The empty area in the entryway of our house, beneath the stair way has always felt like it needed something. It took me  a long time to decided exactly what I wanted in the space – a credenza or buffet. After a bit of browsing, I fell in love with this Lake Credenza from BDDW.

It is of course entirely out of my price range and always will be. I love the white lacquer and contrasting wood front, and wanted to find something like it. Everything I found seemed to be out of my price range, or cheaply made. I didn’t want to go with Ikea on this one – I wanted a piece that would last for many years, and look a little more impressive.

After watching an episode “Secrets of a Stylist” on HGTV, where they made over a thrift store credenza to look quite similar to the BDDW one, I was convinced to try something similar. Last year’s success at finishing the Ikea dressers for the bedroom gave me confidence that I could pull it off.

I spent weeks/months combing Craigslist and vintage furniture store websites in the hopes of finding the perfect Mid Century style buffet, dresser, or credenza. I kept seeing lovely pictures on Pinterest or on other blogs where the owner snatched a beautiful credenza for $20 in a yard sale they just happened to drive by. My luck was not quite so wonderful – no perfect furniture piece magically appeared on the side of the road for me.

In August, I finally found something that looked promising – solid wood doors, with the only laminate being the top and sides that I intended to paint anyways. It was a reasonable price, and seemed to be in decent condition. It was a two piece hutch, but the base was exactly the right shape and worth having to deal with an extra useless chunk of wood. I liked that it had doors and drawers, and the handles were carved instead of using hardware. After a bit of deliberation  I decided to make our first foray into purchasing on Craigslist (we’ve sold quite a few things, but this was our first purchase). We drove up to St. Paul to pick it up in a rented Menard’s truck, and everything went smoothly.

When Jace went on his annual fishing trip in September, I got to work on the refinishing process. I basically followed this guide from Young House Love where they refinished a Mid Century dresser made from similar materials.

Supplies Used:

• Sandpaper in two grits (such as 80 and 220)
• Zinsser Cover Stain Primer
• White Latex Semi-Gloss Paint
• Paintable wood filler
• Minwax Polycrylic
• Minwax Stain in Red Mahogany
• Minwax Polyurethane in Semi-Gloss
• 300 grit sanding block
• Foam brushes
• Foam high paint roller (3/16″ nap)
• Rags
• Tapered table legs
• Top plate mounts

My first step was removing the  existing square legs and frame, as I liked the look of round tapered ones a bit more, and the existing legs were rather beat up and loose. After removing the plethora of screws, I learned that the base was glued on tightly. A quick google search led me to using hot water and vinegar to loosen the glue, and a few hits with a mallet finished the job.

I sanded every surface using my orbital sander with 80 grit to strip the existing finish, and 220 to smooth it out. There were a few nicks and dents that required wood filler.

I did two coats of stain using some torn up T-Shirts as rags. The Red Mahogany stain was left over from our wine rack and looked even better on this wood.

I used a primer on the laminate sides and top, sanding after each coat with a high grit sanding block (I think I did 2 coats). I used the oil-based primer which says it dries in 1 hour, but if you want to sand it I recommend waiting a lot longer than that, as it beads up and sticks to the sandpaper. Several coats of white semi-gloss latex paint  were required for a smooth finish.

To finish it off, I used oil-based Polyurethane on the stained doors/drawers, and water-based Polycrylic on the painted areas. I’m still not great at this part – I can never seem to get a perfectly smooth finish, even with foam brushes. A quick rub with some Turtle Wax Polishing compound (yes the kind you use on cars) helped smooth out the marks.

It was a long process full of trial-and-error, and waiting hours between coats of things.  It was an absolute relief to finally be finished.

The final product fits perfectly in the entryway hall, and is just what I imagined. With the addition of some classy-looking decanters, a tray, and some teal-colored glass, it evokes the Mid Century style that I’ve tried to weave throughout my decor.

I plan on adding some artwork to the area soon. I’ve already purchased a Starburst Wall Mirror from Crate and Barrel, but it is back-ordered at the moment. We also have some very unique paintings to hang that we acquired in Duluth, but those really require another post.

I’m on vacation for the rest of the year, and am so excited to have time to relax. I hope everyone has a fantastic holiday season, and safe travels if you’re off visiting family or friends away from home.

© kirsten for Champagne and Pixels, 2012. | Permalink | Leave a Comment
Post tags: credenza, DIY, Furniture, minwax, Wood

I’m so thrilled with our new outdoor space! It turned exactly how I envisioned it – a cool modern space to hang out and enjoy the fresh air.

The construction process took just over a week. It was a slow process, and every step of the way I was thankful that we hadn’t tried to do it ourselves. First they dug out the shape, and spread and tamped gravel. The first step took only a day, since they were able to use heavy equipment to help them out.

Next, they poured a concrete base for our steps. After that dried, they cut out pavers to line the steps, and began installing a retaining wall to line one side of the patio where the grade is a bit steep. Sand went down on top of the gravel, and they began the long and tedious process of laying pavers in a random pattern, and cutting pavers around the edges to form a curve.

If it took them over a week of solid work, I can’t imagine how long it would have taken us to make something even a fraction of this size. I’m so glad we decided to shell out the money for professional help this time.

The finished product is fantastic looking – I love the curved shape and cool gray pavers. Our Minnesota winter will of course be the real test of craftsmanship, but it looks very even and well-made at the moment.

I don’t have any shots of the completed patio without furniture, so I’ll just go ahead and give the big reveal here.

The size is perfect for a dining area, a sitting/firepit area, and our grill, with plenty of room to spare.

I’ve spent some time acquiring the perfect furniture and accessories to complement the patio. The first purchase was this set of chairs from Crate & Barrel (link). They are made from aluminum and faux-wood, which means they will require no maintenance. Even after several of the worst downpours of rain I’ve ever seen, they look as good as new.

The pillows are made of a durable outdoor Sunbrella fabric and just came in from Overstock.com (link).

The fire pit that they are placed around was a purchase from Menards (link). I’m not in love with the oil-rubbed bronze color, but the geometric cut-outs give it a unique style that makes it a bit more interesting than a standard bowl-shaped firepit. I may end up painting it black eventually.

The outdoor dining space is also completed with some modern, durable furniture. The table is made from faux-wood and white powder-coated aluminum, coming from Crate & Barrel’s sister store CB2 (link). The reviews on this table seem to indicate that the quality is sub-par, but after eating on it a few times and watching it survive several intense rainstorms, my experience has been nothing but positive.

The chairs are powder-coated steel mesh from my absolute favorite store, Room & Board (link). They are surprisingly affordable, probably one of the cheapest items that Room & Board even sells.

A few other plants and accessories give the space a little color.

The tall grey pots are from Crate & Barrel (link). I would definitely recommend these, as they come with a small insert inside that means very little dirt is needed (the rest of the space is hollow, weighted down with a bit of gravel).

I also picked up a few blue pots and my local Home Goods, and a wine barrel planter at Menards.

A few pots full of herbs serve a functional purpose on the other side of the patio. Our cilantro is absolutely loving the morning sun it gets here.

We’ve only sat and/or eaten out here a few times so far due to busy schedules and inclement weather, but I’ve enjoyed every moment of it. The  house provides cool evening shade, and the fresh air is quite relaxing.

That’s a wrap for our outdoor renovation this year. We have big landscaping plans for next summer, but right now it’s time to take a break and enjoy our new space. I hope you are all getting some time to relax and enjoy your summer outside as well.

© kirsten for Champagne and Pixels, 2012. | Permalink | 2 Comments
Post tags: Exterior, Furniture, patio, Plants

It was certainly a joy to be working outside in relatively mild spring weather, compared to the 90+ degree temps we experienced last July when we kicked off the landscaping project.

First,we transplanted the Blue Lyme Grass that was my only real mistake of last year’s plant purchasing. I thought the blue foliage would look fantastic mixed in with our other plants, and it did. The ornamental grass looked great throughout the summer last year, and survived the winter without issue. In fact, it survived a bit too well! Apparently I forgot to read the tag on the plant. It’s a highly agressive grass that is even considered invasive in some states. It spreads via rhizomes which means it throws tendrils up everywhere – even amidst other plants. Even after transplanting it I’ve been pulling out tendrils that managed to survive.

We moved the lyme grass to a bed on the back of our house in an area we plan on filling with rock (to make it easy to mow around). I don’t have any pictures of that area, but it’s not much to look at anyways.

We replaced each lyme grass with a trio of Blue Fescue, which is a much smaller grass that tends to clump rather than spread. They’re quite tiny now, but I’m hoping they will fill in nicely as time goes on.

We also added a tree-form Limelight hydrangea on the corner to complement our Annabelle hydrangea.

The Mr. Bowling Ball arborvitae that bit the dust before the end of last summer were finally replaced.

A fresh coat of mulch cleaned everything up. Fresh mulch makes any landscaping look better. Hooray for not having bare dirt patches with weeds popping up everywhere!

Solar lights along the path were the last addition to the front landscaping. They are just cheap ones from Target, but they seem to work well.

Now a few shots of how the landscape has filled in over the past year. Adding new plants is definitely rewarding, but seeing them come back after a long winter and really start growing out is even more satisfying.

These Goldflame Spirea were tiny, rather pathetic looking bushes when we planted them. Now they are full of lime green foliage and bright pink flowers.

The three barberry plants have also grown quite a bit. The transplant shock last year caused them to lose most of their leaves, but now they are bright and healthy looking. The Mr. Bowling Ball are actually a bit smaller than the ones we planted last year, but I’m hoping they’ll last a little longer.

We still have a little room around the hydrangea tree. I may add additional perennials in this area in the fall or next spring once the tree has had some time to adapt.

I’m glad we chose to do the landscaping ourselves. It may mean a few mistakes along the way, but it’s a rewarding activity that gets me outside enjoying the warm weather (and has the added bonus of being good exercise). There are huge swathes of yard left to do over the next few years, from around the patio, to the rest of the house foundation, to the large and empty side yard. It’s a bit overwhelming all at once, but tackling it in small chunks makes it an accessible DIY task.

Posts about the patio will be coming soon. The landscaping crew probably has only another day left and we will be able to enjoy a meal out there! It feels like we’ve been waiting forever.

© kirsten for Champagne and Pixels, 2012. | Permalink | Leave a Comment
Post tags: Exterior, Landscaping

The exterior on the other hand has significant room for improvement. Last year we added some initial landscaping in front of our home, but our outdoor space could certainly use some attention. Our big improvement for this year is adding a paver patio in the back yard.

Empty back yard

The back yard is currently a large empty expanse of grass. It’s a pain to mow, and it doesn’t provide any functional purpose. A sizable patio will eat up some of that space, and provide us with a place to relax and dine outside.

It didn’t take much discussion and research to realize that a DIY patio just wasn’t in the cards. We’re extremely novice DIYers, we don’t have an army of handy friends and relatives nearby, and we really want it done right the first time. Renting equipment, hauling material, and leveling and packing down the area seemed a bit overwhelming, let alone placing and cutting the pavers. We decided to take the plunge and get some estimates for a professional job.

Of course the estimates all came in higher than we expected, because we didn’t consider things like sod and irrigation repair, a retaining wall, or the increased difficulty of creating nice looking steps from the house. It’s always easy to underestimate the complexity of a domain you don’t understand. As a software developer, I’ve watched this happen countless times as clients never seem to realize what it will take to create or change a web application that they think is “simple”.

It took weeks for all the estimates come in, and we found ourselves changing our plans with each person we spoke to. Although I had tried to do research ahead of time, I realized that I lacked the knowledge to even make an informed decision. Each contractor gave us new ideas and new potential issues to consider (like how to construct steps that didn’t sink, or how a fire pit legally must be 25 feet from the house in our city).

We finally settled on a landscaping company that we’ve dealt with in the past. We’ve purchased supplies such as mulch and edging there, and everyone  has always been remarkably friendly and helpful. Their bid came in lowest by leaps and bounds, so it wasn’t really a hard decision. Our down payment is in, and we’re just waiting in line behind all the other jobs they’ve committed to. I’m hopeful that they will get started within the next week or two.

Now that we’ve gotten everything settled, I can share what we planned the patio to look like. I’ve been playing around in Google Sketchup (and got carried away creating a whole scale model of the house). Here’s what I came up with:

The patio will basically be a 14′ diameter circle joined to a 15′ diameter circle, for a total of roughly 400 sq. ft. It’s just the right size for enjoying al fresco dining, as well as lounging around and occasionally using a portable fire pit.  We plan to someday add another detached patio circle to the very back of our yard to allow for a permanent fire pit that meets city codes.

The steps from our house will be poured concrete with pavers lining the outside. They’ll be wide enough to span the width of our sliding glass doors, and have a landing coming off the house for added ease of use.

The patio itself will be made from cobblestone pavers, with a small retaining wall under the top right curve, where our grade drops more steeply. For the paver colors, we chose to go with a blend of grays.

I think the gray color palette will keep the patio looking modern and crisp, and still contrast nicely against our white house. The pattern will be a “random” one using four sizes of pavers.

I’m slowly working on acquiring the perfect patio furniture and decor. I’ve been admiring the amazing outdoor spaces on HGTV and on Pinterest, and daydreaming about having one of my own. Living in Minnesota certainly makes it harder to have an “outdoor room”, as only very durable things can survive our winter exposed to the elements. Everything must be portable and easy to remove at the end of our all-too-short season of nice weather. I have come up with some lovely modern furniture options that fit the bill perfectly, but I’ll wait to show those to you another time.

© kirsten for Champagne and Pixels, 2012. | Permalink | One Comment
Post tags: Exterior, outdoors, patio

Our first step, if you remember, was changing up the layout from desks on opposite walls, to a back-to-back setup.

Before

Once my attention was focused on the space, a flurry of changes transformed it from a mismatched and clutter-prone mess, to a crisp white and playful one.

After

For our desks, I finally decided on the Ikea Melltorp. It’s a simple an affordable table that is normally used as a dining table, but it works perfectly as a desk. We purchased two of these to replace our existing, and rather beat up desks.

I’m using an Ikea Helmer for storage under my desk. The white powder-coated steel is very classy looking, and it fits perfectly under the Melltorp (with the casters removed).

We also installed a plethora of art on the walls, making the room feel like a gallery of geeky prints. Most of the prints were ordered from Society 6, which is a fantastic place to find affordable art. The frames are an assortment picked up from Ikea and Michaels.

Two Ribba picture ledges add some additional space for interchangeable art and other assorted items.

The bookshelves also received a dramatic makeover. We added doors to the lower halves, covering some of the clutter. Storage boxes and bright teal baskets and canisters keep the upper halves tidy.

The printer also found a new home on top of a wide set of Alex drawers.

There are still a few additional tweaks and projects remaining, such as adding fabric to the back of the bookshelves, some DIY dinosaur planters, and a new chair and monitor for me. Someday in the far distant future, I also hope to paint the walls a gorgeous shade of teal. I’m extremely pleased with how it has turned out so far. It finally feels like a room that I want to spend some time in (which is good because it’s where we work for 8 hours every Friday).

Click on the spreads below for a better comparison of before vs. after.

Before

After

© kirsten for Champagne and Pixels, 2012. | Permalink | 2 Comments
Post tags: art, geek, Ikea, Office, teal, white

Jace and I cancelled our cable bill back in November 2010. It saves us a huge chunk of money each month (over $80), and for the most part we’ve found ways to watch what we want anyways.

There are so many options out there for cable-free TV watching, that it’s almost overwhelming. I’m going to cover the legal options for US residents that I’m aware of briefly, but I’m sure there are many others out there.

Netflix

If you haven’t heard of Netflix, you’ve probably been living under a rock or in some foreign isolated country. It is available as an unlimited streaming service as well as a disk service. Subscription prices vary depending on your options. Regardless it is certainly cheaper than cable!

The “instant” streaming service has a much smaller selection of movies and TV shows available, with the latter offering being a bit stronger. This all depends on the deals that they can make with the television networks/movie studios, and it can be a bit mind-boggling and irritating as things come and go from availability. If their instant library was a bit better than the disk service would be pointless, but if you want to be able to watch everything, having both to supplement is a necessary evil. We currently get two disks at time, recently dropping down from three.

Netflix is great for catching up on previous seasons of TV shows. There is something wonderful about being able to watch a whole series in succession, keeping everything fresh in your mind and not having to deal with weeks between painful cliffhangers.

Devices

Netflix can be conveyed to your TV via computer, Xbox, Wii, or a set-top box like the Roku, Google TV, Apple TV or Smart TV and more.

Hulu

Hulu is another extremely popular streaming service. The core content is free from computers, and contains the latest episodes of a wide variety of TV shows. They have movies too, but I’ve never been impressed with the selection.

Hulu Plus is a monthly subscription that provides access to additional back-episodes as well as more movies.

Devices

Hulu’s web site is free from computers, however if you want to watch via another media device then you’re most likely going to need to shell out for Hulu Plus. Hulu Plus enabled devices include Xbox, Playstation, Roku, Smart TVs and more.

PlayOn

PlayOn is an interesting service that is much more under-the-radar. It’s a service that you run on your computer, and provides access to a number of streaming channels like Netflix, Hulu, MTV, ESPN,  Pandora, TBS, YouTube and more. Check out this list of channels included in the service. There are also a number of additional channel plug-ins available in the Channel Store.

The content provided by the PlayOn channels is generally the exact same content available for free on the websites of the various networks and services. That of course begs the question – why would you pay for something that you could get for free? Well the real benefit of PlayOn is that it makes it much easier to access the content on your TV, without a computer/mouse/keyboard hooked up to it. It also helps you work around the device content restrictions of sites like Hulu.

Subscription options are monthly, annual, and lifetime, all of which are extremely affordable.

Devices

To use PlayOn you will need a Windows PC that is connected to the internet. An always-on, always-connected type machine is ideal,  but the nice thing is that it can be anywhere in your house. You  just download, install, and run the PlayOn server.

The second thing you’ll need is some sort of device hooked up to your TV that will access your PlayOn server and allow you to browse and stream. Devices of this kind include Xbox, PS3, Wii, Google TV, Roku, and more. You can also access your PlayOn server via an iPhone, iPad, Kindle Fire, or Android device. I’m not sure about hooking those mobile devices up to your TV – the quality of output may not be spectacular, but I don’t have any experience there.

HD Antenna

The next cable-cutting option is an antenna. The basic channels (FOX, ABC, CBS, NBC, etc) are available for free over the air. Whether you can receive them or not really depends on how far away you live from the transmission towers, construction materials of your home, and barriers to the signal like huge trees or hills. I’d highly recommend that you at list give it a shot to see what you can receive, as this is definitely one of the more affordable options

Best Buy, Target, and other stores that sell consumer electronics have fairly affordable indoor HD antennas that you can try out. You can always return them if you find they don’t work for your home. Don’t be discouraged if you have to play around a bit with the placement of the antenna.

If you really want to go all-out, you can get an out-door antenna mounted on your roof. We’ll probably consider this option eventually, as it’s much more likely to get a clear signal when the antenna is above all obstructions and pointed in the right direction (towards the transmission towers).

Other Online Video Stores

There are quite a few other places to purchase or rent digital Movies and TV Shows. Among the more popular are iTunes and Amazon Instant Video. I’ve personally never used these services, but you may want to check them. I’ve always thought the price was a bit steep per episode, but if you’re only watching a few shows, buying the entire seasons there is still cheaper than a year of cable.

Individual TV Network Sites

Almost every TV Network (NBC, FOX, the CW, ABC Family, etc)  has some form of streaming service on their website. The content and quality varies from site to site. Some of them also share their content with Hulu. Most of them are available through plugins to PlayOn.

And More

I’m sure there are tons of other options out there, with more popping up every day. I didn’t mention options like Redbox (because they don’t really carry TV shows, just movies), but that might be an option if you aren’t really tied to watch “TV” but just want some occasional audio-visual entertainment.

What are your favorite ways to watch TV aside from cable?

The Downside

There are some things that only cable can provide. If you love HBO, or have to catch every single sports game, then dropping cable probably isn’t for you.

Sports

Watching sports without cable can be a bit tricky. Some games are televised on basic over-the-air channels. Others are streamed live on the NFL site or ESPN. There are also options like GamePlan that may be available to you depending on your internet service provider. GamePlan allows you to watch ESPN3 via your computer or Xbox. Check out this post on Lifehacker for more info specific to the sport of your choice.

Delays and Expirations

Content providers and cable companies are fighting a battle with streaming providers and consumers. I’m not going to go into a rant about how ridiculous it all is, but lets just say that the TV networks and cable companies are greedy and don’t want to lose their monopoly, so they introduce all kinds of frustrating difficulties.

Some networks have enforced a several day delay on when services like Hulu can show their new episodes, and episodes will often “expire” after a few weeks (which means you’ll have to wait for the DVD release if you get too far behind). Channels like HGTV have a lot of free content online but it’s not updated very regularly which can be quite frustrating.

What Works for Us

We subscribe to Netflix (disc & instant) as well as PlayOn. We have an Xbox 360 hooked up to our TV which allows us to stream Netflix and PlayOn channels.

We also have an HD Antenna that gives us access to the basic channels. We live 30~ miles away from the towers, so sometimes we have to mess with the positioning of the antenna a bit. We currently have two identical antennas tied together with a cable splitter. One we keep in a cabinet and only pull it out on some of the trickier channels or during bad weather – it’s really just meant as a signal boost. With digital signals it’s really either all or nothing – no fuzzy images like old fashioned TVs, just clear digital pictures. On some channels, the over-the-air HD signal is actually an improvement over what we were getting through basic cable!

In general I’ve found that instead of keeping current with TV shows, I prefer to watch them after the full season is out on DVD or Netflix streaming. The story always seems more compelling when watched in large chunks, and I don’t forget important details. Purely episodic shows with no real story arcs can get a bit annoying when watched in a row though. We have tried to keep up with a few shows like Castle and How I Met Your Mother (both available over the air).

Jace is able to watch the major football games via our antenna, although perhaps not as many as he’d like.

HBO is the only true thorn in our side, as there is literally no way to legally watch shows like Game of Thrones until they release on DVD. I would happily give them money for just that show, but alas, they’re not interested.

I’ve also found I waste a lot less time mindlessly watching HGTV or the Food Network. This means more time for reading… and wasting time on the internet.

Any tips that you would like to share? Have you considered canceling your cable TV subscription, or is there something stopping you?

© kirsten for Champagne and Pixels, 2012. | Permalink | 4 Comments
Post tags: budget tips, cable, TV

It would also provide a great make-ahead dish to bring to summer barbecues or gatherings, and could fit in as a main meal or just a side dish.

Ingredients

• Fresh Mozarella – 8 ounces. We buy a tub of tiny balls called “pearls”, but you can buy it in a large ball and slice it.

• Basil - Approximately 2 tbsp, finely chopped. Fresh is preferred, but as that is usually cost-prohibitive, we get a paste that comes in a tube. It’s a good compromise between fresh and dried as it has a nice flavor but lasts longer. I’ve never tried this recipe with dried basil, so I can’t promise it will taste good. I’m hoping to grow a bunch of fresh basil this summer.

.

• Garlic – Approximately 1 tbsp, minced. We usually used minced garlic from a jar as it provides a softer flavor and doesn’t require cooking.
• Pasta – 2 1/2 cups. We use Penne noodles because they are my favorite shape – shells would probably work nicely also.
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil – drizzle to coat. This is a great recipe to use a nice quality olive oil in, as you aren’t cooking the delicate flavors out of it.
• Salt – a pinch
• Cherry or Grape Tomatoes – One carton, sliced in half (or thirds if they get quite large)

Directions

1. Cook the pasta as recommended on the box
2. Drain the pasta and put in a bowl (metal is great because it cools faster)
3. Let it cool to room temperate
4. Add garlic, basil, and salt. Drizzle enough olive oil in to coat and toss.
5. Refrigerate until cold
6. Slice the tomatoes and mozarella if necessary into bite-sized chunks
7. Add the tomatoes and mozarella to the dish and mix to combine
8. Serve cold

For food safety reasons it’s recommended that you don’t stick the hot bowl in the fridge as it could affect the temperature of other items around it. I will admit that I don’t listen to my own advice and always stick this in the fridge right away. I know, I’m terrible. We have a “turbo cool” button on our fridge that does help though.

I love making enough of this for leftovers– it makes a fantastic lunch that doesn’t require standing in line for the microwave.

It goes great with a red wine – perhaps something light like a Malbec or a Spanish Tempranillo.

FYI – I am still lazy and using iPhone photos for the recipe shots instead of using my real camera. The iPhone does a remarkable job for what it is, but I really should try harder to take decent pictures. My excuse is that the meal is just so delicious I couldn’t wait to eat it.

© kirsten for Champagne and Pixels, 2012. | Permalink | Leave a Comment
Post tags: Basil, Garlic, Mozzarella, Olive Oil, Tomatoes

The layout of the room has always felt a bit awkward. The desks were placed on opposite walls, and some bookshelves sat in one corner. The walls were lined with furniture and there was a huge open area in the middle of the room. While I enjoyed having a lot of space to move around, I was certain that we could make the room more functional with a different layout.

Our fist step was to move the desks back-to-back in the middle of room on one wall, with the bookshelves on the opposite wall. It immediately felt better! It also got my creative juices flowing again.

There is so much yet to be done to make the office a space I’ll truly be happy with. It’s obviously still quite the mess, but that’s about to change.

Here’s the inspiration board that I have put together so far:

(1) Jace has already agreed to paint the upstairs game room this year, so I unfortunately can’t push for the office to be painted anytime soon. The eventual plan is a lovely turquoise color, but the creamy tan color that the builder’s used will have to suffice for now.

(2) The big clunky, mismatched Ikea desks that we have now will be replaced by two slim dining tables. I’m still waffling between the Melltorp and the Torsby. The Melltorp has a fantastically cheap price and a crisp white profile, but in-person it didn’t really leave me enthusiastic. The floor model was rather dull and scratched, which makes me wonder at its durability. The Torsby on the the other hand is gorgeous frosted glass and chrome, but at price tag that is a stark contrast to the Melltorp (at least for Ikea).

(3) The colorful dinosaur planter is a future DIY project that I’ve been contemplating for a while.

(4) A wide set of Alex drawers will be the perfect place to store our printer. It’s currently precariously sitting on the rather shallow bookshelves.

(5)The bookshelves will get a bit of a makeover with doors on the their lower half. I also have plans to use geometric fabric to line the back of the exposed half.

(6) The walls of the office seem a perfect place to put all the fun art that I’ve been eyeing over the past few months. I will use two of the walls for large gallery-style displays of eclectic art pieces.

(7) New storage boxes will add some organization to the chaos, and even add a splash of color.

(8) These Helmer drawers are simple and modern, made from powder-coated steel.

We’ve already made a bit of progress since I started this post, but it is by no means complete. I hope to have another update post in a few weeks, so keep watching.

© kirsten for Champagne and Pixels, 2012. | Permalink | One Comment
Post tags: Ikea, inspiration board, Office

This year any projects I do will be at a sustainable pace, instead of the frantic nonstop designing that took place last spring/summer. Our house has felt like a home for quite some time now, and there aren’t any immediate needs to  be addressed. Everything from here on out is just enhancing our existing quality of life.

I have a rather long list, but my motivation and inspiration waxes and wanes, so what gets accomplished in the near future is uncertain. With that said, I’m off to a good start so far!

The first project for 2012 was finishing these nightstands we bought at Ikea a long time ago.

At $35 a piece for unfinished solid pine, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. There are a ton of examples online of others finishing these Rast nightstands in creative ways, and I wanted to put my spin on the idea.

I actually started the process back in November while Jace was out of town for 2 weeks on a work trip. After many stops and starts, they are finally finished and in place in our bedroom.

Here’s what I used to complete the transformation:

• Frame:
  • Minwax Polyshades in Classic Black with Gloss finish
• Drawers:
  • Semi-gloss white latex paint
  • Minwax Polycrylic
  • 3 packs of Metrik Ikea Handles
• Orbital Sander with 150 grit and 220 grit pads
• Elmer’s Wood Filler
• Foam brushes

I originally tried to finish the frame with Minwax Wood Finish in Ebony, a standard oil-based stain. The pine just didn’t absorb the stain well – it was very blotchy and the grain reminded me of a zebra. After accidentally over-sanding my first coat of poly I decided that using the Polyshades was a better idea. The color in the Polyshades actually sits on top of the wood so it can be used over existing finishes, and includes poly so it requires less coats.  I know that a lot of people dislike the Polyshades formula, as it can be somewhat runny, but for a dark color like black I found it did the job nicely.

The final result is gorgeous glossy black wood that really pops against the crisp white drawer fronts. They certainly don’t look like they were made by a master craftsman, but for a first real attempt at finishing furniture they’re quite pleasing. I learned a tremendous amount in the process, and I’m not afraid of trying it again in the future.

They look wonderful on either side of our bed, finally bringing in that symmetry that we previously lacked.

Before

To complete the bedside makeover I added two lovely glass lamps (the bases of which I recieved for Christmas from my mother-in-law). The shades and bases are both from Target. The turquoise trim adds a bit of whimsy to the modern styling, and ties in well with our light teal curtains.

After

The bedroom still needs some decor TLC, such as actually adding art to the bare walls, but the new nightstands and lamps brought the style up a notch.

We also finally purchased and installed roller shades in the bathroom, replacing the disposable paper ones that had been up since April. My plan is to cover the simple vinyl shades with a fun fabric. The shades will be my next project, and I hope to share more on this soon.

Other future projects include making a few pillow covers, and finally tackling the mess that is our “Game Room”. We have a long butcher block countertop to use as a desk that will require some finishing and assembly. I’m also mulling over the idea of painting the walls.

A much belated Happy New Year to my five or six readers. I hope that 2012 is treating you well!

© kirsten for Champagne and Pixels, 2012. | Permalink | One Comment
Post tags: DIY, Ikea, Master Bedroom, Nighstands, Rast, Stain, Wood

The original recipe called for roasted chicken, but we have always just served it meatless (more out of laziness than anything).  It’s much healthier than our other cream-and-butter-laden pasta dishes, but just as tasty. We also added fresh mozzarella because we are a little bit addicted to the moist delicious cheese. Best of all, this is an incredibly easy recipe!

Serves 4 (and is fantastic served cold as a leftovers)

Ingredients

• 1 Red Pepper – chopped
• Can of Petite Diced Tomatoes
• Can of Garbanzo Beans
• 2 Tbsp Tomato Paste
• 1 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 tsp Oregano (fresh is best)
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• Salt
• 2 cups Penne noodles
• 1 tub Fresh mozzarella pearls (one large mozzarella ball cut-up into bite sized pieces would also work)

 Directions

1. In a small bowl, mix to combine the tomato paste, red wine vinegar, olive oil, oregano, garlic, and salt
2. Add chopped red pepper, garbanzo beans, and tomato into a medium-sized baking dish (with lid)
3. Pour sauce over vegetables and stir
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes
5. Meanwhile, cook Penne to al dente
6. Drain mozzarella and warm to room temperature
7. Add penne and mozzarella to the baking dish, then stir and serve

© kirsten for Champagne and Pixels, 2011. | Permalink | One Comment
Post tags: Diced Tomatoes, Garbanzo Beans, Garlic, Mozzarella, Penne