Paint it Black...Paint It Like New!

One of my lovely sponsors for the 'Delicious Room Makeover' contest was Burlington based company Paint It Like New.  If you've followed my blog for any amount of time, you probably already know that I am a big fan of theirs.  Owner Janet Hamilton stands for all that I believe in when it comes to upcycling and repurposing items for home and office decor.

Painted Pew for sale at Paint It Like New!

Painting an old piece of furniture is not a new concept but I can tell you that it is still very much on trend in the world of interior design.  If you are looking for a change, the easiest and most cost efficient way to transform either a piece of furniture or an entire room is to use paint.

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To celebrate Halloween, Paint It Like New are currently offering an extra 10% off anything sprayed in their 'custom black' until the end of October.  Janet says "Painting an inexpensive piece black, instantly makes it look more expensive" and I agree!  To prove it, here are some before and after pictures of items sprayed black at their shop.

Great for the entryway or as an alternate to chairs at a kitchen table.

Love the curves on this piece.

Drum side table

Looks like new!

If you don't have something that you can paint, visit second hand stores like Value Village, the Salvation Army or Reuse centres.  Alternatively, click here to see the 'Upcycle' section on the Paint It Like New website where you can pick your own piece and customise the colour to suit your decor.

Don't limit your choices to just wood and wicker pieces, brass items can be sprayed too. Check out this classic yet modern light fixture Janet just had done for her new home.

Fast forward and use your imagination to visualise how items will look once done and in your home...

Neutral hallway with hits of black

 And here is a headboard freshly sprayed in custom black...

I found this bedroom photo with a black headboard that totally pops off the wall and looks amazing!!

The black painted headboard is the star of the show in this bedroom

Thank you to Paint It Like New for sponsoring my contest and congratulations to Kris who was our third place winner of the $100 gift card towards spray painting services!  Email Janet at paintitlikenew@bellnet.ca for a free estimate if you have something that you would like to have sprayed and added to your ~delicious decor~.

If you liked this post, you might also want to see:

Before and After Pictures

Antique Market Season

Is Reupholstering worth your while?

Over the next few weeks my blog postings will be addressing questions from readers who kindly sent me their design dilemmas. Be sure not to miss a post and become a subscriber by entering your e-mail address below.

Do you have a space you would like decorated before the holidays?  You still have time to get your place looking fabulous for Christmas!  Contact me and I can help you create a space that you are happy to come home to, share with family and entertain in with friends.  E-mail me: claire@creatingcontrastdesigns.com   

Thanksgiving table decorating ideas and more

Thanksgiving is a wonderful time of year.  Reconnecting with friends & family as well as sharing memories and making new ones, reminds us about what matters most in life.   It is also the ideal opportunity to decorate your ~delicious decor~ in fabulous fall fashion.

This vignette encompasses many organic and textural details that I love about fall decor

Make a Grand Entrance

Your front door and porch is where you welcome your guests and set the tone for what they can expect once inside. So be wary, the more lavish the design and details, the higher the expectations may be for their Thanksgiving meal!

So many ideas here, it's all in the details.

For example, notice the differences in the way these front porches are decorated?  In the above vignette there are various decorative items. Overall it feels very cosy and inviting.  

Whereas the porch below is more simplistic yet meticulous in the details of the design.  Note the neatly placed golden apples above the door, the carefully painted and displayed pumpkins as well as the attractive ornament on the front door.    

Great contrast with the black and white.

It's not to say that one is better than the other, but just different and often indicative of ones personality as well as their decor style.  I personally prefer the first one, with its many textures and natural look with the leaves scattered on the porch. But the second one is pretty too!

Setting the Table

Once your guests walk through the front door, why not wow them with some of these fun and fabulous decorating ideas for dressing up your table. 

Spray paint pumpkins white to play down and modernise your colour palette

The leaves on the creamy napkins are a nice touch

These florals work on a buffet table, not so much for the actual dining table though.

This boxed display is so warm and festive.

It's all in the details...

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Glass vases and jars are aways great accessories.

What would a posting of mine be without including some marvellous mason jars?!

These mason jars above appear to be painted in rich warm colours that complement the flowers and berries within them.  There are so many ideas for repurposing these little wonders, they really are handy to keep extras of them around the house.  See this post where I showed you how they could be used for wedding decor as well.

Like this post?  Other related posts you may enjoy on Fall decorating ideas are:

 A few ideas for decorating your Thanksgiving table

 Change your seasonal decor without breaking the bank

Halloween Decorating Ideas

Become a subscriber and never miss a post! Enter your e-mail address just below for your fix on helpful interior decorating ideas and tips.  I promise lots of pretty pictures for your viewing pleasure!

Looking for professional advice on decorating your home?  Contact me, I can help you fall in love with your home again.  Please e-mail me:  claire@creatingcontrastdesigns.com

Check out my first guest posting!!

A few weeks ago Tina at Living Fresh wrote a fabulous guest posting for me on how to make a beautiful floral arrangement with flowers from your own garden.  To read the tutorial, click here.

I returned the favour by writing a post for Tina's blog all about wooden furniture and my latest trip to Aberfoyle Antique Market.  It's been a while since I wrote a post about furniture and Aberfoyle so to get your fix, please click on the link below and happy reading!

Guest blog post:   Who wooden't love this old furniture?

Hope you are enjoying the final week of summer before the kids go back to school!  Can't believe the summer is nearly over, where does the time go?!!

Repurposing ideas you don't want to miss!

This summer one of my projects is to repurpose an old mirrored frame into a jewellery display board.  I am tired of all my necklaces & bracelets tangling themselves up at the bottom of my jewellery box.

Messy jewellery, ugh!

I chose this frame (below) as I liked the detail and it's a solid piece as well.  My hope is that if I can display my fashion accessories nicely, it will not only be easier to see each piece of jewellery, but it also make a lovely piece of artwork!

Here is the idea (below) of what I want to do with my frame. I will need to use a neutral paint colour and non-bossy fabric because as much as I would love to redecorate the bedroom, at this time we have no plans of doing so.  Therefore, this piece needs to be flexible as I do not want it to become the 'bully in the room' that I need to work around.   

This display is doing double duty by being both functional and pretty at the same time.

Are you thinking of repurposing something for your home decor or to place on your pretty patio this summer?  Here are some more fun and fabulous ideas that I found and wanted to share with you.

There are so many options for cool and unique repurposed lighting

Wine bottles can still be enjoyed once empty, who knew?!!?

Not terribly functional, but these look cute.

I love how this rustic ladder has been used as a light fixutre.

Oar headboard - perfect for boathouse or cottage bedroom.

Shoe ladder as a display - how cute would this be in a shop window?

I see a lot of these baskets in my travels but never quite like this

I picked up this wooden children's potty from the side of the road & decided to use it as a plant holder for the summer.  I'm not too worried if it only lasts one season, it looks cute and didn't cost a penny!

I will be sure to let you know when and how I've recreated my frame into a fabulous display board for my bits and bobs of jewellery.  I will share photos as soon as it's complete!

For more creative ideas, check out my 'Repurposing' board on Pinterest.  If you've done something imaginative with an unusual item, please e-mail me & I will post it to my board to share with others.

We've all got them, but what can you do with yours??

We all have them.  Items acquired over time that we've bought but never used, nor returned.  Gifts kindly given to us by friends or family that we may not of been particularly fond of or had no use for in the first place.  Before boxing up such items in the basement or selling them in your next garage sale, consider if any of these items in your possession could be upcycled or re-purposed. 

Repurposing -The use of something for a purpose other than its original intended use.

I initially purchased these hooks from Ikea to place in my front hall at a level my kids would be able to hang their own coats on.  In the end I decided against the idea but instead of returning them I placed them in an obsolete drawer never to be seen again.

IKEA COAT HOOKS

A little while later I thought it would be useful if the 'tea station' area in my kitchen had a place where I could hang mugs.  This way the mugs would be easily within reach when needed as well as be decorative on the wall and fill up some negative space.  It was then that I remembered about my IKEA hooks and thought they would be perfect for what I had in mind.

My husband can always find a mug for his morning cuppa!

My next re-purposed item was found when I was backpacking across Europe many moons ago.  If you've ever been to Munich in Germany chances are you visited the Hofbrauhaus. It is a brewery that allows you to enjoy traditional German beer in a great party atmosphere.  When you've finished with your beer you are allowed to keep the large glass stein as a souvenir. 

Tourists flock to this old German brewery. As a backpacker in my twenties, it was awesome!

My stein sat empty on my dresser for a while until I wrapped it up and tucked it away  in the back of my closet for eternity.  Fifteen years later I had this ingenious idea of where I could re-purpose and enjoy my glass stein mug daily...

Perfect utensil holder in the kitchen and quite the conversation piece as well. 

Here's another re-purposed item I use in the bathroom to hold our toothbrushes.

Glass mason jars have many different uses and can be bought second hand for a great price

The latest item that I have repurposed is my pine vanity.  It didn't allow much room for clothes so I moved it to the kitchen where it is much more functional.   

This is so much more functional as a desk and charging station in my kitchen then it ever was as a vanity.

The children do their homework or play games here while I am close by to help them & see what they are up to. Chris checks his footy scores when he comes home from work and I touch base on my e-mail throughout the day.   Although I have considered painting this piece of furniture, it works well with my decor in the natural pine finish so if it ain't broke, don't fix it! (I will however re-upholster the stool in the near future)

When you find yourself on your next organising frenzy and clearing out old boxes hidden away in the garage or up in the attic, think outside the box to see if any of the items can be re-worked into your homes' decor.  If you've already got something that you have repurposed don't keep your ingenious idea to yourself, I would love to hear about it. 

Upcycle for Fun and for the Earth

The word 'Upcycling' refers to taking something that is old or useless and giving it new life.  This process has become very popular and to save on our planets' resources it is now more important than ever.  I would like to share with you a couple of my upcycling projects on items that may of otherwise been left to the curb.

My chair

I found this lonely old contemporary styled chair and immediately saw potential.  I had no idea what I wanted it for but I was up for the simple challenge to reinvent it's look.

After an hour of removing staples, I was nearly there!

I purchased some new foam, chose a contemporary flocked fabric and began the process of  re-upholstering the seat. I found it best to start at a corner, pull the fabric tight and begin stapling.  The wooden piece was painted a creamy white and I freshened up it's thin legs and frame by spraying them in a semi-gloss black.  I screwed it all back together and...

Just a little bit of TLC and the chair is better than new!

My other project was to convert a french provincial style mirror into a cork/eraser board.  This project was a little more in depth than the chair and I was excited about the process.

Here is the mirror...and me!

After removing the mirror I lightly sanded down and primed the frame. I applied a black satin finish paint  with a  small foam roller to the wood. (although spray painting it would work too).  I purchased an eraser board from Staples that was just the perfect size to fit into approximately half the frame.  After painstakingly removing its' frame, I placed the eraser board into the top half of my newly painted frame.

At Home Depot I purchased some thick cork board which they very kindly cut for me to the exact measurements to fit into the remainder of the frame.  I glued a small silver t-bar between the cork and eraser board to hold it securely in place.  I added some simple, colourful detail to the top of the frame and re-applied the backing.  The final outcome....

Not the best picture, but you get the idea.

 What do you think?  Both of these upcycled items now have a place in my home office & I love them! 

This was used as a filing cabinet 

I found this piece of furniture for Janet, owner of  Paint It Like New.  It's a bit deceiving as the extra hardware makes it appear to have 4 drawers when in reality it only has 2 really deep drawers.  Here is what Janets' dresser looked like after it had been sanded and sprayed...

The piece is totally modernised and I especially love the hardware

Janet painted the dresser the same colour as her head board which gives a cohesive look to 2 completely different pieces of furniture.  The paint is a pearl finish by Benjamin Moore, colour  'Nightshade' 2116-10.  A pretty big transformation from the dull filing cabinet. Nice job!  If your hungry for more makeovers, check out this blog on 'Before and After' projects.

 I highly recommend Burlington based company 'Paint it Like New' where Janet and her team provide quality re-spray painting of furniture. 'Upcycle Furnishings!' is a new service they offer that allows you to purchase a one of a kind item and spray it in the Benjamin Moore colour of your choice.  Visit http://www.paintitlikenew.com/  to find out more.  You'll be glad you did your part in salvaging something and giving it a new life!

Have you upcycled something?  I would love to see it.  If you are you looking for a specific item, I can help.  Contact me by e-mail:   claire@creatingcontrastdesigns.com.