A 1950s UK Home Mixes The Old and The New By: Sabrina Smelko

Older homes with plaster walls are near and dear to my heart. Last year I made the scary leap to becoming a homeowner of a 1950s build and while they can be a pain in the you-know-what, I find comfort in their quirks—good and bad. So when self-described designer/maker, blogger and mama Sarah-Louise Kimmer spoke about the challenges of even hanging a photo saying, “I tend to use [Command Strips] and tape as opposed to attempting to screw anything now,” I couldn’t help but grin and nod with understanding. While older homes can cause some frustration, it seems that back in the day all home builders were expert problem-solvers and masters of function. The attention to detail made towards the flow and layout of an older home is something I always notice, and something that Sarah-Louise and husband David, who runs his own digital/brand design agency, kept top of mind when they were first looking for a home just over a year ago. Needless to say, they found what they were looking for: “I fell in love the second I stepped through the door,” says Sarah-Louise.

Located in the outskirts of Arundel, West Sussex, UK, the home was originally a police house. While it’s located on a somewhat busy street, the backyard opens onto fields and a small forest of trees which the sun sets over in the evening. (Talk about romantic!) When it came to decorating, Sarah-Louise comments that it’s still a work in progress. It’s the first time she’s had to compromise and find balance between her style and David’s style, but the design goal they do share is to maximize the feeling of light and space while keeping it cozy, comfortable, organized and family friendly and I must say, I think they’ve more than met those goals. The way they’ve combined the new with the old, hand-me-down and inherited pieces is brilliant. And though there’s myriad textures and colors in every corner, the restraint and subtlety balances the busy with the simple just so.

—Sabrina

Photographs by Sarah-Louise Kimmer

Images above: Sarah-Louise’s daughter Boo plays and jumps and does what all children do so well in Sarah-Louise’s lounge, which oozes with plenty of texture and gorgeous sunlight. It may be large (allowing Boo plenty of space to play and jump around) and bright, but it still feels comfortable and lived-in.

Image above: Sarah-Louise snatched up the Ercol day bed and glass factory trolley-turned-coffee table from eBay. The cushions are handmade by Sarah-Louise and the blanket is from House of Rym. “The lamp was borrowed from my mother… I’ve always had my eye on it… I think it’s staying!”

Image above: What a beautiful #WeAreFamily2014 moment, right?!

Click through for the full post after the jump!

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via Design*Sponge http://ift.tt/11p5jgS From Sabrina Smelko

Crafty Secretary By: Tammy

Materials: AKURUM cabinet, Harlig door, Lindingo cover panel, Rubrik Turquoise doors

Wanting a tidy place to put away my kid’s art and craft supplies that were taking over our living space, I came up with this solution.

From Ikea, I was able to get 24″x30″ and 18″x 30″ Akurum cabinet boxes from the ‘as is’ section, as well as the largest cover panel in the Lindingo grey. I bought new doors in Harlig white and Rubrik turquoise. All other hardware (legs, hinges, handles and chain) was bought at my local hardware store.

By placing the cabinet boxes sideways and adding legs, the drop down door (secured with chain) was at the right height to serve as a workspace. I cut the cover panel to hide all the seams and give it a finished look. After making sure it was all cut properly, I glued and screwed the components together.

And now creativity has a home that doesn’t take over the space!

via IKEA Hackers http://ift.tt/1uEbSZ3 From Tammy

Design*Sponge DIY Videos for Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day By: Grace Bonney

Earlier this year I had the pleasure of collaborating with the team at Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day to create a wide range of DIY projects. Using nature and gardening as inspiration, I spent a week creating all sorts of quick and easy projects like woven plant hangers, tree branch organizers and decoupaged tin can planters that use seed packages as decoration. Along with Paul Lowe of Sweet Paul Magazine and Maxwell Ryan of Apartment Therapy, I’m going to continue sharing creative ways to decorate and spruce up your home throughout the year.

Today I wanted to share the first little DIY video, where I’m making decoupaged tin can planters. I had a blast filming this and even got to spend a few days in one of our favorite Brooklyn home tours ever prepping everything for the film. I just found out this weekend that these videos will be running on Hulu, so you might see some of us pop up before and during your favorite TV episodes! xo, grace

via Design*Sponge http://ift.tt/1xjE2sU From Grace Bonney

LÄTT children’s table redo By: Svitlana

I hacked the LÄTT children’s table into something durable and nice looking. I bought a can of spray paint in “Ocean Breeze” colour and some wood planks at the Lowe’s to fulfil my plan. And look what I’ve got.

See more on my blog.

via IKEA Hackers http://ift.tt/1BJTt1I From Svitlana

Hackers Help: Locker Room Style Storage Bench with Hooks and Wardrobe Space By: OliviaB

I want to make something like the attached image for my son’s sports themed bedroom. I want a locker room bench with storage beneath and hooks above, but also with a wardrobe section at the side. Any Ikea products suitable for this?

TIA

via IKEA Hackers http://ift.tt/1wP9MCk From OliviaB

A Bright Norwegian Nest Sure To Put a Smile On Your Face By: Sabrina Smelko

I’ve been lucky enough to have traveled to beautiful Norway myself—though was unlucky to tear a ligament in my ankle on the trip, moments after a successful (and yes, I’ll admit, typical) “I’m in Europe!” mid-jump photo. However architecturally gorgeous, the cobblestone streets weren’t fooling around that day. But not even a cast could stop me from soaking in and swooning over the history, culture and Scandinavian design and architecture. It’s a design style that’s stuck with me over the years and one that I often browse and seek out online, so when I was scrolling through my Instagram and came across @BenesNordicHome, I just had to get in touch.

Characterized by simplicity, minimalism and functionality, Scandinavian design has become such a popular design trend in the last few years, but what a lot of people don’t know about this movement—including myself until I experienced it firsthand—is that it’s also very much about creating a space that evokes happiness. So when I asked photographer Benedicte Thomassen what her goal was when she and husband Daniel were searching for a home and decorating, I wasn’t surprised when she came back with “My goal was a happy home!”

Built in 1887, Benedicte and Daniel’s wooden townhouse is nestled on a quiet street near the city center of Skien, a region in southern Norway. When Benedicte and Daniel first saw the home, they knew it was the right home for them, their two Chihuahuas Zoe (3 years) and Chanelle (6 months) and budgies Pipp and Papp. They instantly fell for the white-painted wood exterior, the large windows and the modernized aspects of the historic home. “There was an original timber wall in the kitchen, stairwell and wooden floor in the living room,” explains Benedicte, “The house will never be [perfect]… but that just makes it charming.” —Sabrina

Photographs by Benedicte Thomassen

Images above: Benedicte’s living room is her favorite place to hang out, whether it’s reading a book, styling her cabinet filled with beautiful trinkets, sneaking in a nap or cuddling with her dogs. Her sofa is from Muuto’s Connect Sofa System and the feline pillow is a custom print of a photo she took in loving memory of her cat.

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via Design*Sponge http://ift.tt/1ERNe8t From Sabrina Smelko

Hemnut Headboard By: Ivan Perna

Materials: Hemnes and Applaro

I used sandpaper to bring the natural wood ; I applied stain and glossy finish

via IKEA Hackers http://ift.tt/11kalLr From Ivan Perna

EXPEDIT Shoe Display By: Rob

Materials: Dioder LEDs, Expedit bookcase, Kallax wheels, Variera shelfs

I decided to display my sneakers using all IKEA products. I manage to rack up a few pairs and was running out of room to store. Using an Expedit bookcase already on hand, purchased in the “As Is” section, and a few other IKEA items managed to pull off a great display. Not only does it serve as shoe bookshelf but it’s also serves as a room divider in my small apartment. Adding the rolling wheels was important to easily move around the room. The LED wires are all tucked in along the corners of each shelf and ran to the back on the bookcase. The power supply box for each LED is screw on to a 2x4and mounted at the bottom of the case.

What took a while to figure out was the shelf insert. I had the IKEA $20 shoe inserts, now discontinued and were very expensive anyway. I would visit the site for ideas. Managed to find custom built ones and others fabricated using IKEA parts. I did not want to drill into the case or have hinges and bolts exposed. I found the Variera shelf used in IKEA catalog and after a few measurements for confirmation I rushed to the store. It worked great and the display case came together. I’m out of space already, will need to upgrade to a larger 5×5 Expedit shelf soon.

via IKEA Hackers http://ift.tt/1H90Hg2 From Rob