inspiration photos' I have gathered for this project on my Pinterest board: Faux Bamboo DIY.

There are several bloggers who have taken up the gauntlet. Check out their blogs to read about their INSPIRATION to CREATION projects:

Kristin at Le Fabuleux Destin
DaVida at Da Vida Chanel
Kandyce at Chota Pelee Auto
Renee at RB Squared
and of course,
Kisha at Chronicled

Step by Step...Oh Baby!!

Well, I got another letter last week, informing me that my tentative occupancy date has been pushed back to the original estimate: September 2012. That's just fine by me, since it gives me more time to prepare for the big move. Over the past while, I've been trying to knock at least one thing off the to-do list each month, so that I won't be overwhelmed later (in terms of both time and money $$$). Right now the guest room is right on track!!

The headboard has been reupholstered and tufted:

The wallpaper has arrived:

The lamps are undergoing a nip & tuck at Modnest:

The bedsides are off to the sprayer next week:

Now on to the master suite, where there are still a lot of decisions to be made...

Four Leaf Clover or Horseshoe?

I've been having really good luck so far this year, at least as far as finding fabulous vintage furniture goes. I am seriously considering trying my luck at the lottery this week :-)

First I found an amazing pair of faux bamboo
bedside tables listed on Kijiji and picked them up
on New Year's Eve. Now that's a party!!

Then just last week I almost stumbled over this vintage
campaign dresser at the Village. The brass handles
are still wrapped in the original tissue paper.

When I spotted this Lexington chest while thrifting last
night, although I didn't need it, I knew someone else might.
Tweet!! Tweet!! Anyone wanna get lucky?

Fingers crossed it's still there when my friend Jasmine
swings by the Village today to scoop it up!!

Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'

Now that I've found the bamboo bedside tables I've been searching for, I can finally move forward with the guest room design. Although my move in date is at least 9 months away, I think we can all agree that it's a good idea to start early. I mean, seriously, it took 6 months just to find the right nightstands!

These lily lamps are the room's jumping off point.
Obviously they will need new shades and finials:

Of course, each lamp will sit atop one of these
vintage faux bamboo Thomasville nightstands:

The new bedside tables will get a lick of Herringbone
SR73, Para Paints, Sarah Richardson Designer Palette:

Perhaps I'll add a pair of these pretty knobs
from Haveli Home to the drawer fronts:

I would love to use this Ophelia fabric as drapery
since there are so many colours to play with:

But that would mean this Sanderson Lilia
wallpaper is out of the question:

A tufted headboard covered in a plush velvet
will add a touch of luxury and warmth:

I've decided on this creamy Pearl for the walls

SR30, Para Paints, Sarah Richardson Designer Palette:

The bedding will be restful, like this simple

Lexington Quilt in pearl from West Elm:

It's all starting to come together!

Do you have any interesting design projects you'd like to share? I love getting comments, so leave one below and let me know what you're working on!!

Good Things Come to Those Who Wait...and Wait...and Wait...

Remember this post? After visiting numerous vintage shops both near and far, trolling through antique shows, and lurking on the internet for hours, I am here to tell you that...

...I finally found these on Kijiji!!!!!!

Happy New Year!!!!!

I am on my way to pick these babies up today, and after months of searching, I'm so excited to get them into my hot little hands. With a lick of paint and a new set of hardware, they are going to look splendid in the new guest room!! Yippee!!

New Addition

I recently came across a set of 3 bamboo chairs on Kijiji, and immediately I knew I had to have them!! They were just like the chairs I wrote about in this April 2009 post. Since I didn't need all 3 chairs for myself, I forwarded the ad to my friend Tim of Design Maze and we decided that we would split them between us. And so a deal was struck!

Ooh la la, bamboo goodness...

The caning is in excellent condition, but since I'm keeping this chair at my office until the new condo is ready, I've thrown a colourful cushion (from HomeSense) on the seat to protect it from wear and tear.


Eventually I'll be using this chair in my home office, so I will end up giving it a coat of paint and having a proper seat cushion made. Piece by piece, it's already coming together.

Bamboo Bedsides or Bust!

Just last month, my friend Shannon of What's Up Whimsy was antiquing in Fenelon Falls when she came across a fabulous pair of vintage faux bamboo bedside tables. Through the magic of Twitter, she tweeted this photo of her find:

Photo courtesy of What's Up Whimsy

When Shannon revealed that she didn't need the tables, I asked if she wouldn't mind picking them up for me (they would be perfect for the guest room in the new condo). Unfortunately, by the time she went back to the antique shop, the tables had already been sold to another customer. Boo :-(

Ever since that day, I have been unable to get these tables out of my head, and I've been looking for a similar pair on Craigslist, Kijiji, and at every vintage, consignment and thrift shop in town. If anyone finds a pair of tables similar to those pictured above please, please, pretty please let me know!!