Friday, April 2, 2010

That 70's Condo


My most recent project has been to bring our condo out of the 70's and make it a place that I actually felt comfortable to live in. As always, I have been on a tight budget throughout the process. So far, we have completed the bedroom and dining room. Other than a few set backs along the way, it has been a ton of fun.

Here is a shot of the dining room before (this is shot from the kitchen looking into the mirror wall, you can also see to the living room in the back).






New dining room! This was such a great adventure for Michael and I.  I found these chairs at Target and it was love at first sight. The fact that you buy them in pack of two and you can pick your colors was right up my alley. They were not necessarily the best deal, but since we are renting the condo I wanted make sure that I did not buy some awesome antique chairs that would break while someone was sitting in them. SO... we had the chairs and after a few junk stores and no table prospects, we were getting a little worried. Then we hit the jackpot! We were driving down Highway 98 and all the sudden there is was, Scavengers. From the moment we walked in and the sign said "pets welcome", we knew we were in the right place. I quickly found 3 tables that I loved. After some wheeling and dealing, we ended up with this little guy! We started talking to the owner and had so much fun deciding what we were going to use as a centerpiece. We decided to keep with the theme of mixing modern and vintage. Of course my go-to for a table is some sort of candle, but I really did not think that it was best to promote strangers lighting fires in the house! Since the table is so small, I took on the project of creating custom sized place mats. I made the place mats under the shell circles by simply coiling rope, but alas I ran out of time and glue so I will have to bring them back next time. We also lucked out with the rug store having a huge sale! We got an indoor/outdoor rug that you can take outside and wash, perfect for renting.

The Old Bedroom


This is the original furniture that my Grandmother picked out when we bought it. She did a great job, because this stuff is totally making a come back. I just thought it could use a good ole coat of semi gloss.







Ahhhh. I can breathe. The bedroom was an easy task. Remove the silly beach stuff, and fake plants, change the bed spread, paint the furniture, and paint some beach themed paintings.



Close up of the dresser.



Here are the paintings I did for the bedroom. Several people have asked about pricing, so here you go!
$25 for one piece and $125 for a set of 6.



Here's a little sandpiper on the opposite wall in the bedroom.



Original wallpaper.


If you can believe it, my Dad bought the painting specifically for this bathroom. My only regret is that I don't have a picture of the plastic underwater scene shower curtain. (later replaced it with a white waffle weave shower curtain)






Lightening the color of the walls and making this whole space much less confusing and busy was the goal.  I also make sure to pick a lighter color than my first instinct on the color chart. I almost always pick a color that almost looks white on the color chip. I want the walls in a room to add to the room rather than be the focus.


Just for Fun!

Soon we will be tackling the living room and the floor. Get ready...