We-Design-Day: Upcycling Old Furniture

As part of my basement renovation, I salvaged an old and ugly two piece storage unit from my parents. It was the quintessential dark wood look laminated particle board unit with ugly brass pulls. It is massive too - both pieces are just a little below waist height and about 5 to 6' feet long.



But as period as it is and as heavy and as awkward as any furniture piece could be, I saw the awesomeness that was laying with in. I needed a solution that had ample storage, was flexible in design and could house a variety of items, had a a few doors because I need to be able to tuck away some more dangerous products (like glue - nothing can be more dangerous than a bottle of glue in a toddler's hand). This unit allowed me all of that and more.

Sure, it was a little shabby and I would be it's third or fourth owner and nothing irritates me more than painting laminated wood, but I couldn't watch this gem to to the landfill!



I got ready to refinish this piece. Paint, scrappers, sander, wood filler, nerves of steal, patience of a saint and one very helpful three year old. We set to work late on a Monday morning.

After wiping away a layer of dust, I decided to scrape the chipping layer of paint that had been previously applied to the top of both units (my parents had the units sitting side by side and used the top for display). TroubleMaker kept asking if I was done scrapping as he really wanted to get painting! It took a lot of scraping to get it all chipped away but a short while later, it was done!



Now, I've painted laminated wood before and I'd used melamine paint. It was stinky, hard to work with and not something I saw myself battling again - especially with my extra special helper assisting! I wanted easy, water clean up, a primer/paint all in one and a durable washable paint. I ventured to my local big box home renovation retailer and the paint counter attendant recommended Behr Interior/Exterior Primer/Paint product. Once I'd taken the paint off the top, I got my Palm Sander and started to sand. It made no difference. I had hoped it would rough up the smoothness of the laminated covering but it didn't.

Next I got some wood filler and filled in the holes where the door handles were and filled in a couple of scratches. The product I used is tinted to simulate wood but it is also paintable so it worked perfectly! As TroubleMaker painted the back of the unit, I worked my way around the unit. Once I'd rolled on a good coat, I went back and painted in the corners. By this time, TroubleMaker had lost interest and was off riding his extra cool tricycle with trailer around!



After one coat of paint, it became obvious that this was going to take many more coats... And the surface wasn't as durable as I required. Items will be moving in and out of this unit frequently and I need it to stand up to use. This past weekend, I did the second coat and it does look much better (one more coat should do the trick) the need for a sealer became obvious.

I researched the potential possibilities and have settled on a Minwax Polycrylic Gloss polyurethane. It is suitable to put over painted surfaces and is supposed to resist scuffing... I'm hopeful that it will work!

If I had to do it again, I think I would have specified an enamel paint. As much as I don't like working with them, I like the resiliency of the finish. Design Tip Don't always take the word of the person at the paint store - the Internet is a great resource for finding the right product for your job!

I have a certain paint that I generally use for interior applications - and I buy it from the store - yes, it costs me more and yes, I have to actually go out of my way to get to a store but it is a paint that's quality is rivaled by none. That said, I do use 'cheapo' paint or paint from the local home store. This is one of those situations where I knew what I wanted and what I should've used but deferred to the 'experts' and was (again) let down.

Here are few places to check out - the have product specifications, helpful hints, online paint viewers and access to a whole host of information!

Benjamin Moore
Behr Paints
CIL
Sherman Williams
ICI
Pratt and Lambert

Please note, I am not affiliated with any of the above paint companies. I do use a few of them personally (and professionally) but paint selection and what type you use is often based on personal preference and experience.

We-Design-Day: Upcycled Interior Chic

If I told you people were doing things that are (going to be) the wave of the future, a way to reduce consumerism, keep things out of the landfill, and give old products new life – that would excite you, wouldn’t it? It excites me! Probably a little too much! This idea I’m going to present to you isn’t new – it’s something old, really. Probably really old… If you think back to a time when most homes were single income, had multiple children and money was scarce, everyone ‘reused’ everyday items until they wore out and fell apart.

The photo below is of my grandparents. It was taken February 8, 1935. I love this picture – it’s so beautiful and whenever I see it, I’m reminded of a few things my Grandmother told me about her early married life. Life was tough for her and my Grampa!



It was the mid –thirties and the country was embroiled in a depression. Although we are North of the United States, the ripple of the 1929 stock market crash was felt globally and by the time Gramma and Grampa married, jobs were scarce, unemployment was high (it hovered around 10% for the entire decade) and the once fertile and supple prairie land had been left drought-stricken, dry and cracked with plagues of grasshoppers.

Take another look at the wedding picture - see my Gramma's dress? Can you guess what it is made from?

Flour used to come in flour sacks. It was common practice to keep the material, bleach the print out of it and sew it together to make clothing, bedding, curtains and an entire blog post of additional uses. But this dress, this beautiful, bleached flour sack dress, was sewn and adorned by my Gramma!

So what does this have to do with (what I’m hoping will be a new - you heard it hear first, Blue Door Interiors, We-Design-Day original) design trend called Upcycled Interior Chic©? Well, as my budget has been getting smaller and smaller for the renovation, I began at looking at how to get all the things we need on our budget – which, by the way, is now around $800 (down from $2000).

But despaired I am not! I’m re energized, excited and I cannot wait to get going! This is so much more my style – funky, odd and so GREEN! It’s like my eyes opened and everything I see now (almost) gets my brain working overtime thinking about how it can fit into my plan! I popped over to my parent’s garage sale this weekend and found the PERFECT piece!

With some paint, mactac and a piece of plexi, I’ve already got four pieces to refurbish! A simple desk will be the new family computer station, an old wall unit will become the storage centre for my studio! It’s only the beginning but already, by reusing and repurposing these items, I’ve kept them from the landfill AND I’ve saved almost $500! And yes, I know my time is worth money but I’m either assembling knock-down furniture or I’m painting. This way, I get a custom piece that I can ‘funky’ up.

This also allows me to spend what we do have on the most important things: power upgrades and new lighting! I'm now on the hunt - scouring the Freecycle and Kijiji listings for anything usable and FREE! How is this not the perfect plan?!

Let's get knocking some walls down!

Come back next week as I'll be posting an updated construction schedule (as obviously, we're behind) and revamping our budget. Thanks for stopping in and what piece do you have that you can see Upcycling?




PS Please note that the phrase "Upcycled Interior Chic©", to the best of my knowledge, has not yet been used or applied as an interior design finishing concept. Being that not-everything is original, I am hoping this is. If you have seen or heard reference to it else where, please let me know (and provide the link). Otherwise, I do believe this is an original concept and would appreciate any use of it being referred back to here. Thanks!

52 Week Challenge: Week 22 & 23!

This week, Laura proposed that every home needs a “command centre”. I myself had been thinking about this very thing. Last year, we implemented a family calendar – which has been an amazing addition to keeping our lives on track! Although previously, we had been digital, it didn’t always work because:

1. We’d forget appointments

2. We’d forget to invite each other so it would show in the others calendar

3. No access when the computers weren’t on

So we use “THIS” family calendar and it’s good. It’s got lots of room to write and it fits perfectly on our broom closet door (which is adjacent to the kitchen). We keep a pencil clipped to it and all appointments, meetings, classes, get-togethers, play dates and days off work get written on it. It is the bomb! My only wish is that we could amalgamate it with our phone desk. Although the phone desk doesn’t get used as a desk (remember week xx?) I like the idea of pens, note papers, address books, phone books and other implements of a good command centre all is in one place! However, until we get there, our Family Calendar keeps us organized and on track!

For my organizing chore (really, it is a chore for me – one I don’t mind, but all of it seems so laborious – thirty some odd years of disorganization will do that to a person) I’m working again on my magazines. In theory, I’ve did this last week too. I did the big box from my Mom but I still had five magazine holders of my own to do.



As I mentioned here, the session I attended with the professional organizer, stated that most people misuse magazine holders. They are not to be for long term storage – one should look through their magazines and pull out the pertinent sections. Only those should be filed in the holder. The rest of the magazine can be recycled. I thought this was sound advice.

Last Sunday, I went to the stationary store and purchased page protectors, a large binder and reusable dividers. Tonight, I finished going through the last of the holders. It's taken two weeks - working a couple hours each night - and I even went through some of the ones I did initially in Week 20 and got rid of a few more pages I thought I would keep! I am getting rid of over 100 hundred magazines and about 10 craft books. It was a tough choice to get rid of the books but most of them date back 5 or 6 years and I haven't opened them since they arrived in the mail!



I'm really working on letting go of stuff. It is stuff. It brings no happiness, joy or even use. It takes up space and reminds me of all the things I've not done (that I wanted to). But there are so many things (like making Barbie furniture out of plastic canvas) that even if I did make, I'd have no use for. My niece is getting older and the dinosaurs my son plays with don't have bendable knees to sit on furniture! Furthermore, I want to spend the time I do have (for crafting - if I ever get the basement renovation completed) doing the stuff I love!



Each week it's getting easier to let go - I just wish I had more time (and energy) to devote to it! The picture above is what I'm passing on... Sure, there might be crafts I'd like to try in those pages, but the reality is, I don't have to do the things I love - when would I find time to do the ones I might like to try???

Thank you for stopping by and to see more inspiration and great ideas, check out all of us playing along with the 52 Weeks of Organizing!

We-Design-Day: Need vs Want

The one thing I've learned in my years doing design - and even working - is that sometimes, the need must outweigh the want. Remember when I mentioned how interiors often get pushed to the back burner because the building envelope takes presidence? Well... Guess what?

First, our roof needs replacing. We've known about the necessity to do it since we bought the house (the shingles had 5 to 10 years of life left - we're at 7 now). Second, our shed... It's just a rickety old tin shed and we planned on replacing it our second year here. However, during our first winter here, we learned that our garage floods with the spring melt... Like really, freezes your tires and garage door in place floods so we spent the money we'd saved for the shed replacement and had the garage mud-jacked. Last year, the clasps that hold the doors close broke so we've had to jimmy the door in place before we lock the shed. It works - however, if there is a strong wind (which there has been several this spring), it starts to blow the both doors inwards, thus revealing all of our gardening supplies and treasures. So as we retooled the doors for the 52 time this spring, I told my husband I thought we should take half the basement renovation budget and apply it to the shed rehab.

I have sad face - mostly because of all the work I put into finding the right solution for my storage issues and the excitement I had over getting a spanking new space... But, being the eternal optimist who always looks for silver linings and was inspired by a song on the (only) children's only television station we get, I've decided to forge a slightly different path...

I'm still working out the whole plan, but if you watch the video, you'll see what inspired me why it's not all that bad to be going back to the drawing board and looking at this project in a different light!

We-Design-Day: Design 101 – A Guide to Interior Design

In conjunction with the changes I’m working on trying to make to my blog, I’ve been working on a couple of serial articles to share. One of which is a regular, weekly feature on interior design. My hope is to provide anyone with an interest a kind of “insider’s look” at small scale design and renovation projects. I’d like to share my knowledge and experience and make it a true ‘how to’ so I can help demystify an interesting and very popular vocation.

My intent is to share some of the history and principals of interior design and work through the process of a project from beginning to end. Having worked in the field for many years, I can provide insight on the construction process, how to hire a designer and general contractor, what to do when things go wrong and how to make changes on the ‘fly’.

So over the coming weeks, my company, Blue Door Interiors, will be sponsoring the “We-Design-Day ” articles and I’ll take you through the entire process of a (small) renovation project from conception to completion. Along the way, I’ll provide some Design 101 education, answer any questions you have, provide free tips and ideas and I’m planning a give-a-way or two as well!

Without further adieu, let’s get We-Design-Day underway!

When I decided to quit my ‘day job’ and return to school, I was 26 years old. I’d spent my late teens and early 20’s in the retail and middle management jobs and I knew that wasn’t what I wanted to do for the rest of my life! I had the good fortune of being able to examine what I wanted to be when I “grew up” – I’d worked in a few different fields, had experience in what I liked (and didn’t like) and got to pick my profession. Most people don’t get that luxury so I am very thankful that my delinquent youth proved to be useful for something!

During my education and work experience, I’ve learned a lot about myself, my tastes, and my design style. I don’t follow fashion and I’m not a follower of trends. I firmly believe that the most appropriate solution for the problems I’ve faced in my career are generally the ones best suited to those who seek them.

And by that I mean it is certainly possible to design for today and accessorize with the latest trends and colours and I certainly can make your home look like the page of a magazine. But coupled with my love for interior design is a love for the environment and blending sustainable design with interior design for me go hand in hand – my first school project taught me that (I specified a compostable toilet, much to the horror of my professor)! I’m about function and form and reusing, reducing and even recycling when designing. We all want our homes to be a reflection of us and the way we live – good design can be attained by combining a good understanding of how a space functions and how the people who use the space live.

I’m about real design for real people.

This week, I’d like to share a few staple pieces of interior design information regarding the history, evolution and some definitions. My first year of design was tough. I’ve never memorized so many things in my life! Included in that memorization was the ‘definition’ of what Interior Design is… It only has changed a little bit from what I memorized and I see I’ve been ahead of my time as they now mention “sustainable design” in the definition.

Interior design is a multi-facet profession in which creative and technical solutions are applied within a structure to achieve a built interior environment. These solutions are functional, enhance the quality of life and culture of the occupants and are aesthetically attractive. Designs are created in response to and coordinated with the building shell and acknowledge the physical location and social context of the project. Designs must adhere to code and regulatory requirements and encourage the principles of environmental sustainability. The interior design process follows a systematic and coordinated methodology, including research, analysis and integration of knowledge into the creative process, whereby the needs and the resources of the client are satisfied to produce and interior space the fulfills the project cools. Interior design includes a scope of services performed by a professional design practitioner, qualified by means of education, experience and examination, to protect and enhance the health, life safety and welfare of the public. Definition provided by the NCIDQ (National Council for Interior Design Qualification) NCIDQ

To find where “interior design” and “interior decoration” started, one must look a long way back in time… One could say it even started when the first people furnished their caves with pelts and painted the walls, although pelts were functional and the paintings area theorized to be everything from trance drawings by Shaman to methods of communication, it still improved the interior living spaces. When the first peoples started building shelter for themselves, it all began to take form. At that time, however, the exterior and the interior were thought of in unison and as “one” space. As we (man) evolved from grass huts, the building envelope (the exterior of the buildings) strongly influenced the interior shape and function of an area.

The common use of the term “Interior Design” was not accepted into popular use until after the Second World War. Prior to the Second World War, and only really dating back to the late 1800’s, the design of an interior was often encapsulated within the architecture of the building as a whole. Any application to interiors was commonly referred to as interior decoration and specifically regarded only the application of surface ornamentation, colour, furnishings and accessories.

After WWII, a divide began to take place between the ornamentation of a space and how the space worked. This split is where the shape of Interior Design truly began to emerge as a valid and respected part of the built environment (and more than just throw pillows and wall paper).

But today, throw pillows and wall paper are all still a part of it! But I think that’s enough information for one week… Come back for the next We-design-day next week when we start down the process of designing your own environment!

I'd like to give a special "shout" to Clever by Design for helping me so many years ago with my logo and company image! I'm so excited to finally be at a point in my life where I can again fly the banner of the Blue Door Interior name!

Going (more) Green Thursday!

As some of you may have noticed, I added a “badge” to my site last week (see, that’s it there on the right)… “I’m taking baby steps!” it says – Sustainable Baby steps towards living a more ‘green’ lifestyle. Tara over at the The Organic Sister has recently launched a really interesting website site that introduces green at an beginner's level and has different ‘steps’ one can take (with associated badges) to implementing, living and understanding the benefit of going green.

I know, I know – many will roll their eyes at “green” and “global warming” and all that, but for me, it is really important. I’ve always likened myself to somewhat of a steward for Mother Earth living as consciously as I can and taking steps to reduce my impact on the planet on which I live. Throughout the course of my 36 years, I’ve had different levels of success and there are some things I have adopted as “routine” for my life.

Some of the “green” things we do:
Recycle
Chemical & pesticide free yard care and gardening
Used cloth diapers, wipes and nursing pads when our son was an infant/baby/early toddler (he's been out of diapers for months now)
Don’t use any chemical household cleaners
“Freecycle” objects that have more life (furniture, clothing, toys, household goods)
Public transit (to work)

And I know there are more things we do but also more things we could be doing and that’s where I’d like to go. I want to learn more and I want to do more. I want to understand the marketing that goes in to products and understand the real impact – both financially and environmentally.

The one concept that I was introduced to when I first visited Sustainable Baby steps was the idea of greenwashing I have to admit, I’d never heard of it before and I was concerned that it was perhaps a “made up” term – especially when I saw the first item on the list…

Paper Towel.

There are a few things I really like in life and paper towel is one of them. Now, I’m not all “Yes! Paper towel!” but I love it in the kitchen for clean-up and wiping my hands when handling (raw) meat. I went home that night and suggested the possibility of the made up term to my husband – and my reason – paper towel.
He looked at me with just a hint of surprise in his eye.

“Paper towels are like (enter brand name floor dusting device). A broom or vacuum does a great job but people buy them anyway.”

And I took a moment and realized he was right. But what would I use? Perhaps the stack of 20 tea towels I have that get used one or two per week? I argued the laundry factor (and now I’ll admit, I do not do the laundry in our house – my husband does) but he said the cost would be less – especially when you pay $2 (or more) a roll.

And this got me thinking.

Paper towels
Plastic baggies
Garbage bags
Paper napkins
Feminine napkins
Kleen-x
Toilet paper
Disposable dish cloths
Plastic wrap
Foil
Wax paper
Disposable baking sheets
Cotton balls
Cotton ear swabs
Drinking straws

Those are 15 things that are single use items currently used in my home. And although we don’t often use paper napkins (we switched to cloth two years ago) the rest we do use and I have been using without much thought for a very long time.

I can tell you I will never give up toilet paper that, my friends, was a great invention. But what can I give up?

As I finish my lunch today and toss six (yes, six) plastic sandwich baggies in the garbage I think that can be one of my first “baby steps”. We run our dishwasher every night so utilizing (even plastic) lunch containers for my carrot sticks and another for my crackers would really bare no serious hardship, perhaps that is one thing I can “green” this week.

Can I “Green” one thing a week? I certainly am going to try – I have to, especially if I want there to be a tomorrow for TroubleMaker!

Baby step # 1 – reduce the use of plastic food storage bags

Isn’t this Ironic?

I work on a very lush, very nice university campus. The grounds are magnificent – an excellent variety of old trees, beautiful flowers, native grasses, shrubbery, exquisite water features and the greenest-weed free lawns I’ve ever witnessed all work to make it a haven for small animals and people. Many weddings are photographed on the grounds during the summer and fall. And with winter approaching, the trees are absolutely perfect with their harmonious blend of yellows, oranges and reds. It really is a visual treat walking to work in the cool crisp autumn air.

All over the grounds – affixed to buildings and free standing sign posts are warnings and messages. “Care for our air: all engines must be turned off or face penalty”, warnings about not smoking near building (air) intakes and other signs with messages about the University being “Green” and going the extra mile in caring for our environment. All events and groups (on campus) are encouraged to use recyclable plates and cutlery (made of sugar, I think) and recycling stations are provided. The use of Styrofoam has been all but banned as well.

This all sounds fantastic. Except it’s just a little bit hypocritical.

On my walk this morning, I wished for my camera – not to capture the magnificent sunrise or the splendid colours, but to capture the grounds staff using gas powered leaf blowers to blow leaves and dust off the sidewalks (and right beside the sign that professes the U’s love of the environment and doing their part to save the world)… And even as much as I detest leaf blowers, I know the argument can be made that it is cheaper to power one person with a leaf blower than five with brooms. But what I cannot entertain is that the person was wearing a dust mask with carbon filters (for his safety, I’m sure) but I was not wearing one and neither were the fifteen or so people around me and he blew the dust and debris right at all of us. I started to choke as did two others and then the fumes from the blower hit and I started coughing again.

So this event got me thinking about the people two blocks before who were blowing out the water lines for the underground sprinkler system… Campus does have the greenest grass, likely because it’s watered daily all summer – which I’m hoping is the reason we haven’t any weeds (healthy, lush grass can choke out even the most persistent of weeds) and not because they douse the lawns with egregious amounts of chemicals!