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My Grandmother’s Mahogany Veneer Dresser Makeover
Several years ago my grandmother gave me her old high boy. She was running out of space but didn’t want to get rid of it & knew that I would keep it & take care of it. She’s had this with a full bedroom set for at least 50 years – AND she bought it 2nd hand back in the 1960’s! It’s a mahogany veneer dresser that needed a makeover to fit in with my style. I wanted to give a little face lift for a while, but didn’t want Grandmother upset with any changes I might make. Finally, when we moved into our current home & I gave our…
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A Builder Basic Kitchen Goes Semi-Custom
Happy 2018 y’all! I am excited about what this year has in store. After spending most of 2017 out on IR with a broken foot, I finally got the go ahead to kick off my boot & start living life again. For half the year I was not able to work, walk, drive, or anything else! So when I was completely cleared, I was SO ready to do something but was at a loss about how I was going to secure my next project. I couldn’t really plan for it since I was at the mercy of God & nature to heal my broken bones. Turned out that a long…
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How to Create a Beautiful Sustainable Living Room
Following up on my Living Room Layout Guide I wanted to show you a practical way to create a beautiful sustainable living room. There are 3 things I always hear when it comes to sourcing an eco-friendly home: 1. It’s hard to find great looking items that are “sustainable” Shopping sustainably isn’t as hard as it seems. Believe it or not, there are retailers large & small, well-known & hidden gems that are dedicated to environmental & social responsibility. I’ll bet that some of the retailers you already buy from have some sort of policy in place or specific product lines that are eco-friendly to some degree. 2. Eco-friendly furniture…
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DIY Marble Tile Tabletop
When I decided to remix our master bedroom for the ORC, I wanted to use an antique vanity that I got at a community garage sale. The table had no top and I really wanted to top it with a marble slab. Time & cost didn’t let me do that so instead I decided to create my own tabletop. I wanted to share with you how to tile a tabletop, my way. This is for square or rectangular tables that will not require any special tools or cutting. Supplies: Tile of choice. For my 16″ x 33″ table top, I used 1 12″x 24″ white marble tile, 1 sheet of white…
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DIY Console/Bar Table – Total Cost $20
Since we moved last August, we’ve been entertaining a lot more than we could have imagined. I’m grateful for that because we really enjoy having friends & family over. And because we love to eat & drink. Having all these parties and get togethers made me realize that something was missing in our dining room. At first I couldn’t quite put my finger on it; not until things died down a little after the holidays, then it hit me. I need something to put things on in there. Okay that sounds a little… off. But it’s literally what was missing. I was either always setting the table for family style…
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A Peek Inside My Home Office
Hello my people! I know I haven’t been around talking with you much and I promise there is a really good reason. I’ve been busy. No really, not just busy, but BUSY. In the last month my family and I have sold 2 homes, bought another, moved, gotten our oldest moved back to college (1300 miles away), and the littlest settled into a new school (literally 1 DAY before school started). Did I mention I’ve been busy? Did I mention we moved? Moving is a lot of work, even when someone else does all the heavy lifting. You still have to get settled and decide what goes where, WHO goes…
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How to Make a Custom Bench
I am now at the point where I know what pieces can live on forever and what will be past it’s prime (and useless) by the time the fabric wears out (or is outdated). So over the years I have been able to save loads of money by purchasing what I think I’ll be able to upcycle or recycle when the time comes. One such forever piece is the ottoman. Let’s think about this… an ottoman is really just a wooden box that has been upholstered. When the upholstery has seen better days, the wooden box is still solid as… wood. In other words, it’s still sturdy and usable,…
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One Kings Lane ~ Head Over Heels for Chaises
Lately in the fashion and business world, there’s been a lot of talk of the “personal style uniform”. You know, having a basic signature style outfit that makes you YOU and that makes it easy to buy key pieces for daily dress. You wear essentially the same style everyday and just switch up your accessories and your shoes to take it to the next level. Well would you believe it if I said that our homes’ styles are no different than our own? If you’ve found your design style and tastes, then looking around your home you notice a theme. The same basic style with accessories and special pieces that…
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How to Makeover a Rush Cane Chair
This is the story of 2 rush cane chairs that needed a little makeover. Not an overhaul and nothing to destroy the original cane seats. Just a little cut and color. I have these rush cane chairs that have been sitting around taking up space – useful chairs but not being used (also pretty with interesting historical design significance). I got a great deal on 6 of them thinking I’d be able to use them for some project at some point. I do that sometimes because I have a severe case of can’t-pass-up-a-great-deal-itis. And even though I do not carry inventory, some things just can’t stay in the store (or resale shop or consignment…
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Design Tips for New Homeowners
So you are the proud owner of your first home! What’s next? Well first, congratulations are in order! Congratulations on your new home! Yay you! What a wonderful (fun, long, and hopefully fulfilling) journey you are about to begin! Your home is your 2nd biggest investment, 2nd only to YOU! Whether you’ve purchased a newly built home, an existing home, or a project/renovation home, there are some things you should know about decorating it (with a real life new homeowner’s project to demonstrate). 5 design tips for new homeowners: 1. Your home was not built in a day so it’s okay to not have it fully furnished and decorated overnight. You…
