Automatic kitchen trash can LITE version By: szb9

Based on another automatic kitchen trash can hack.

Cheaper, easier to make but not so awesome.

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via IKEA Hackers http://ift.tt/1CVicAc From szb9

Studio Tour: Giselle Potter By: Maxwell Tielman

Illustrator Giselle Potter’s life story reads a bit like a modern fairy tale. She comes from a long line of artists, spent her childhood touring the world with her parents’ puppet theater troupe, and has gone on to have her work published in numerous children’s books and prestigious publications like The New Yorker. It seems to only suit this fabulous narrative, then, that this talented artist would end up living with her family in a quaint farmhouse upstate, working from a light-filled shed on her property. Kept company during the day by her family’s dog, Olive, Giselle spends her work hours surrounded by beautiful things: old paintings, vintage toys, collected oddities, and books. Her work station, a wooden desk flanked by inspiring images, is covered in pencils, inks, brushes, and sketches, the spots of pigment staining the surface only adding to the scene’s charm. Through the lime-green french doors that lead into Giselle’s studio, one can see her gardens, her husband Kieran’s woodworking studio, and the old white house she shares with him. It is a view that feels both serene and inspiring, something that undoubtedly lends itself to Giselle’s lovely and imaginative work. —Max

via Design*Sponge http://ift.tt/1FyzLnS From Maxwell Tielman

Washi and decoupage makeover for Bekväm stool By: Isabelle McAllister

In Sweden almost everyone owns a Bekväm. It’s a great stool but kind of boring so I made an upgrade. You can see more of it right here.

Map it! I took this stool and spray painted it with a Montana Gold Lychee 3000. You can paint it with normal paint as well – just this is so easy. Then I used a glue and varnish 2 in one (decoupage glue will work fine or Mod Podge). Cut out a paper world map poster. And used the varnish/glue on top. I could have used a normal glue to get the poster to stick and then just coat it afterwards with a wood varnish. A tip is also to cut the poster slightly smaller than the surface to prevent the edges from fraying. The surface will get harder with every coat of varnish. Just let it dry in between coatings.

The dotted one is made with classic decoupage technique. I used black and white dotted napkins from Lagerhaus. Then used a glue and varnish – 2 in one (decoupage glue will work fine or Mod Podge). You have to peel the layers of the paper napkins so you use only the pattered layer. Glue the surface and then stick the paper on it. It’s easy to tear of the edges. I did all the surfaces separately. It’s possible to glue around for example one leg and then cover it all with paper but I thought it was easier to do one surface at a time. Then seal it of with more glue/varnish. After a while you use multiple layers of glue/varnish to make the surface strong. On the stairs I put extra layers because of the wear and tear! I liked that the white kind of melted away and the stool got a wooden dotted feeling.

The washi tape stool DIY. The light in this photo is quite bad so the colors on this photo doesn’t do the stool justice but you still get the idea. On this one I simple used some washi tape to make the stripes and then sealed it with the same glue/varnish as before. At least 5 coats of varnish. Here it’s also possible to use a normal wood varnish on top of the tape. The legs got spray painted in Montana Gold Malachite6130 and yes – you can use normal paint if you like. I just couldn’t wait for “normal” paint to dry.

Thanks for a great site!

xx

Isabelle

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via IKEA Hackers http://ift.tt/1ISpNmK From Isabelle McAllister

Brutal Tarva By: Jenn W.

Materials: Tarva Tall Chest of Drawers

We wanted to match a Tarva to our 1970′s Lane Brutal bedroom set. Here’s what we did:

1. Assemble Tarva without the drawer pulls.

2. Cut pine planks in 2 widths/depths in rectangles and squares to create the pattern making sure that these pieces fit on the drawer face and do not hang over.

3. Sand the cut pieces of pine and arrange in a pattern matching our existing furniture on the drawer faces.

4. Use liquid nails to affix pine pieces; once they had dried overnight, pieces were secured with a nail gun. Using the adhesive kept them from slipping.

5. Stain the piece (we used 2 coats of mahogany, one coat of black).

6. Polyurethane the piece for protection.

Very easy to do, and it matches our furniture perfectly! I’m already planning to do a headboard.

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via IKEA Hackers http://ift.tt/1CecdBa From Jenn W.

Billy Bookcase for Stairs Landing By: Jonathan McKie

Materials: 3 x BILLY bookcases

At the top of my stairs landing I had a little bit of space where I wanted to put a bookcase. I bought a couple of small Billy units but they were too high for the space and just didn’t look right.

I cut the height down of the 3 bookcase to match the height of the stair rail and reduced the width of the middle unit to fit the space.

I also had to cut the side of the unit to fit against the profile of the stair upright.

Obviously when cutting the sides of the unit the top of the sides were unfinished so I bought a top from the local diy shop to fit on top.

Although it has a built in look it is all freestanding and can be removed easily to return the landing to how it was.

All that is left to do is finish the board on the top of the units. On the back of the units I placed a board across the spindles so it just looks blocked in.

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via IKEA Hackers http://ift.tt/1CQw6U2 From Jonathan McKie

8 Wall Decor Ideas Every Room Needs [VIDEO] From Jackie

Today's Inspiration comes from guest blogger Jackie Be sure to check out their blog!

Walls need variety.

Frame after frame is repetitive. Read: boring.

Hanging wall decor is one of my favorite home projects. The right piece or arrangement can instantly perk up any room. Wall decor is also one of the few DIY projects I still love. (See links to some of my favorites below the video.)

The best rooms strike a balance between frames, artwork, and other wall decor. A good mix creates good visual interest.

Your walls are what you look at the most. It’s time for them to dress the part.

In my classes I tend to focus on the how-to more than the inspiration. I definitely packed the Choosing Your Perfect Wall Decor class with lots of valuable how-to info, but with wall decor I just couldn’t keep myself from a little inspirational montage.

In this short video I share my 8 favorite ways to dress your walls:

Now that we’ve got the inspiration out of the way, join me for the complete Choosing Your Perfect Wall Decor class. I’ll show you…

• The rules of thumb for choosing the right size wall decor


• How to arrange wall decor above furniture (what works over sofas, headboards, buffets, and dressers)


• How to plan and hang gallery walls

+ and more!

Here’s what School of Decorating members are saying about this class:

“Love love LOVE this video class :) It’s helped me realize why many of my wall decor choices didn’t have any staying power! Your video about gallery walls has encouraged me to try again- after the class I feel like I have the proper tools and information to create a wonderful gallery wall that I’ll love for a long time! I can’t wait to start my homework now and I look forward to posting pictures in my decorating diary!” – Rose D.

“Wow, my head is buzzing! Thanks for another fantastic class. It’s like a light bulb has gone on in my head:). All of my homes wall placements passed through my mind during the class and it all made sense as to why certain areas just never seemed right. I am so looking forward to working through my home wall décor with direction now.” – Michelle J.

Are you ready to figure out your wall decor? Learn more about Choosing Your Perfect Wall Decor.

Here are links to the DIY wall decor projects featured in the video:

This is My Happy Place Serving Tray Art

Wooden Shield Gallery

Dinner Charger Mirrors

Jute Wrapped Monogram

Faux Zinc Letters

Standing Desk Keyboard Riser Shelf By: Ben

Materials: 12″x32″ black-brown shelf (Hemnes?), Capita 8-1/4″ leg

As simple as can be! I needed a keyboard riser to convert my desk to a standing desk. So, I grabbed a 4 pack of Capita 8-1/4″ legs for $16 and a nice black-brown shelf from the Handyman area for $3 and put them together. Perfect height! The shelf is probably from the Hemnes bookcase if I had to guess.

I had to pre-drill the screw holes into the shelf. Also, the Capita screws are long enough to go all the way through the 1/2″ Hemnes(?) shelf, so I used washers and/or shorter screws to prevent that.

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via IKEA Hackers http://ift.tt/1KGrRdc From Ben

A Brisbane Home Filled with Light and Treasured Collections By: Grace Bonney

If there’s one thing that most city apartment-dwellers learn over the years, it’s that you have to give a little to get a little. Even the most beautiful of spaces come with quirks and challenges, but those are just part of the joy of living in an older building in a bustling city. Nicolette and Tom know a thing or two about living with a difficult but beautiful space, and they’ve managed to turn what could have been a difficult space to work with into a warm, welcoming home.

Photographer and documentary filmmaker Nicolette Johnson shares her Brisbane home with her fiance, Tom Dawson, who is studying IT networking. They came across this sunny apartment two years ago and loved the area (just a short walk from Tom’s school, as well as the Gallery of Modern Art, the Queensland Art Gallery, the science museum and the Queensland Performing Arts Centre). The home is filled with great art deco-era details and, because it’s a corner apartment, comes with stunning curved windows and walls. While all these details (crown molding, polished hardwood floor, original hardware) sold the apartment for Tom and Nicolette, they also had to work around some small and difficult layout challenges and a few rooms that are just big enough for a few pieces of furniture. But quirks aside, Nicolette and Tom love their space and feel like they’ve created a calm private sanctuary away from busy city life. Between their shared love of travel collections and expert thrift-shop finds, they’ve managed to not just fill their home with beautiful things, but find a way to balance their desires for comfort and function with a creative and inspiring space. The space is still a work in progress, but Nicolette loves that. “Both of us are on a very tight budget and have been for the majority of our relationship, but we have managed to slowly pick up some great pieces here and there for a relatively insignificant amount of money. I think that’s how great collections are formed, slowly and deliberately.” I couldn’t agree more and am so thrilled to share a peek inside their sunny home today. xo, grace

Photographs by Nicolette Johnson

via Design*Sponge http://ift.tt/174wG3q From Grace Bonney