It wasn't long after moving into our new house that I started to look for some dining room storage. We were using a refinished dresser from our home in Baltimore, but it wasn't very practical. I was open to a variety of options - everything from vintage china hutches to ornate cabinets. I even considered hiring someone to make cabinets to match our kitchen. But one lucky day I came upon a seemingly perfect mid-century buffet on Craiglist. I was smitten. It almost didn't happen, but after the first buyer fell through the sellers contacted us to see if we were still interested (uh...YEA!). They didn't … [Read more...] about Mid-Century Danish Buffet Restoration
Cost Breakdown – DIY Modern Playhouse
How much does it cost to build a modern playhouse? Here's an estimate of what you might spend to build a DIY playhouse similar to ours. It's a question that comes up relatively often - "How much did it cost to build your playhouse?" I had the same exact question in mind as I viewed other playhouses online. Naively, I initially thought that I could build a modern playhouse, to my liking, for less than $500. But it wasn't long before I set a new budget of twice that amount. There are definitely some cheaper options for various materials, so it is possible to build a similar playhouse for less. The … [Read more...] about Cost Breakdown – DIY Modern Playhouse
DIY Textured Canvas Wall Art
With an old window curtain and some other existing materials, this DIY textured canvas wall art was made for less than $100! Its large scale has been the perfect solution to cover the large hole in our living room wall. Last fall I convinced Eric that we should put in a functioning fireplace. We had covered up the existing firebox when redoing our living room, so the first step in the process was cutting through our drywall. But...after a few quotes and some deliberating, we realized we weren't quite ready to move forward (we will someday though!). Unfortunately, the change of plans left us with a decent … [Read more...] about DIY Textured Canvas Wall Art
Refinishing our Modern DIY Patio Table
After a couple of winters and rainy seasons, our DIY modern patio table started to show some wear. We restored it to its original beauty and added some furniture wax to help it withstand the elements. A few years ago, during the first spring in our new home, I built a modern patio table for use under our pergola. I had planned on storing it in our garage over the winters, but for whatever reason, that never happened. And after a couple of years, it was showing some wear... With bleached spots, dark stains, and some warped boards, it was no longer the modern patio table I had once sought after. But I … [Read more...] about Refinishing our Modern DIY Patio Table
Painting our Exposed Floor Joist Basement Ceiling
In our shallow, century-old rowhome basement, painting the exposed floor joists was a great way to renovate the space without dropping the ceiling height. It's been a few years since we have moved from our Baltimore rowhome, but it seems that our basement renovation is continuing to inspire others (10k + repins on Pinterest and counting!). If you're not familiar with the project - we converted our 1904 rowhome's dark and dingy basement into a bright and welcoming living area + bathroom: There are many beloved features of our basement renovation, but one in particular (for me at least) is the … [Read more...] about Painting our Exposed Floor Joist Basement Ceiling
