Tuesday, September 18

make work projects



poppy posted about an ironing board that got powdercoated a shiny new red finish. my first reaction was "oh my god, i wish i had a band that i played keys for so i could use that as a stand." and my second reaction was to look around the loft to try to find something i could powdercoat. sadly, i don't have a thing. but we've recently inherited a secretary desk that i think needs an airy and light wire or metal share, or maybe brightly painted bentwood number, and after seeing the pretty red ironing board i'm thinking metal.



we also recently inherited the white lacquered cabinet in the photo on the left. it was my boyfriend's mother's and i think she bought it back in the late '60s. the trouble with the cabinet is two-fold... 1. i don't yet have enough to fill it so it looks rather bare. this isn't really a problem because it gives me a pretty good excuse to shop. 2. all of our dishes are white, and almost all of our glasses are, well... glass, and so it looks pretty severe and uninspired. i'm debating papering or canvasing the back in a bright colour like the gorgeous teal shown in the cabinet on the right that was featured over at design sponge. i'm not sure what to do... thoughts?



a couple of months ago i was visiting with my mum on vancouver island, and we ran into the local thrift shop where i spotted this mirror and wanted it immediately. that said, they wanted $40 for it, and i am never willing to buy something unless it's a good deal, and i just didn't think that was a deal. a month later it still hadn't sold so the shop dropped the price to $8 and my mum scooped it up for me! i love the embroidery, but the frame itself is just hideous. so what do you think -- shall i paint it a dark burnt orange pulled from the embroidery thread colours, or should it be black? i'd do super dark chocolate brown, but brown and orange are way too A&W root bear for my liking. i'm not so sure straight up black is the best way to go, but maybe i'm wrong. what do i do?

2 comments:

leslie said...

oooh, fun home decorating projects - i love it! i'd defintely give the paper in the cabinet a try or maybe even just a subtle contrasting colour to bring out some other aspects of the room? and i'd go black for the frame, i think it would really set off the colour in the drawings. i love that you got it for $8 - that's my kind of shopping!

erin said...

leslie, now that i've sat with the mirror for a few days, i agree that black is the way to go. now the question is matte, or high gloss?!

as for the hutch, i think i'm leaning toward a pale robins egg blue. i'm going to wait until after the flea market this weekend though. maybe once i've filled it up, it won't look so stark! i wanted to paint a floor mat for under the table tomorrow, but i have been roped into spending the day canning with the mother in law instead. i have a feeling my home improvement projects are never going to get done!