Design Archives - Page 7 of 17

Fugly Chic Houses

September 10, 2009 RH 1 Comment

I thought it would be funny to do an ugly house post, but when I started searching I discovered these totally rad homes that people labeled “ugly”. Is it me? Do I have yucky taste? You can tell me.

Come on, who doesn’t want to live in a house that looks like the Partridge Family bus? I think it’s swell for a raised ranch. The flag clashes though.

The photographer (Chad Miller) created a Flickr “ugly house” group because of this photo. Dude, this house is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen!

I like the way this flows. Why do homes always have to be boxy?

The Hundertwasser House in Vienna is one of Austria’s most visited buildings. I’m not sure how I feel about it. Not in love.

Pimp My Kitchen

September 4, 2009 RH 9 Comments

When reader Amanda wrote to me asking for recommendations on what to do with her 1950’s kitchen, I said “Let’s see some pictures!” So here they are. Leave your own ideas in the comments.

Here’s my input:

I still dream about those cabinets from this post and I think Amanda has to go PINK, PINK, PINK! Whatever color you choose (PINK!), I think the “Rick Wrench $50 paint job” are some of the best tips on the internets.

And don’t forget the pink fridge to match from this post. Ok, if these are too pricey, get an old fridge and paint it along with the cabinets. I’m not sure how I feel about vintage fridges though. Energy wasters, ya know?

Throw in a splash of blue for the counter top. See this post.

Vintage linoleum from Second Hand Rose. Kind of expensive. Hmm….how creative are you? I’m seeing painted floors.

Do you know about Retro Renovation? You can spend hours on that blog!

I’m done. Ok, your turn!

Fabulous Upcycled Furniture

August 26, 2009 RH 2 Comments

I’ve passed Fabulous Furniture on 28 in Boiceville a gazillion times, but last Saturday was the first time I pulled over. In a way, I wish I hadn’t, because I wanted everything in the shop and couldn’t afford a thing. If you’ve gone that route before, you know the place….with the car sculptures out front.

Steve Heller is the genius behind the metal sculpture, auto furniture and woodwork. His father was a junk collector/antiques dealer and he started working with reclaimed wood when he was 12. He opened shop in 1973.

Most of the wood used comes from fallen or rotten trees and other “misfit” trees that are unappealing to loggers. The defects are what create the intense patterns.

There are car bars and car couches and car lamps, but Steve also works on just cars. In fact, he won the NY Times’ Collectible Car Contest earlier in the year. Are you ready for this? He takes new cars and antiques them by adding old exterior parts. He’s currently working on a kick ass station wagon in the back of his building.

If you’re into collectible cars, you gotta visit this place!

Blogging The Splanch

August 19, 2009 RH 4 Comments

Rachel from Northborough, MA lives in a raised ranch. The gal is determined to give the house a makeover that will get rid of that 1980’s look. Because, let’s face it: 80’s music = good. 80’s design = embarrassing.

My Raised Ranch blog is sort of Rachel’s wish list. There, she thinks out loud and grabs inspiration from other raised ranch renovations.

I’m just posting some of my favorite photos. They may not all be raised ranches, but her facade can probably be altered enough to resemble one of these. Good luck, Rachel!

Related: Updating Raised Ranches

Painted Medallions

August 7, 2009 RH 5 Comments

Tip #45 (I just made that up) on dressing up a house: Colorize your details! A bit of color can go a long way in showcasing your architectural features.

Case in point: The Medallions. If you have a white medallion on a white ceiling, shame on you! Trick that beeatch out! Make her shine!

My new favorite thing for detail is metallic paint. Not only did I do the latest medallion in blue and gold metallic, I’m using a warm silver for the plaster crown molding. Brownstone Bling, Baby!

A few things you should know before you start:

1. Ugh, it’s a real pain in the arse to stand on a ladder and work up on the ceiling. It can take 2 full days to a week for fine details.

2. Which means, if you’re buying a new medallion, by all means….work on it BEFORE installation!

3. Back to old medallions, be sure to strip away multiple layers of paint if it’s covering grooves. Spread a thick layer of Peel Away, cover with plastic and leave overnight. You may have to do this twice.

3a. See the photo below of the little detail we found in the wall. You can’t really see the beauty of it with all that paint. The medallion above the light fixture in the “after” shot is a reproduction.

4. Spray paint makes life a lot easier, but keep in mind that it’s not easy to paint over, so you’ll need at least two coats to top it. On the blue and gold, I sprayed the gold and hand painted the blue, but I had to go over both about 3 times.

Got Blog?

August 4, 2009 RH 2 Comments

Materialicious has a new format! Justin has opened the site to the general public to register and submit content.

What does this mean? If you’ve got something to say on the subjects of residential architecture and design, craftsmanship, materials and products, here’s your outlet.

If you are a creative, you’re welcome to promote your work on the site. The site will be moderated and edited, so commercial work and spam is out of the question.

It’s a great idea! For the reader, there will be more material than a team of bloggers can ever provide. For crafts people and other bloggers, it’s free promotion. Now if I can only keep up with my own blog, I can contribute to Materialicious.

Garden Apartment Now Livable!

July 27, 2009 RH 5 Comments

After four years of restoration, two of those years on this particular apartment, I am pleased to announce that our dwelling is finally habitable. It’s far from finished, but it’s done enough so that we can furnish it and work around that.

This is normal for us. We haven’t lived in a house that wasn’t under construction since 1994 back when we were renting. Once we get this kitchenette sink in, we’ll probably give it a rest, leaving some areas without moulding or paint for a few years.

But for now…..a couple of weekends off to enjoy Brooklyn.

Ah, seems like only yesterday it looked like this….

Wanna see a “To Do” list?

1. Work around windows

2. Get shutters in

3. Radiator covers

4. Sink, counter top, backsplash

5. Paint sink base

6. Finish moulding

7. Strip doors (ugh, more stripping)

8. Clean up mantel

9. Re-do hearth (damn, forgot about that!)

10. “Fancy paint” for trim and medallion

Progress

Fabulous Recycled Chandeliers

July 17, 2009 RH 5 Comments

Emilia sent a link to Casa Sugar’s post on chandeliers made from everyday objects. (Ok, they may not all be from recycled material, as my title suggests, but they should be!) Some very beautiful fixtures were featured in the article, but guess which one was my favorite? The Barbie hair chandelier (above) by John Adler! How friggin awesome and creepy is that? What could be better? Answer: Human hair!

I’m also loving this crazy paper clip chandelier. How long do you think this takes to do? You can find out. It’s $300 for a complete fixture, but Etsy seller ReDesign Technologies offers a discounted kit if you want to do a little self assembly action. Honestly, $300 for a totally unique chandelier? Not bad. Not bad at all.

The plastic cup chandelier by Etsy seller Sunfish is superfabulous and are you ready for the price? $45! No, I didn’t leave off a zero. No, it’s not made in China. Sunfish is in Ohio. I know! Right? Take advantage while you can! Before Sunfish reads this and says “$45? What was I thinking?”

* Don’t forget. This post was totally stolen from Casa Sugar.

Not Your Average Stencils

June 4, 2009 RH

Since I’m all about stenciling now, I thought I’d share some info about Stencil 1 with you.

Up until now I was just running over to the local upstate farts and crafts store to buy run of the mill designs. Although….I DO love them! Well, I just got hip to Stencil 1….”graffiti stencils”.

How cool…

A few things that perhaps everyone except me knew about….

Stencil 1 is sold in stores throughout the city. In fact, throughout the world.

They have a book! It includes 25 reusable stencils plus instructionals. Plus, there’s a new book on the way that covers repeat patterns.

Their website includes how-to guides and a kick ass blog.

Related: The Stencil Library

I Love Stenciling!

May 26, 2009 RH 6 Comments

Ok, I promise this is the last time I’m gonna talk about this God forsaken floor. I have to show the (near) finished product though. Please disregard the patchy areas. I took the picture while the polyurethane was still wet.

Anyhoo, I really wanted to make life easy and use a design roller. I had never seen one before, but it was something I made up in my head. Well, after some internet research I found out it actually exists. Un- Wallpaper has a two roller system that evenly distributes paint while creating a pattern. Sounds like a great idea. The only problem I had was that I planned this out 5 minutes in advance, so ordering online wasn’t an option.

I ended up with stencils and foam stamps which I was able to buy at the local crafts store. It was time consuming to measure and layout the pattern and clean the stencils after each application, but it’s done and I love it. I noticed that Plaid, the same company behind Mod Podge, makes the stamps I used. Yay Plaid!

A few stenciling tips:

Clean the stencil or stamp each time you move it along.

Measure first! Tape or pencil in exactly where you’re placing the stencil.

There’s a spray adhesive you can use to keep it in place. I just taped it down.

You can roll, brush or spray the paint. If you’re using a brush, be sure to dab, not stroke.

Don’t breath, don’t move. As if you’re life depends on it!

AD Home Design Show. Missed It.

March 30, 2009 RH 1 Comment

I had every intention of going to the Architectural Digest Home Design Show over the weekend but it was not in the cards. I had a pre-implant tooth extraction gone bad on Thursday (I won’t go into the gory details) that knocked me out for the entire weekend. I don’t think it was the 2 hour dental surgery that did it, I believe it was all the drugs I was on afterward. I was hopped up like Neely O’Hara popping the dolls and I finally got permission from my dentist yesterday to stop everything. I’m feeling a lot better now, thank you.

Oh yeah, so anyway, I missed the Design Show. I only remembered that I missed it when I looked at 3 Rings this morning. They win my award for best write up. And check Get Back Inc. Can I want everything they have?

Preparing For The Estate Sale

February 6, 2009 RH 3 Comments

I’m teaming up with Beacon clean out guy Mario to do our very first estate sale. He’s on schmoozing and pricing and I’m photography and marketing. The home is in Hartsdale, Westchester and the date will be Feb 28/March 1. Mark your calendars! I’ll post more details as we work them out.

But let’s talk about the house for now. It’s a 1950’s not-much-from-the-outside. The interior is pretty cool! There’s a pink tile bathroom as well as the fabulous one in the photo. I was just loving all the gaudy little details like the door pulls and light fixtures. Very “Aunt Lenore has plastic slipcovers”. Disclosure: My Aunt Lenore had plastic slip covers.

Obviously, the furniture and tschotskes reflect the style of the house.

Sneak peek at Flickr photos.

There are 2 crystal chandeliers and a crystal lamp for sale.

Here’s the Story of the Brady House

February 4, 2009 RH 2 Comments

The exterior of the Brady Bunch house was a real home located in North Hollywood, CA. As a kid I thought the house was totally groovy. Looking back, I’m even more impressed with the retro design ala architect Mike Brady. That’s one rockin’ splanch!

These photos and cad drawings come from an obsessive fan. Glad someone did it! Check out his Flickr page and Brady house tour.

Plywood + Paint = Great Furniture

January 21, 2009 RH 6 Comments

I took yesterday off and went over to my friend Melissa’s house to watch the inauguration. Turns out, she’s a DIY furniture maven. Most of these designs were made from pieces of new plywood, with the exception of the china hutch, which I believe she told me was a curb find.

I asked Melissa if this was one of those spools that everyone (well, me) had in their younger days. It’s not. She cut the top from plywood. You can grab one of those spools for a reclaimed version, but they are not one solid piece, so perhaps it wouldn’t work as well. If you put glass over the fabric as Melissa was planning to do, that would take care of the problem of uneven grooves. I love this coffee table!

The kitchen counter top, again, just plywood, paint and a bunch of creativity and skills. I forgot to ask whether it’s coated with poly or resin. We all know how expensive counter tops are (Don’t we?). This is a quick, easy, inexpensive solution. Even if you don’t have any painting skills, a solid color with a stencil or tape guided lines could be fabulously gorgeous.

I didn’t ask, but it’s clear that this dining table is better quality wood than ply. With a bit of sanding and routed edges, it looks like a professional piece. You can do anything you want! A game board, an American flag (because I’m so patriotic now), fake place settings….

Melissa’s mom painted this furniture find. At least that’s what I think she said. Too much champagne yesterday. That cat is Melissa’s and she’s now close to 20 years old. Ok, so maybe you need some skills to paint this one. You want images but lack painting skills? Decoupage.

Coolest Furniture Ever!

January 15, 2009 RH 3 Comments

A hamburger bed even a vegetarian can love. Actually, it could be a veggie burger. Ya never know!

Just one of the many functional things you can do with an old suitcase.

This pinball table is a DIY job from Instructables. Oh, just wait until the hubby gets some spare time!

The peeing table is ha ha funny, but my cats produce enough of the real thing, so it’s no laughing matter in my house.

And what cool furniture post would be complete without an Obama high chair? From Etsy.

reclaimedhome.com

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