Walnut&Ivory: Making a House a Home

Before & After: Dining/Living!

walnutivory — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 23:37:52 +0000

To kick off this fabulous Friday (oh how I love Fridays!!) I thought I’d share the latest happenings at Walnut & Ivory homestead!

This is the living area before, with the previous owner’s furniture…

And this is after a few ‘afters’ since I moved in, as I’ve now moved my dining table here as well! The walls are ‘Limed White’ Dulux and the back of my bookcases I painted ‘Pebbledash’ Nippon for extra depth and focus! I’ve also joined up to the leaning mirrors bandwagon which in my opinion works better when you have such heavy mirrors!

I decided that I should be arranging my house as to what works best for us, not how it ’should’ be. So I have used this large area as a living and dining as we simply don’t need so much space!

Please note the gorgeous round pedestal table and adorable chairs! These were my latest find from the thrift shop as I had been on the hunt for a round table for a while! In the spirit of a true DIYer, I was far too excited to remember to take a before picture so I had to hunt one down on the net. This is the closest I could find, the whole set was in the baltic pine colour of the top of the table..

I busted out my trusty spraypaint and only required a primer and top coat and they were ready to go! I also picked up some cute ‘ducks egg’ cushions to make them a little more comfortable… Here is the after!

I’m so pleased with the cosy ‘country farmhouse’ feel it has. I still do intend to sand down the top and stain it more a walnut tone, because MY NEW HARDWOOD FLOORS ARE COMING SOON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.. Sorry, a little excited there.

More pictures? Sure!

The blanket box found it’s way out of our bedroom, it’s just too nice to keep hidden away! A little seating area for reading…

My very first ‘tablescape’. I went for a simple country theme to match the dining setting.

My own DIY cloche I made from upturning a cheap vase and a little wooden cheeseboard!

Beautiful wine glasses were an engagement present from my parents…

I love the detail of these little lanterns, they were on special at Spotlight a while ago, I wish I had have bought more! Love lanterns!!

I’m really pleased with how the dining set turned out. Just how I had imagined, which is always a good thing!

I’m lovin that tulips are in season, found these pretty pink ones at the supermarket!

This is another before from a different angle… It’s amazing how dark the space felt looking back now!

And after!

Please excuse the hulking air-con, I’m afraid it’s a necessity in Australia!

So that’s the new arrangement, I think it works better for us and I have always felt that a dining room should have lots of natural light, whereas the corner it was tucked into before just wasn’t providing it. As much as I would love a huge window in my office, I don’t particularly need one as I have lots of pretty things to look at on my computer (such as all your lovely inspiring blogs!!) Thank you to those who have joined up to follow my process, it means a lot and inspires me to keep making the most of my home! Much love!!

Linked to SomewhatSimple! and A Soft Place!

Dining Sneak Peek!

walnutivory — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 23:20:29 +0000

Just a quick update on my new dining arrangement…

It involves white paint makeovers!

Mirrors and natural light!

Proper update coming soon

The Guest Room Gets A Colour Injection!

walnutivory — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 06:49:13 +0000

So I got a little colourful in the bedroom today…

It was a little too white before and I had extra pillows lying around so I thought ‘why not?’.

The colourful quilts are handmade by the boy’s Gran… The tissue poms have migrated from the lounge room for the winter.

So for the reshuffle of some things around the house, I managed to produce a different look for the room for a whopping $0.00!

Little bit cute isn’t it

My new hardwood flooring isn’t much further off either, very exciting since this little room will be our test run!

Linked up to Between Naps on the Porch!

Before & After: Dining Room Becomes My Office!

walnutivory — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 01:38:41 +0000

After realising that the current layout of my house wasn’t working for me, I decided to move things around (again!).

One of my main gripes is the open living plan of this house. I’m much more of a separate rooms kind of girl so am finding it difficult to arrange everything to suit us.

Previously I was using one of the bedrooms as an office along with the boy, but it wasn’t big enough for the both of us (but mostly him and all his … stuff) to put it politely. I decided to vacate the premises as I’m someone who likes to work in a more aesthetic environment!

I always think a dining area should have a nice natural source of light, but where the previous owner had placed their dining table, it’s more of a dark corner of the otherwise open plan.

Before..

I’ve moved the dining area next to a large window, so I’m a lot happier with the new arrangement.

After..

The desk used to have a hutch and was beech laminate. I gave it a couple coats of ‘Whisper White’ and removed the hutch and installed floating shelves above the desk instead, it feels a lot more open and airy rather than a heavy piece of furniture.

This is the desk before (and in our old house)

After…

Before it became an office but after it became a new dining area…

And now, it’s new life as my office!

I think it makes more sense to arrange your house to work for you, instead of feeling as though you should work for it. And this is what works for us

I will update soon on the new dining area!

Linked at Funky Junk!

Before & After: Entryway

walnutivory — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 06:10:04 +0000

I’ve been wanting to make my entryway more inviting for a while now, but as I’ve had absolutely no budget to do so I had to get a little creative and shop the house!

Are you ready for my super amazing entrance, the first impression as you walk into my home??

SHAZAM!!

… I can tell you’re impressed and can’t wait to come in (if only to get out of the entrance quicker!)

As lovely as it is (cough), I really was hoping to create a slightly more welcoming entrance. The problem with this is the utter lack of room and that great hulking pillar that doesn’t seem to be contributing much (sure it may hold up the roof but still!) Having zilch to spend, I wandered my house and took bits and pieces from here and there to make it a little homelier…

Certainly a little more inviting and whilst not exactly ideal, it’s a definite improvement on a $0 budget!

I wonder if the fella would notice if that pillar just up and disappeared one day?

…

He might notice the roof caved in.

Just throwing this in for good measure. Once you start to shop the house, it becomes a little hard to stop. The wine rack and beach print has been replaced with my favourite mirror ever and a little extra bench seat.

Mind the dog on your way out. Lazy little mooch, I asked him to move but although those ears are perked, he chose not to hear me.

So overall, not a bad little makeover for what I already had on hand!

Before & After: Landscaping with Photoshop!

walnutivory — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 23:24:08 +0000

Let me just preface this post by saying I am in no way, shape or form any kind of gardener or landscaper. My ‘green thumb’ has killed many a plant in it’s time so for now, I’m probably safer gardening on Photoshop…

This is my backyard, it’s horribly barren and I’d really love to get in there with a hoe and some dirt but at the moment, finances just won’t allow!

I would like a wraparound verandah and french doors.. But again.. I’m dreaming because at the moment we simply can’t afford to.

Here is one version I came up with… A definite improvement, but still not ideal… At least I can play around without killing any plants this way

5 Quick Decorating Fixes I Can’t Live Without!

walnutivory — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 00:05:44 +0000

1. Spraypaint – So you’ve found the perfect chair at the thrift shop … only it’s brass or something even worse (but honestly, I can’t think of anything worse than brass!). Solution? Spray paint it! Half my house is salvaged goods that are better than new, and all they needed was a little spray of paint. Couldn’t get by without it!

2. Slipcovers – What else needs to be said about this one? I have the most comfortable lounge suite, unfortunately, its tartan. I’ve since purchased multiple slipcovers over time and now, you wouldn’t even suspect its Scottish heritage.

3. Baskets & Boxes– Who knew storage could look so good? I have baskets everywhere! On top of my fridge, in my cupboard, acting as a coffee table in my sitting room… and they all act as a wonderfully sneaky disguise for all my unsightly junk!

4. Rugs – Rugs will hide a multitude of sins. Is your floor a slapped-on faux-tile linoleum that has your guests thinking you have tiles until they see it curling up your wall, coming unstuck? Me too! Smack a rug down and watch the problem disappear (okay, maybe a little optimistic, but it can be a definite improvement!!). I’m not even afraid to throw rugs on carpet in my quest for the ultimate cover up… see above!!

5. Mirrors – Have a small room that seems dark and dingy? Put up a large mirror opposite the main light source and gasp in amazement as that room instantly doubles in size. Bouncing light around the room is an awesome way to open up the space.

I’d love to hear your quick decorating fixes too!!

Blanket Box!

walnutivory — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 09:15:52 +0000

This weekend turned out to be fortuitous indeed! My fiance’s Dad built a blanket box for their bedroom (they have a bay window similar to ours) but it was a bit too big. After seeing the blanket box earlier in the week and asking if I could have one made as well for the cost of materials, I ended up with first dibs on this one!! The soon to be FIL brought it around earlier so I was quick to stuff it with blankets and create a neat little sitting area in our room -

Love it much? Yes, yes I do!

Before & After: Guest Room!

walnutivory — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 00:47:16 +0000

Well I finally got around to organising a guest room this weekend!

I’ve been putting it off for a while now because the two end rooms of my house had become a dumping ground for all our junk that didn’t have a home. I’m happy to say I now only have one junk room, so I think a good old fashioned garage sale will be in order shortly to clear out the rest of my clutter.

I made a headboard from outdoor pine gates, by cutting one in half and adding them to either end of a full gate to create the W pattern. I’m thrilled with how it turned out, I think it looks lovely. I painted the gate ‘Limed White’ which is a light grey that I have used throughout the rest of the house to tie it all in.

Before we moved in…

And after! The walls are painted ‘Whisper White’ by Dulux and I looooove it! It’s white with the teeniest touch of grey to soften. Lovely!

Everything in this room was to a budget of $400, including the bed! The side tables are possibly my favourite at $20 a piece new. I also gave them the ‘Whisper White’ treatment whilst I was painting the room, and I love how they turned out!

Part of the gate I salvaged and painted as a little feature to pretty up a corner of the room… and my beloved tissue poms!

I’m so pleased with the headboard, it turned out a lot nicer than I expected. If I didn’t have to buy the bed, the room would have come to around $100, so not bad for a room makeover right?

PS: A big thankyou to those who have joined up to my site, it makes me happy that others enjoy my projects too!

Linked up at Funky Junk Interiors

and

Before & After: Lounge Room!

walnutivory — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 10:00:53 +0000

Good evening my dears.. I trust everyone enjoyed their Easter (as well as the extra long weekend – which some of us had cut short by work, but nevermind that!). This weekend I found myself supervising the installation of floating shelves all over the house.. One such room I haven’t blogged yet, the loungeroom!

Let’s have a look shall we…

Here is the loungeroom before we moved in. It’s not particularly unpleasant if you like peach walls and faded green carpet (but personally, not a fan!).

First thing to go was the black pelmet!

Below is our loungeroom now, after a lick of paint, a spot of shelving, a smattering of Martha Stewart’s tissue poms and some slipcover magic!

Please excuse the faded green carpet, my blackbutt flooring is currently drying in a big kiln as we speak and will be in my hot little hands within a month. Can’t wait!!

Love them or hate them, there seems to be no middle ground on feature walls. I, for one, LOVE THEM. The photograph is one I took of the local beach one morning. I do all my own framing with frames from budget stores and fix them up with spray paint! Very affordable art!

To say I am having a love affair with tissue poms would be an understatement. We have decided to leave our respective families and forge a bold new life together. Not really, but they are amazing. You can make them too, go here to find out how! Piece of cake!

Below is another before, but this time from a different angle.

I decided a nice charcoal gray feature wall would really highlight the TV unit (Ikea, glad you asked!)

It definitely feels a lot more open and inviting now, I can’t wait until I can lay my floorboards though, it will take it all to the next level, as wood has the uncanny ability to do..