make your own parsons table diy

i am really excited about today's DIY and even more excited about part two coming next week!

james and i have been looking for a compact, sleek console for our entryway on and off for months. we live in a small apartment (900 sq ft) and needed something that would add interest, not bulk, but we couldn't find anything that would fit our space and price point.

and then it hit me: we can make one! what i love most about this DIY is that you can customize it to your space. our tabletop is long and narrow, but you can adjust the dimensions to suit your style. to get an idea of standard console dimensions, we checked out the options at places like West Elm, CB2 and IKEA. one rule of thumb, most consoles are 30-31" in height.

now, here is the real stunner: assuming you own or can borrow the tools listed below, the total cost of materials is $34.

this doesn't include the cost of materials to finish the wood, but there are inexpensive finishing options, so stay tuned for part two of this DIY for ideas!

a quick note: we decided to add "braces" for structural support and i actually like the look a bit better. for a more traditional parsons table, you can leave the braces off, but any bowing or arching in the lumber will cause the legs to taper and you might find that a brace evens things out.

DIMENSIONS
48x12x31.5"

MATERIALS 

- 8'x12" (cut into 48x12" for tabletop)

- 2 lengths of 2x2"x6' (cut into 4 pieces for legs, each 30" in length)

- 8 flathead #8 gauge 3" wood screws

TOOLS

- electric drill

- 1/8" drill bit

- level

- pencil

- sandpaper
- hand saw (if adding braces)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. write "TOP" in pencil on one side of tabletop.

2. with the "TOP" side up, place one of the legs on one of the corners. use level to ensure edges of leg are flush with edge of tabletop.

3. trace edges of the leg with pencil, to make a square.

4. next, remove leg and mark where to drill the screws. with a ruler, draw a diagonal line down the middle of the square and mark two evenly-spaced, centered dots (see photo for exact measurements).

5. repeat steps 2-4 with for remaining corners.

6. starting with one corner, drill through each of the dots marking where the screws will go.

 james used a makeshift drill guide to ensure screws drilled in straight. for instructions on creating your own drill guide, click here.

7. place tabletop perpendicular to floor and align a leg against one "BOTTOM" corner of tabletop, so that all sides are flush.

9. while holding leg firmly against tabletop, drill through screw holes from "TOP" side of tabletop, into leg.

10. drive wood screws through drill holes completely into leg, until screw is flush with with top of tabletop.

11. repeat steps 6-11 for remaining corners.

optional - adding braces
12. stand table upright and measure interior distance between legs. using leftover lumber, use hand saw to cut two pieces to match interior distance on each side of table.

13. set table on its side, with legs facing you. on the outer ends of each leg, use freshly cut brace to trace square and drill holes, as in steps 2-4.

14. drill through each of the dots marking where the screws will go.

15. align brace against interior of one leg, so that all sides are flush.

16. while holding leg firmly against leg, drill through screw holes from leg exterior, into brace. repeat with opposite leg, so that brace serves as a connector piece.

17. repeat for legs at opposite end of table.

et voila!

we're planning to upholster our table with faux animal skin fabric (details coming soon!), but i took a crack at styling it to get an idea of what it will look like all finished! what do you think?

TIPS

- we purchased and cut our lumber at home depot. we chose Select Pine because it has a more polished appearance. it is a little more expensive than stock lumber, but the pieces are less likely to have imperfections.

- if you choose to add braces, save extra 2x2 lumber during home depot trip.

- you can pick up an inexpensive bubble level and the wood screws while you're at home depot.

- use sand paper to smooth out any edges and even out connection point between legs and tabletop.

throw pillow heaven

so, as you guys know, james and i have been working on prettying up our little home. we got a new couch a couple of years ago and have had a knit pillow and inexpensive finds from target accessorizing it since (pictured here).

i've been eyeing new throw pillows and bookmarked a few options on pinterest and etsy, but didn't have a clear picture of what i wanted. well, we finally looked through all the options and put together a combination of this lilac pillow, this emerald ikat pillow, and this royal blue lumbar pillow.

i'm kind of really excited and can't wait for them to arrive! here's how they'll look in our current space:

what do you think? do you have any pillow combos you've been eyeing?

ikea hack: billy bookcase and besta storage unit

i am so excited to finally share the ikea pieces that james and i have been working on. i posted a sneak peek a few weeks ago, but we finally finished all of the details this past weekend. 

we have been slowly working on zhushing up our little home (it's an apartment, really, but it feels like home) and the time came to buy some new furniture. the main priority was hidden storage; in such a small space, even a little bit of clutter can make the entire place look messy and unkempt. 

we looked online, in local shops, and resale stores for nice furniture for months, but we realized the hardwood furniture we liked was out of our budget. complicating matters, i wanted a bookcase with doors to keep things tidy and dust-free.

we settled on the billy bookcase with paneled glass doors. i liked the idea of showing some of our books and decorative pieces, but still having plenty of room to hide, so the half-glass paneling was perfect.

taking a cue from kate's amazing ikea hack i painted the back panel a dark charcoal - behr's stealth jet - and filled in the peg holes with white nail hole filler. unless you're up close, you can't see the holes, which is usually a tell-tale sign of an ikea piece. 

we also wanted a streamlined media center with storage and the besta storage unit fit the bill. we paired it with glossy white doors and topped it with white glass.

we chose the standard square legs, but spray painted them with rustoleum's metallic spray paint in gold.

speaking of hardware, i've had jen's home tour posts bookmarked for ages because i love the brushed brass pulls and knobs that she has used.

we did consider other legs for the besta unit, but couldn't find anything that we loved for a decent price. although the spray paint is gold and the rest of the hardware is brass, it matches really well. after seeing how great the legs looked, we disassembled the bookcase doors to spray paint the hinges and screws. it was a bit of a hassle to do so after the fact, but it's one of my favorite details.

so, friends, what do you think? have you hacked any ikea pieces? if so, i'd love to see them!

all images: james roy photography

diy: how to reupholster a chair seat

i 'm so excited to share my most recent DIY with you today!

well, i really shouldn't say my DIY because i couldn't have done this without james' help - it's really a two-person job. we referenced two online tutorials for the project - here and here - and made some adjustments along the way.

we recovered two chair seats that measured about 15x14 in. and used 3/4 yd. fabric. the fabric is a faux crocodile leather we found at joann's for less than $8. true story.

oh, and we have chair sliders on the base of each chair leg to save the wood floors, but to jazz them up after reupholstering the seats, i painted them a metallic brass color.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

- fabric

- batting

- foam

- scissors

- pliers

- screwdriver

- heavy-duty staple gun

- 5/16 in. staples

- spray adhesive

STEP ONE:

flip chair over and unscrew seat from chair frame.

STEP TWO:

remove staples, backing, fabric, batting, foam, and fabric from seat. if your chair is more than 5 years old, consider tossing everything. putting new foam on your seat will breath new life into the chair, not to mention, make it more comfortable.

STEP THREE:

cut foam, batting, and fabric. i'm a nerdbird and measured it out, but you can probably eyeball the measurements - just make sure to err on the side of too much material vs. too little.

cut foam 1/2 inch larger than seat.

cut batting 3 inches larger than seat. 

cut fabric 4 inches larger than seat. 

*love note on seat is optional

STEP FOUR: 

spray wooden seat with spray adhesive and carefully center foam on top. it will bind immediately, so there's no drying time.

set cut fabric down on a workspace, place batting on top, and stack seat with adhered foam on top of the batting.

STEP FIVE:

gently stretch batting and fabric over the back of the seat and staple the fabric in the center of all four sides.

if your fabric has a pattern, now is a good time to flip the seat over to see if it is centered.

continue stapling one side by gently tugging fabric until is is taut, then move to the opposite side and again stretch fabric before stapling. repeat for remaining sides. 

*we had to run out to get a heavy-duty upholstery staple gun and i stretched the fabric while james stapled. if you manage to get a wooden seat with new foam stapled by yourself, i tip my cap to you.

that's it! once the fabric and batting is safely stapled, screw the seat back into the chair and you're done. 

james roy photography

our tree

i mentioned yesterday that i like a Christmas tree with sparkle and shine and since we just finished putting up ours this weekend, i wanted to share it with you!

also, i am inordinately excited about our new monogrammed fur stockings! i wanted to get a cute ornament to celebrate our first Christmas as mr. and mrs., but they were all so cheesy. like barftastic cheesy - and that's coming from me, a total sap. i picked out these beauties from restoration hardware baby & child and they are perfect.

and side note, can we talk about how awesome children's lines are these days? i'm thinking of land of nod, pottery barn teen, RH baby & child...

photos by james roy

mini home tour

 i've been documenting bits and pieces of our apartment since making little updates like these DIY abstract paintings. the result is the mini home tour below and upon reflection, i have a problem - i seem to have forgotten that i live with an adult male.

 i love our place now, but i want to build in masculine elements to our home, so our space is interesting and appealing to the mr. (and actually looks like a man lives there). luckily, i have time to figure it out because james indulges my predisposition for all things girly.

living room 

bathroom

bedroom

kitchen drawer liners

DIY abstract painting

i shared yesterday that i completed the first item on my summer DIY bucket list and i'm so excited to share the results with you today! 

i was inspired by jen ramos' cocoa and hearts and the ever-talented christine's wink of pink paintings and decided to give it a try myself! our living room was majorly missing artwork big enough for the wall behind the couch. hanging above our couch was a thrift store find that i actually really love, but didn't work for the area - the frame was too heavy and the piece too small for the wide expanse of wall. 

so, it was off to our mom-and-pop art store in lakeview to buy supplies. we opted for two 24x30" canvases that are 1.25" wide. we knew we weren't going to frame the canvases, so we went with ones that had a bit of heft to them so they filled the space well and looked more expensive.

acrylic paint is fantastic for this type of project because it dries quickly, it's durable, and you can layer it to add texture. i also bought a few brushes to add the collection i already owned, a mixing tray, and drop cloth. 

i chose a color palette that mixed warm and cool tones, including silver for a little glam and white for mixing. i toned down the colors with white, white, and more white! you need a LOT to bring a bright acrylic color down to a pastel. it was a fun learning process and the trial-and-error allowed me to use different shades of the same color throughout the paintings.

i started with a peachy backdrop and deliberately did not paint to the edges of the canvas. i didn't want it to look to perfect and wanted the opportunity to improvise as i went along. i used a foam brush which gives cool textures and lines.

and for the coolest part, the mr. took video of most of the painting process. he sped it up into a time lapse, so you can see the layering of colors.

and voila! i think i'll toughen up the pieces a bit by adding black, but i'm enjoying the feminine colors for now. thank goodness the mr. cares more about making me smile than what hangs on our walls!

and who doesn't love a good before and after pic?

images by james roy photography 

closet styling

i took a hand at styling my closet in the new apartment this past weekend and i have to say, i'm pretty happy with the results! i mostly love that i can see most everything in the closet and that key accessories like shoes, bags, and belts are front and center.

the closet was already outfitted with these handy closetmaid shelves and rods (lucky me) and next on the list is new hangers!

to add some fun, i picked out a girly print for the exposed wall, but you'll have to check in tomorrow to see what i purchased as well as an exclusive promotion for a.n.c. readers!

design project update: refinish the dark woods

last week, i took you through the furniture refinishing project my fiance and i completed and i'm happy to share more pictures of the completed pieces!

now, i just can't wait to get a new slipcover for the couch, a new area rug...

photography by james roy