Updating a Built In Desk with Paint and Decor

Updating a Built In Desk with Paint and Decor 
by Gloria

Hi! I'm Gloria and I blog at A Little Paint. I feel like my life is now complete since Cassity asked me to do a guest post here on Remodelaholic, huuuge fan. So a little about me, I blog mostly about what happens in and around my house. We bought our house in Oklahoma about two years ago, and I've kept busy, painting, repurposing furniture, you know, the typical new homeowner stuff. When people would come over and ask where I got this or that, and I would almost always end up telling them that I made it or painted it and they would respond like I just built the ark or something. Finally, I decided to start documenting my creative problem solving so I started A Little Paint back in January and have loved every minute of it. If you've wanted to start a blog, but have hesitated to, just do it! Don't worry about the name or the details, it's a lot of fun, you won't regret it!

Now onto the task at hand! This is one of the bigger projects that I tackled in my house, painted cabinets. For those that have done this before those words might make you cringe remembering the hard work that went into it, most of the time though, the results are completely worth it. It's like having a baby, once it out you totally forget about the pain. Just kidding, I'm clearly not a mother yet.

Here are a couple of before shots...
It all looks so dingy and typical. I took this picture from the front door. It's the first thing you see when you walk in, so I knew I wanted it to be a feature wall that draws you in and makes an impact.

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Fabulous Basement Remodel Tour

Basement Tour By Amanda!

Hey y'all!  I'm Amanda from Dixie Delights and I'm just *delighted* to do my very first guest post over here at Remodelaholic!  Honey (as my mister is affectionately called) and I just wrapped up an extensive renovation on our basement. 

Here's the story that's a year in the making...

Two years ago when we purchased our forty year old home that boasted a "finished basement" clearly they were using the term "finished" lightly.  The space was loaded with navy blue carpeting, dark painted paneling, water stained ceilings, various mirrored walls and various other unmentionables.  I refused to step foot in it, much less take a picture of it.  Hence, I have only a couple of pictures to document the before.  

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Built in Banquette from Recycled Cabinet

Budget Breakfast Nook using Recycled Cabinets! By Rachel 

I have the most super best friend from college. Smart and funny, she's the only one that can get me out of a funk when I am having one of those days. Now that we are "grownups" we live 3 hours apart but still talk a million times a day. She is what I'm not...I am what she's not. We joke that when you put us together we make the perfect woman! We started this blog several months ago to give us something fun to do together. Marlene is into fashion, wine, dining out, skin care, and the finer things in life. She's a wife, mother to two adorable little boys, and a private jeweler at Ascot Diamonds. I, on the other hand, rarely get out of exercise clothes, love projects, and welcome a challenge anytime. I love to clean, build, create, paint, and generally have 5 projects going on at the same time. We are Accessorize and Organize!

This is the story of how I transformed my breakfast nook in my 60 year old house...

Can you believe this use to be my laundry area? Seriously!

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Living Room Remodel, Adding a Fireplace and Built in Bookshelves

Living Room Remodel, 

Adding a Fireplace and Built-in Bookshelves by the Anderson's

Today’s remodel feature comes to us from The Anderson’s blog, which documents this young and energetic couple’s adventure of renovating their first home.  Moving from a small one bedroom apartment in Chicago to a four bedroom home in the suburbs has been a fun journey to watch as they make each space truly their own.  I think you’ll be inspired with Eric and Courtney’s most recent project in their home renovation adventure: their living room.

Before:

After:

Background:

Within the first week of moving into the house, we decided the living room was the first place we wanted to update.  The previous owners were in their mid-90's and had a very interesting taste to say the least.  Mirrors, colored carpet, flocked wallpaper everywhere, etc.

The living room is massive and we wanted to add a big statement when people walked into the room.  We thought a fireplace and bookshelves on the back wall would eat up some of the empty space in the room and create a more intimate feeling.  Plus, it wouldn't take up too much space in the room.

Here's how we did it:

We first began by taking off the pink wallpaper and faded blue carpet, which revealed beautiful hardwood floors (lucky us)!  I really like the color blue, so I wanted to paint the background of the soon-to-be bookshelves blue to have a pop of color in the room.

Why would anyone cover these up?

Starting with the fireplace, we decided on white cararra marble to go with the white mantle we picked out.  I wanted the room to feel light and open, and I thought adding a dark marble to white built-in bookshelves would separate the wall unit.

First, we took out a small portion of the hardwood in order to set the marble hearth level with the floor and make the fireplace feel more custom-built.  Using some of the remaining wood planks, we then created a frame around the hearth to enhance the customized look.

Next, we had the fireplace box installed:

Then, we built the frame and drywalled around the fireplace box:

Ta da....

Marble facing and mantle up, along with the Restoration Hardware sconces I found on Craigslist.com:

We followed that up by adding bookshelves:

Painted them...

And added the shelves...

Lastly, we finally filled the bookshelves to complete the room!

The End Product:

Thanks for sharing along in our project!  It has been a lot of fun to see this room transform and we're excited to renovate the family room next.

Love,

The Andersons

Social Retargeting by Chango

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Built in Hutch Transformation

Built in Hutch Transformation By Tracy

Hi, I am Tracy from Tracy’s Trinkets and Treasures.  It is so exciting to be guest posting at Remodelaholic.  I couldn’t say yes fast enough when Cassity invited me to show you my hutch transformation.

Getting the courage to paint this hutch took me forever.



Looking at it now makes me wish I had painted it long ago.

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PR 2: Painting the Bookcase Interiors Black!

Progress Report #2
Painting the Bookcase Interiors Black!

Well, this may be my "#2" progress report, but it is not crap!  (Sorry, I find potty humor kinda funny!)

I painted the shelves.  I was given the gift of a good long nap time (thank you Etta and Lydia!) so I just went for it.   Actually you don't ever really  know how long nap time will be when it begins, so I started working on the lowest shelves first... I got the bottom three shelf backs painted before I had "helpers".  Thank heaven for baby packs- hands free!

I used the black door paint that I already owned... I had only one problem, it is semi gloss.  After I got it up I realized it needed to be matte (like the paper test version), or eggshell at least, but it needs more than one coat of paint anyway, so I will have to get to that next.

Do you likey?  Me Likey. (Hey Mikey... that rhymes)  And since it is my house, I am trying to make myself happy.... so I guess if you don't like it, just be glad, my brush wielding self isn't on a rampage...

Way Before...

Before, (with test paper)

Starting to Paint...

 

By the way, we hung a small T.V. in the shelves, the black helps to disguise it a lot.   

We don't actually have TV channels, it is just a movie player.  Actually I got a great deal on buying it on Amazon.  It is a region free player, 19 inch flat screen for $109. bucks.  NOT bad I tell you, I looked round.

It is perfect for the Dutch movies we buy to help Etta supplement her language learning.  Otherwise, it is also there purely for distraction purposes when I need to cook or clean the kitchen (my excuse is that at least it is in a foreign language...most of the time)  

(Oh ya, I rented Tangled, hadn't seen it yet.  I LOVE IT...

 I may have literally watched it 7 times in two days, and no it wasn't in a foreign language, so no excuses)

After- Ta da! 

I am really happy with the black.  

Honestly though, if I hadn't seen this image that I posted about, I don't think I would have thought of it.  Which is sad since our doors are all going to the dark side too, and it really compliments them.    

Oh, and I do know that I haven't "staged" the shelves.  I am not naturally a strong "decorator"- I am not into knick-knacks at all, and until I am sure exactly what colors I am using for the whole space, and I am not purchasing anything for them.   I guess it will be something that will be saved for another day... which is good, cuz I need little projects to do for you all!

Tell me, would you ever consider painting the interiors of your shelves black?  I'd love to see them if you do!

p.s. On the family front Etta had her first ponytail- so I have to show you all a few pictures.

Have a great night!

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Progress Report Numero Uno; Testing A New look with Paper

Time for a reality check people....

When I started remodeling my first two houses (Logan and Downing), I didn't really know about blogs.  And guess what?  I did what ever I wanted.  I wasn't concerned if it was cool enough, or if I was clever when I wrote about it.  I tried whatever I wanted to at the time.

Do you wanna know what happened?  Some things were temporary, some things permanent, some exciting, some things boring... but in th end, I liked it.  Our goal of being able to sell the house and earn money happened both times (even when we bought at the highest point in the Asheville market and sold at the lowest...)

But beyond that, I had fun.  I wasn't confused about what I wanted, I just did what I thought I liked, through whatever inspiration surrounded me.

Then in October 2009 I really started blogging... I wanted to make this blog a place for people to come and learn things and enjoy.   So, I stopped posting about my cats (poor babies) and I showed less of my children... (and I am telling you you are missing out, cuz they are super cute) I tried to be informative, I tried to keep up with the blogging Jones-es, and I totally lost my nerve.

I had another baby and was slapped with reality!  Smack!

Blogging about big projects is hard... heck showering is hard... having money to spend on anything besides diapering those two little bums is nearly impossible.

So what now?  I do LITTLE TINY PROJECTS because of time.  But I haven't posted about 90% of the things we have done cuz it isn't a huge or cool or a pottery barn knock off just simple before and afters but I realized something.  Cue the aha moment... thanks Oprah!

It doesn't have to be huge, and you don't even have to like it... but it is my reality and truth right now, and in the end that is how we sell our house.  One little tiny update at a time... even if our couches don't match or we choose the wrong living room rug... or I wear my pajamas all day(and so do my kids) while it is accomplished...

Well, because of this, I have come to a decision, I am going to start doing progress reports.  I will not strain my little mothering-sidetracked mind to be too clever.  I will not try to explain everything- I could talk the hind leg off a mule people.  I am just going to show a few pictures of some of the things we have done lately or that day, or never posted about from forever ago.

Sound fair?  I hope I don't bore you... and I am giving you fair warning that my cats might creep back into my blog... they need some attention, they used to be our only children after all, so they have fallen from that glorious existence... and need some extra love.

and why wait right, (since it may never happen again if I do) Let me give my first progress report then.  The other day I showed you a picture of some white shelves with black interiors that I found inspiring.  Well we just finished building our shelves, and while I like them a lot... they were still missing something... Because I don't have time to re-paint several times, I tired it out with paper, to see if I liked the way it would look..

and I was sold...

Tell me what you think!  (Please don't judge the super short drapes... I am aware, they look sorta silly!  At some point there will be a  window seat there, and technically they are just push-pinned in place to see what they would look like! and will probably be there looking silly for another 4 months before anything changes... talk about reality people!)

Before:

After:

Way before... (I can't believe I forgot to take a before picture, I almost never do that! URGH!)

 After:  ( I only had so much paper...)

This post was made possible by Barbie and the Diamond Castle... as you can see in the image above!

(or else I wouldn't have had the chance to do anything...)

Uh, no I haven't staged the shelves, at all.

I will be back with pictures of the painting process hopefully soon!

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Vintage Crates as Bookshelves Idea

Images via Retropolitan

I love this idea, I had to document it.  The cool thing about this project is that it could be recreated really easily.  Bulk trash day is coming up and that means old wooden fence posts will be waiting around every corner here in Texas...  I think I need to do some trash pickin'! 

Do you guys like this idea?

This project was contributed by one of our fabulous readers!  We love to share your projects with this great blogging community.  So, if you have projects from kitchen renovation ideas to small bathroom remodels, overhauled and repurposed furniture, spray paint updates you name it please send it in!  Thanks for reading Remodleaholic!

Check out these posts for more vintage crate goodness:
Chicken Crate Coffee Table
Great Looking Storage: Wooden Antique Crate with Casters
Make your Own Wooden Crates

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Farmhouse Styling

Farmhouse Styling

I will admit, I love country/farmhouse style.  It feels so inviting to me.  I like that parred down country look, (I should clarify) it is less fussy-stuffy, more homemade.  Eclectic.  I like how things tell stories, or used to belong to your grandpa...  So when I saw this image from Country Living I had to share! (and a few more from the same post.)

I love the bookshelves with the ladder (a want something like this is my dream home!) 

 And did you notice the wide pine floors?  

I love the natural, chippy-aged over time- feel of this cabinet, and those dishes are the perfect shade of blue!

I like all the different patterns and stripes in the bedding and of course the old suitcases!

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White Book Shelves with Black Interiors

For those of you that have been reading my blog for a while you know that I just recently had our second child.  This transition has been hard... (you mothers of more than one are all laughing I am sure)  But there is a major difference between one child and two.

Namely, with one, you are almost always guaranteed to have some time to do what you want during naps.  But with two, they do this tag team thing, (a secret combination if you will).  One says to the other, "You stay awake, while I rest and then we can switch!"  Don't get me wrong, I love having them, and will have more, it is just taking a little time and more patience(for the things that I want to do but can't) than I currently have, but it will come.  And in the end the family living in the room is more important than the perfect looking room, right?

But with this new little babe it is so much harder to get things done around here, and even if I do get a project done, blogging about it is almost impossible- (I will still try to post though, don't worry).

But I am constantly being inspired by great design, so I think I might show off a few inspiration photo posts now and then.  I used to do this in the past- but made it harder than it needed to be, so I stopped, but here is to new beginnings!  I think this will help me to feel like something is getting done.

This image came via my Apartment Therapy email.  I love the black doors, (which we have been doing in our house).  But what really caught my eye was the interiors of those shelves in the background.  The black!  I love it.  I was thinking it might be an interesting option for my living room shelves.... (but do you think I will ever get the chance to paint them again? I am not so sure, especially with how hard black would be to cover up, I might have to test it out with black paper and see how it would look in real life.

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Built-in Bookcases; Living Room Update 5

Living Room Update 5: 

Built in Bookcases...

By Remodelaholic

If you wanna read about our current project 

click here Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Rugs, and Sofas.

Sorry about missing the living room post last week.   I am getting the hang of this two child thing... sorta, tired yes, but at least for the next week or two I have an infant that sleeps all day so it isn't too much harder. YET..., thank heaven for easing into the transition.

Anyway, so I left you hanging a bit about my sudden design change and request for some built-ins in our living room.  I told you how the space is a walk through to get to the kitchen and because of this traffic pattern, it naturally separates the room into two areas.   Which means, we had to figure out a way to fix this a bit.

I should explain, this space is not our "family" room.  Yes, we have a box of toys and plenty of board books to read, but this space is not our room to really entertain or hang out, that space is upstairs.  We don't actually have a T.V. in this room at all either (although I am considering a small portable version for desperate moments)... we don't watch T.V. on a regular basis, I just don't have time (exception to rule: Biggest Loser, but sometimes we catch up on this one online too!).   If I need a distraction (think making dinner) for the little meisje, I bring in the portable player so that I can get things done while Etta stays busy dancing to the Barbie movies...  This means that we are setting the room up for conversation, not around a TV screen.

On with the plans then, we have two awkward corners in our living room, as shown below with the large arrows, the long lines are the basic traffic patterns for the space.

The diagonal corner makes no sense, I think there must be plumbing running through that space, cuz there is no other reason for it to be diagonal like that.  Ugh!

The opposite corner by the stairs is cut off from the other space because of the way we have to pass through the room.  There is hardly a way to use the space.  A small sitting ares is about all, and I have tried this in the past with no success.  The problem is the space is too small that it just doesn't fit well, even with a single chair. I started drawing up options for the built in for the corner by the stairs first as a solution to the space planning issues.

Below is what the space would look like with the columns finished, (they were installed but not trimmed out yet.) So I drew the moldings in and the copied the image a  few times to draw on it:

Here are the two options I was debating on:

A 2/3 height built in, would allow for a T.V. on top if ever wanted.  Would fill the space nicely and give you some pretty storage.

-OR-

Full height, uses up the whole space and adds a ton of storage space.

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