The Stenciled Desk

I used to hate the big, white desk that my husband had in his office.  His older brother found it on the side of the road over 10 years ago, and it is just one of those pieces that will not break down.  I keep trying to kill it, but it survives.  I figured that I'd change up my strategy and be it's friend.

Above is a picture of the desk prior to painting (and the entire office prior to revamping).  The angle is off, but the improvement is extreme!  I was inspired by this wallpaper look-alike and the stencil they had on the site as well.

I made the stencil out of cut out cardboard, then traced with a pencil.  Then I painted over the pencil with gray paint.  Simple!  I also painted the front of the drawers grey to add some solidarity to the space  and desk.

The picture doesn't do it justice, as I also added some gray "aging" through a spray can of water and a dry paintbrush on the side.

Now I think the desk looks so mid-century modern.  I love it!

What do you think? Better before or after?

The Lewis Dots

Chevron Tray Tutorial

Hey friends!  I’ve learned that I enjoy making the projects and get into a habit of having too many projects going on at once without blogging about them.  I will try to fix that!

Kaitlyn from For Better orBratwurst and I decided we needed a crafty day.

I needed something awesome to go with my new funky orange chairs, so I took an old frame that didn’t have anything in it.  By putting it down on the table and adding some handles, it turns into a funky tray that can be used as a picture frame at any minute.  I love up-cycling (ie, recycling old stuff to be super chic). 

Materials:

            Frame

Paint

            Painter’s tape (I like the Duck brand)

            Brushes, art supplies, etc

            Pencil

            Ruler / Paper

            Scissors

            Patience :-)

1.     I removed the piece I wanted to use for the painting from the frame, which was in my case, the back.  I have seen some people paint the glass which does look really cool, but if I ever wanted to reuse the frame or change the art, it would be much more difficult.

2.     I LOVE THE CHEVRON PATTERN.  I started with choosing how many changes in direction I wanted on the final product, for example if the pattern looks like “M” then you have 3 changes, if “N” then 2.  I wanted the off-kilter look of the “N”.

3.     Mark off with your pencil where the pattern should change and mark it accordingly. I took some paper and measured it the length of the board because I didn’t have a ruler nearby, and folded it into 3 equal sections.  Easy!

4.     Lightly extend the marks all the way down the board with your pencil so the end product looks professional.

5.     Choose how far you want to have between the lines and mark accordingly.  For example, you want the 1^st and 3^rd piece of tape to line up identically to each other, not having one piece longer than the other. Mark how far down you want it to go (for softer chevron, smaller space, for more dramatic chevron, more space!). 

6.     Tape accordingly!  I did all one direction first, then came back and cut the other pieces. I didn’t worry about getting the tape cut at the perfect angle, I ripped a piece longer than what I needed, then cut it so I didn’t have any unsightly gaps. 

7.     Paint!  I wanted a pop of color for the table, so I applied a multitude of muted colors in two coats.

8.     Peel the painter’s tape off before the paint is completely dry! This is imperative.  Otherwise you will peel part of the lines off unintentionally… no bueno.

You could apply a topcoat, but I think that is what the glass is for. Enjoy!

The Lewis Dots

The Chairs Redo

I hated my kitchen table and chairs.  They were a garage sale find from my husband’s bachelor days, and I honestly couldn’t wait to have some money to buy a new table set.  

Because food to put on the table is more sensible than a beautiful table with starving grad-students, I figured that I would just deal with what I’ve got. They were a wooden Windsor dining chair, the early-American kind you can find anywhere for about $50 / chair.

I stumbled across these chairs at ApartmentTherapy.com, and if you check out the prices you might fall out of that ugly chair: $615 at http://oandgstudio.com/! They make the old and outdated so bright and inviting. 

I knew what had to be done: paint!

My first instinct was to paint it that pretty cobalt blue from my office, but I chose to actually coordinate the two rooms that are next to each other.  My living room (although it is NOT finished) has African colors and pieces from my multiple trips to Africa. It is very earthy and warm, and the stark contrast of the blue might be nice, but my kitchen is bright reds and yellows, so the small space would look like Skittles exploded.  No bueno.

I initially chose a “rust” color in my head, the red/orange color you think of when you see an African sunset as it would coordinate with both rooms that it met with. I set off to all spray paint stores that I knew of in the area to find it; however, 2 hours and 3 stores later, I gave up on the ‘rust’ color and decided to go with something more practical. In the moment during a huff of frustration I chose bright orange. I thought it would work because the antequated style and modern color would make it awesome, rather than just weird. 

Here are the steps I took to make the chairs awesome:

1.     Clean to get any grime off of chair

2.     Used medium grade sander to remove finish

3.     Clean again to remove dust from sanding

4.     Prime! I used the low VOC one so that I could do it while watching a movie

5.     Used fine grade sander to even finish out

6.     Clean again to remove dust from sanding

7.     Spray paint!

8.     Repeat steps 5 & 6

9.     I applied a second coat of paint to make it look awesome

Here are the chairs at the table!  Now I love it.  I feel so chic.  What do you think?

Happy Painting! 

Love,

The Lewis Dots

Yes, my cat Jazz did want to be involved, so he got into the primer, see the white stuff on his bum? So I allowed him to be in the final shot. 

The Bookcase Redesign

Hello, friends!

As published in an earlier post, I am walking you through the process of redesigning my office on a minute budget.

This time we are examining a bookcase I hated.  See it to the right, and you will hate it too.  It is an old, laminate bookcase that has been beat up.  Upon first glance this fella doesn't have much hope.

I was inspired by Emily Henderson (she is my style idol) and her redesign of a bookcase. Yes, hers was with good wood and great design, but I learned that if you paint only the back of the shelf, you help the design of the case pop!  You notice the shape of the shelves and its contents rather than the color.  Your eye goes through the case to the objects, so your design of the objects better be interesting as well.

1. I started by cleaning the bookcase, scraping off any residue. This part is doable by everyone.

2. Sand down! I didn't mention this in my earlier post because laminate is not quite as important to take off prior finishes.  For this project especially, because nothing is sitting on the painted area (the backing) it isn't as important that the paint be ultra durable.  Just that it looks even and pretty.  I used a medium grade sander by hand because I can't yet afford a professional sander.

3. Prime! For large, flat areas I cannot express how much you should use a roller.  It just makes your life easier and the paint looks amazing afterwards (I know this because there are some areas that I skimped on it and the final product is not as professional looking). Use a low VOC paint and you can paint indoors!

4. Sand again? This, again, I didn't mention in my earlier post, but sanding after each step of paint and primer makes it look so much more professional.  I used a fine grade sander in between each coat of primer and / or paint.

5. Clean again? I bet you are saying, For reals, LewisDots! Why do you keep repeating steps? Because, reader, I have learned from experience that doing multiple small steps in between the process will make the end product look impeccable.  After you sand, you may feel like you have all of the residue off, but clean it again with a chemical solution and you will find all sorts of nastiness on the rag. To get your paint to stick effectively you should make sure nothing is in between your layers, such as dirt.

6. Finally paint! Oh yes, the fun part.  You could use a spray paint, but this bookcase is bulky and hard to move, so I used a roll-on blue that matched the color of my prior table. In the picture you can see a paint brush, but that is just for the edges. I am not at my most chic during my painting projects...

7. Sand again - see step 4 above

8. Paint again!

Enjoy your work!

What do you all think of the final product?  I will do a post on bookcase styling next.  Enjoy!

My first project!

Before getting married, I thought I didn't have any furniture.  After getting married, I was shocked to find that my husband and I had TOO MUCH! Our tiny home looked like a hodgepodge of 80's laminate and hand-me-down items.  Not my idea of chic, even when I came from a background of Anthropologie and love the perfectly mismatched.  My husband and I also live on grad-school incomes and don't have extra cash to justify a beautiful new endtable or custom curtains; we have to re-imagine what we've got.

I started with painting the laminate endtable, thinking that if they looked terrible I could just throw them out and no one would know better. I was inspired by Centsational Girl's credenza, and decided to follow a similar pattern.  

This is what I started with: nothing special. 

1. Clean the table well - let dry

2. Prime  - with smaller surface areas (legs, sides, etc) I found it easier to spray or use a small brush.  With larger areas (top) I used a roller brush, but it will leave a rougher texture.  I primed twice to be safe.

3. Tape off desired area to stay white.  I measured and was meticulous about taping because that blue will run!  I have read that you can paint the same color over the taped area to prevent bleeding, but I didn't feel that was necessary with the design I used. 

4. Paint! As you can see below, my trusty partner Jazz was there for moral support and general malarky.

I have multiple projects I've finished after starting the journey of redecorating my home.  This is the first - so easy and so cute!  The pattern is a 20's inspired modern, which is great with my other girly furniture, and works really well with the vibrant blue.  

Overall, I think this table is a success! And it will be even cuter in my newly designed office - below you can see how it is styled, but I 'm not set on it yet. Let me know what you think.  

Blessings!

the lewis dots