i n t e r i o r . s t y l e .
I'm inspired by both lavish and modest spaces. From New York to New Orleans. Designer to DIY.
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I love these bright floral patterns. I want these two things together so bad, wish I could incorporate them into my home!
Today I finally got around to reupholstering the hand-me-down Ikea dining chairs my mom gave me when I moved. The “before” version pictured here is actually a previous reupholstery done by my parents.These chairs are at least ten years old so for Ikea, they’ve held up surprisingly well.
I didn’t document the process since it’s pretty self explanatory—I just removed the four screws that attached the cushions to the frame of the chair, removed the previous fabric and went staple-crazy.
I’m really happy with the results! I was fond of the previous fabric (although it was dirty and thus needed an upgrade), but this fabric is definitely much more “me,” I was surprised by how much the crisp white and bright green colors brightened up the room. I also like how the orange color of my purse looks with the fabric, so I’m going to try and pick up some tangerine colored accents.
My kitchen art progress—postcard art!
To decorate my walls on a budget, I framed a lot of postcards that I have collected over the years. As a hoarder of postcards—at around 60 cents a pop, they’re hard to resist!—I’ve developed quite the collection of 4x6” images. I have bought many postcards with the intention of using them to decorate my space. In college, I simply taped them above my bed in an interesting formation. Now that I am finally decorating my apartment, I am actually framing them, which is exciting!
Since custom framing is very expensive (it would probably cost a hundred dollars per postcard if I wanted 4” matting), I’ve gone the thrifty route, which turned out even better than expected. On a recent trip to Ikea, I bought at least ten frames of various sizes. The pre-cut matting that comes with Ikea frames is cut for standard photo sizes, not postcards, so I knew I would have to get my own matting. I brought the measurements of my frames and my “art” (in this case, postcards) to Lee’s Art Supply and had custom matting boards cut to fit my frames and art perfectly. The matting was the most expensive part (between $10-16 depending on the size of the frame), but custom matting really gave my art a professional finish.
In the picture above, I have three of my favorite postcards. I wanted to put the apple art in a large frame so that it would draw the eye to the piece, since I was getting custom matting I was able to get an asymmetrical cut. I am very pleased with the results!
I love passing time on shopgoodwill.com. While the layout of the website leaves much to be desired, it’s a great place for fabulous cheap finds for the home. Despite the outdated HTML layout, it is a lot more convenient than rummaging through dusty shelves at your local Goodwill. While items like Hudson’s Bay point blankets are much coveted and often have intense bidding wars, there are a lot of awesome one-of-a-kind finds that receive much less attention.
Here are some great finds I’ve come across
Currently this Hudson Bay’s point blanket is currently at $31, with five days left, it’s guaranteed to at least hit the $90 mark, which is less than half the cost of a new one.
The starting bid for this “radio/phono cabinet” was only $9.99! It ended up selling for $52.21, which is still quite a bargain. The only downside to purchasing furniture over goodwill online auctions is that you usually have to pick it up, so you can only shop locally.
Luckily, for smaller items you can still get delivery. These great bookends ended up selling for $26.
At $7, this vintage suitcase could make a great rustic accent.
Copper mugs and sugar dish, sold for $21.31.
This old radio sold for four dollars and one penny! Although it may not be functional, it’s still pretty neat, especially for a neophobe.
Last but not least, shopgoodwill seems to have a neverending supply of old typewriters. Some are in functional condition, others less so, but many are quite beautiful. This vintage L.C. Smith and Bros. typewriter is currently at $13.11, with less than 24 hours to go, it’s a steal compared to many of the offerings on etsy and the like. I definitely plan to get an old fashioned type writer for my home in the near future.
These photos are a little premature, but I finally started hanging things up on the walls in our new apt, and I needed to share.
I am impressed by the outcome, hard work, and patience that went into this five-year Bushwick reno.
West Village loft reno with cool built in elements. Click through for full slideshow as well as stunning before/after photos.
