Tolix Chairs for the Dining Room!

Have I mentioned my complex? The one about buying furniture brand new?

Seriously, I mean complex. The whole concept is just an enigma to me.

Don't get me wrong though, I know second-hand is not always the best way to go though if I happen to spy you buying something so generic they sell one every five seconds on eBay for just fifty cents please forgive me for wrestling the credit card from your hand!

My sister does it all the time and it drives me nuts. Luckily she's my sister so I'm allowed to wrestle her.

Anyhoo, I faced my fears last week and couldn't be more pleased with the result....

Four brand new tolix replicas now grace my dining room, making perfect companions for my rustic farmhouse table.

With their low slung backs, sleek lines and robust gal finish not only are they beautiful, though as one of my readers pointed out, they are also perfectly child proof!

I did a fair amount of research to find a local supplier with the best price and ended up getting all four chairs for around $450 AUD. Not too bad.

The hammer hasn't yet fallen on the auction for my previous IKEA chairs though whatever they sell for I'm gonna mentally take it off the total price of the new chairs - it just makes me feel better.

So, here's my dining room around this time last year...

And here it is today...

Last year...

Today...

Did you catch a few other new details in there too?
I've been tizzy-ing up a storm lately and will post further details soon.

So, as a self-confessed newfurnitureneurotic who's not overly convinced that buying pre-loved can't be applied in every instance, in this case I reckon brand new was the way to go.

And until the tolix replicas make their way onto the second-hand market it's a heck of a lot cheaper, if not quite so prestigious, than forking out for the current pre-loved ones on offer (I'm not saying I wouldn't love some gorgeous Xaviar Pauchard originals though!).

Linking up here.

The Painted Hive Master Bedroom

Some interesting wall angles and the need for tonnes of storage really dictated the design for our master bedroom. Function and budget were high priorities so I decided to work 'pretty' around 'practical'. The neutral palette combines loads of natural texture with vintage elements for a relaxed yet fresh feel. While there are still a few additions I'm considering (bench seat, gilt mirror, another piece of art or two - oh, and my task lamps!) I'm pretty happy with how it's coming along. I’m also waiting to put some finishing touches on the built-in robe doors and will share the after pics of them soon too.

So, here’s the floor plan just to give you an idea of the room’s weird shape (BED 1):

And here's the space before (cringe!):

Well, that was after we already simplified the canvas by painting out the green walls and brown trim (Dulux Chalk USA on the walls, Dulux White Watsonia on the trim), replacing the dirty old carpet and removing the completely translucent ultramarine blue curtains!

If you've been following this makeover from the beginning, aside from being incredibly patient :-), you should also recognise a fair bit of the decor.

(If you missed any or all of the lead-up posts you can catch them here where you can read about, amongst other things, how I created the massive map, made my linen throw and cushions, came up with an attractive blackout window treatment solution and used gift wrap for wall art).

Pretty much all of the decor has been thrifted, bought on clearance or hand-made and every piece of furniture in the room is second-hand. Here it all is pre-makeup:

(To avoid a massively lengthy post I'll cover each refurb in more detail in separate posts shortly).

Now, if like me you love a good before and after you’ve come to the right place!

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

And just cause I can’t help myself here are a few little detail shots too:

 

         

If you’re interested in some further info about this room makeover, including the item origins and cost breakdown, keep an eye out for some separate future posts.

Have a great week everyone!

The Nursery Reveal!

Before Charlotte actually out-grows her cot I thought I'd better finish off her room! Well, for that reason and also cause it's about time I finally shared it on my blog.

Of course it would have been completed four months ago before she actually arrived in the world if it hadn't been for that pesky eight week hospital sojourn (giving it a sweet name derived from old French makes it sound so much more appealing!).
It's a neutral space with nothing too flash or poppy so for those who have been waiting (far too patiently!) for the reveal I hope its simplicity doesn't disappoint :-)

BEFORE

The nursery was originally our unfinished study/junk space/I-collect-too-much-furniture-and-have-nowhere-else-to-put-it room. It's teeny tiny, about this big...

...which made it a tricky little space to decorate (and photograph).

If you're new here and feel so inclined you can catch-up with the previous nursery posts here which outline some of the design process and projects to this point.

AFTER

 To give the room some dimension, charm and crispness we dressed the walls with simple white board and batten. I didn't do a tutorial on this (mainly because there are already a squillion out there though also because we kinda just made it up as we went along). I will say however, that if you're considering a similar treatment it's actually pretty straight forward - especially if you're willing to call spak your friend :-)

To save extra painting (and because it's already nice and neutral) we decided to retain the original colour on the upper walls. It is Dulux Chalk USA as per the rest of our house.

The generic old wardrobe doors had to go though rather than trash 'em we decided to rehash 'em, offering salvation in the form of chalkboard paint and custom alphabet decals.

BEFORE

AFTER

The process was similar to how I transformed the built-in doors in my master bedroom here.

We just removed the doors, bottom rail and fascia (which simply unscrewed) took them all outside and painted the metal beige areas with black enamel spray paint. Once dry, we gave the doors two coats of chalkboard paint. After a few days curing time I attached alphabet decals which I had custom made in Poor Richard font by Leen the Graphics Queen. They remind me of a classroom blackboard - I really love them!

I picked up the cot (crib) off eBay for just $40.

BEFORE

I was umming and ahhring for ages about what colour and finish to go with though eventually settled for a warm grey.

I used organic acrylic (so it's safe when Charlotte decides to start munching on it) and mixed up the colour myself. I finished the cot with a subtle glaze and light distressing (so it will only add to the character when Charlotte decides to start munching on it!).

I also replaced the plastic castor wheels with an antique porcelain set taken from an old Edwardian chair.

AFTER

For some weird reason the window in the room sits slightly to the right so I hung the curtains centrally, covering the frame to create the illusion of symmetry.

Of course I needed a blackout solution and the linen drapes from IKEA were merely light filtering so I also used a textured blockout roller blind.

I knew from the get-go that I wanted an original antique to use as the change table. Eventually I found a reasonably priced gorgeous old mid 1800's cedar chest of drawers on eBay. I adore the patina and proportions. We keep all the change-time paraphernalia in the top drawers so it's completely accessible when needed though otherwise kept neatly hidden away.

I posted about mt eBay rocking chair mini makeover here previously. I decided to enhance it a little further with some subtle burgundy grain sack stripes.

BEFORE

AFTER

The light fixture is a repurposed old zinc basket. You can read the full post and tutorial for that here.

The gallery wall was basically free. I wanted to create a quirky vintage feel so used a mish-mash of frames (some I already owned and others from op shops)...

...and filled them with free printable art I found on The Graphics Fairy, Vintage Printables and the NYPL Digital Library.

The lamp stand is a repurposed brake fluid drum! You can read about it in this previous post.

BEFORE

AFTER

I made the mobile using hand-carved timber birds, laser-cut metal leaves and some twigs from my backyard. You can read the tutorial for it here. It adds a lovely organic feel to the room.

And to finish here are a few side-by-side B and A's just for comparisons sake.

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

Hope you like it!
I'm taking Charlotte's willingness to sleep peacefully in there as her sign of approval :-)

Linking up here.

Source and Price Guide

Linen Curtains: IKEA $90

Textured Blackout Roller Blind: Lincraft $80 (on sale)

Antique Chest of Drawers: eBay $300

Cot: eBay $40

Rocking Chair: eBay $100

Lamp Stand: DIY Project $5

Lamp:  Sokol $110 (wholesale)

Cane Storage Baskets: Kmart $14

Wire Basket Ceiling Light: DIY Project $15

Wicker Waste Basket: The Reject Shop $10

Fitted Ticking Cot Sheet: Target $15

Throw Blanket: Spotlight $20 (on clearance)

Bird and Twig Mobile: DIY Project $15

Custom Alphabet Decals: Leen the Graphics Queen $14

Sheepskin Rug: Gift

Sunburst Mirror: Repurposed from Master Bedroom (originally from Oz Design $60)

Project Guide

Wire Basket Ceiling Light

Bird and Twig Mobile

Faux Pressed Tin Lamp Stand

Rocking Chair Mini Makeover

For details relating to the Cot Makeover, Gallery Wall, Wardrobe Door Makeover and Board and Batten Treatment please refer to the post above.