Monday

iDECORATE: BEFORE AND AFTER

Earlier this year I moved to Washington, D.C., into an apartment long on charm and views, and short on size. Much to my surprise, I'm loving living small. No more clinging to boring or unloved items; I feel free to throw things and out and start afresh (as I mentioned on the Great Couch Hunt). So I have. And, I decided that, other than upholstery and textiles, I'm decorating vintage as much as possible. EBay, One King's Lane, and antique stores are my new best friends. Thrill of the hunt! Here are a few first finds.

Pattern play - I had fun piling up the kitchen linens for a colorful effect atop the newly painted table!

BEFORE:  I scored this diminutive table in a vintage shop down South for around $100. It's English-made, and I fell in love with the delicate bamboo carving. Since I live in a studio, it was the ideal size for dining in - but not the ideal color. By painting it a high-gloss black, it would make a nice set with my bamboo fretwork dining chairs from Ballard Designs.

AFTER! A coat of primer and some black enamel, and it's a matched set! I love the way it turned out (much better than I loved painting each and every carving...). It makes a sweet little seating area, and when I move to a larger home, a nice side or card table. I'll need to learn to play...



BEFORE:  I found this sideboard on eBay for $145. It's by Broyhill, and not exactly inheritance material, but I loved the mix of bamboo carved border and turned legs. In a rather bold, but ineffective effort, the previous owner had attempted to go Asian country with cream paint and slate blue hardware. Hmmmm...

AFTER:  a lot of elbow grease later (stripping hardware is a pain!) and with a new coat of paint, it's reborn. Decorating is still in process but I particularly like it flanked by the green foo dogs. Best of all? It has a TON of storage - perfect for a small space.


My new place is a work in progress. I'll update you as things move along!
All images, my own.

11 comments:

Jamie Herzlinger said...

Insanely impressed! Wow! The chest of drawers is my favorite!
You could start a company doing what you just did!
Great work!
Jamie Herzlinger

Erica said...

Absolutely beautiful!

Homeowner Insurance Plan

quintessence said...

WOW!! You're doing such a great job and your space is looking fabulous. I love everything you've done!! And the tabletop vignette is perfect!

Robin said...

Bee-oo-tiful! I love all the green accents. And I have that same silverware! Clearly a sign that we both have good taste ;-)

Kerry Steele- Design du Monde said...

Just awesome! I particularly like the dining spot. The tables and chairs are wonderful but the pagodas and blue and white on the wall put it in another league.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for sharing your DIYs and inspiring the rest of us! Your home is lovely! Cannot wait to see the rest of your reveal!

Apollina said...

Welcome to DC! Have you heard of DC FABB?! It's a way for DC, VA and MD fashion and beauty bloggers to come together to share ideas, network and chat about our love of fashion/beauty/design! You should become a member, we have great meet-ups and it's a good way to get the inside scoop on fashion events in the city!

F. said...

Beautiful! Your home looks amazing and I can't wait to see more of it.

Samantha said...

Gorgeous! I love your place and what you've done with the the less than impressive furniture that you made fabulous.

Yes, living small is the way to go.

Maureen Stevens said...

ooh la la! amazing before & afters! all those accessories are chosen thoughtfully! and, yes, I adore green..so, green on green is totally divine!

Unknown said...

cute!

Disclosure

Shop Hop, Great Steals, and some posts may include paid links. View our disclosure policy here.

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails