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Sunday, April 18, 2010

Sunday Fun—Spring DIY

My taste in decorating tends to be conservative and uncluttered with calm, neutral colors but an entire room filled with beige and cream and tan can be, well, boring. Which is what my living room was. It needed some accent colors and I finally decided on a shade of turquoise-approaching-teal with smaller hits of green.

I found this desk in a secondhand store—this photo was actually taken while it was still in the store—and my husband painted it off-white.

The desk needed a chair and I found this one on Craig’s List, cheap. One leg was damanged, the upholstery was musty and the stained wood uninspired.

I’ve had this little spindle table for ages, also a secondhand store find.

Here's how the chair and table look now.

I’m really pleased with how well the desk and chair work together, tucked into a corner of the living room next to the fireplace. My husband received the vintage panther lamp as a Father’s Day gift from our kids.

The little table is great with this slipper chair. The duck was rescued from a thrift store and the rattan basket (purchased for a dollar at a garage sale) holds magazines. I’m still putting together a collection of photographs for this wall so eventually it won’t look so bare.

My next project will be some toss cushions made from what’s left of the floral fabric from the chair seat and a coordinating striped fabric.

It's taken a while to assemble all these pieces and it's still a bit of a work in progress, but I'm really happy with the outcome so far.

Do you have a spring DIY project in mind? I’d love to hear about it!

Until next time,
Lee

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

quite inspiring, Lee, especially the elegant little desk just made for writing letters to friends. Looks like something out of Jane Austen, and the blue is a nice contrast.

Lee McKenzie said...

Jane Austin...I like that. I also enjoy sending letters and cards to family and friends so yes, this is perfect.

Gillian Layne said...

Oh, I love it! And that turquoise color is all over my new better homes and garden magazine.

Your pictures look like those on many home blogs. I can sucked into those before and after pictures for hours. I love seeing what creative people can do with their homes.

Lee McKenzie said...

Thanks, Gillian! Turquoise is definitely trendy right now.

I love treasure hunting in secondhand stores and thrift shops and flea markets, and it's always fun to put a fresh new face on a bargain.

You might enjoy Absolutely Beautiful Things. It's one of my favorite design blogs.

Rachel said...

I especially love your new/old desk and chair, Lee, with the command to Relax right there on the desk!

Lee McKenzie said...

Rachel, I have discovered that even when I'm sitting across the room with my feet up on the coffee table, the Relax command is equally as effective ;)

Jodie Esch said...

What fun! Gifting yourself with potential projects is a great way to go. Loved your before and after photos.

Lee McKenzie said...

Thanks, Jodie! And you are so right. Taking on fun little projects like these really are a gift.