Make This // An Upholstered Faux-Leather Bed

The looming launch date for the next The One Room Challenge (beginning this week!), lit a little fire under my feet to get this long-promised tutorial up on the blog. Today, I'm sharing a step by step to make the faux leather bed I made for the ORC back in the Fall when I made over our master bedroom.

I owe the success of this project to two items on my materials list - the french cleat hanging system that enables a fully supported bed frame without the need to build out a larger wood skeleton and also the buttery look and feel of some very 'looks like the real' thing vinyl, that I was able to score for a song here locally.  This project comes together quickly, relatively inexpensively and best of all - easy. You can do this with just the very few materials listed below.

In addition to those listed, you will also need to start with a standard metal mattress frame. You will be connecting the side boards to this using the french cleat. Note that while the bottom of the frame will typically not have this "bar" to hang the end board from, you will be connecting all three sides together using the corner braces so it will be fully supported. 

You do not need to invest in pretty boards for this project. Source the most inexpensive common pine boards and plywood you can from your local Home Improvement store. Do invest in your faux leather yardage. Though I found mine at a discount home fabric outlet, I have provided a good online source in  links (I actually have swatches in hand to validate the quality). 

Boards | Plywood | French Cleats | Corner Braces | Quilt Batting | Wadding | Faux Leather

The basic concept and the construction of the bed is simple - you'll be upholstering the face and sides of the headboard (I did not account for material to upholster the back as it sits up against a wall), then the sides as well. The upholstered headboard will sit up against your wall, on the floor. The remainder of the upholstered bed frame will hang securely around the bed base and eventually slide up to meet the headboard. 

You may also choose to bolt your headboard to the top of the metal mattress frame (there are usually pre-drilled holes in the metal for such a purpose). I did not find that step necessary.  Additionally, I have provided steps and measurements for our queen sized bed set up. Use these as a guide, but double check all measurements both before you buy the materials and then again before you begin cutting your yardage and upholstering. I actually came up a half a yard short lengthwise when making my own, which forced me to sew together shorter pieces for the sides. It was a happy accident for me as I ended up preferring this stitched seam detail on the face of my sideboards. The instructions here do not call for this step and the additional half yard of fabric has been added.

When putting the frame together, just remember that the end-board will fit between the two sides and then be braced with the corner brackets.

The frame is easily removed for cleaning and linen changing if needed (I covered our box spring in a pin-stripe that I occasionally remove and launder). 

We've been so pleased to finally have a fully upholstered bed at a fraction of the cost for a similar style. To see the final room design from the Fall '14 round of The One Room Challenge, created and hosted by Linda of Calling It Home, click here.

Project Update // Entry-way Tile

Today, I thought I'd post an update to #projectfail and the entry-way disaster I shared with you last week. Some of you had asked what our next move would be. We've considered nixing the tile completely in lieu of acid washed concrete in our foyer, but have now flipped back to an updated take on tile for this space. Though we both really like that clean, no-fuss look, I think a lot of our concrete dreams may have been budget driven to begin with. But researching that option showed a polished concrete surface would still come at a hefty expense. Still, my hesitation on tile in the first place was that I wanted to get away from the standard square tile entry you see in many of the homes around us. I want something a little more remarkable for our 100 square feet and with just a little more digging, I was finally lured back to tile by the promise of so many cool tile options that now exist out there.

So we're circling around the directions above.

The plank-style may end up being most affordable, though if possible, I'd like to see a little less grout in our final outcome. A lighter, geometric tile would be a fun spin and would tie in with a lot of what we have going on throughout the house. I've only scratched the surface here, but my initial impression is that this might be a little tougher to source locally. Ideally, we go with a polished multi-toned herringbone plank, one that seamlessly feathers together with no grout-lines. The style and color above would be exactly what I would want if the sky was the limit. So perhaps we'll start there and see what options exist (if any) within our price range. For now, we will live with the dated tile as is and avoid anymore painted disasters. I'm still nursing some wounds over that one. 

New Art at Holtwood House

We recently added some new art to our walls here at Holtwood House and today, I thought I'd share a sneak peek at two of the bigger statement pieces hanging in the living and dining areas. In both cases, we had looked for quite a bit of time to find just the right works - the right image, the right scale and ultimately the great dictator as far as these things go, the right budget. In the end, we took our own camera out on a couple of deliberately planned outings and I snapped some photos - hoping we'd land one or two we could work into our plans. 

As luck would have it, we had a few to choose from and together with a little editing, were able to print off and frame the two large scale pieces shared here.  We stayed true to our love of California, paying homage to both the towering Mexican Palms and Joshua Trees that line our beaches and deserts. 

We wanted to go big with both and outsourced the large scale prints to a shop here in Los Angeles. The shot of the Palms was snapped while walking near the Balboa Pier in Newport Beach and measures a lengthy 36" x 70". To save on the expense of framing, we sandwiched the print between the wall and a piece of plexiglass we had cut at Home Depot. Screws and caps finished it off for a clean, modern look. 

I talked a bit previously here about our day trip to Joshua Tree and the hunt for "the one" image we wanted to use above our dining table. With a bit of cropping and editing, we were able to capture the shot we wanted and enlarged it to 36" x 36". We purchased an inexpensive metal frame online that we put together ourselves and had the plexiglass custom cut at a shop around the corner from our house. 

We are so satisfied with the end result- two statement pieces, very personal to us, both hung for under $250. 

Around Here // Shibori on the Patio

Over the past few weeks, we've been getting pummeled by unseasonal winds here in SoCal. They caught us by surprise in the wee hours of the morning that last week in April. Just the week before, we had finished our landscaping projects and fancied up the area around the fire bowl. We were quite pleased with ourselves for being ahead of the summer entertaining curve for once. But then those Santa Anas blew in and made a mess of all we'd planted and prepared. Daylight finally came and we had nary a moment to survey the damage. We made a mad dash to secure anything that had not yet blown into the pool (or the neighbor's yard) and bring what we could inside to protect it from further damage. 

Such it was that the deep seated bench that once sat around the fire was relocated to our enclosed patio and tarped over to spare what was left of the cushions. Two steps forward, one step back as they say... 

When the winds eventually subsided, it was evident some of the outdoor cushions I made just last season would need replacing. The truth is, we had left them outside most of the year and they had become weather-worn long before that gusty week. While I was not happy about the added expense,  I was thankful to have a good reason to replace them with a softer pattern and easier on the skin textiles.

I was lucky enough to find inexpensive white linen-like pillow cases, along with a couple of flat weave rugs and linen place mats that would eventually become additional pillows. To give them a little color and bring this mish-mash of materials together, I decided to try my hand at shibori.  There are so many tutorials out there on this hand dyed technique, picking it up was fairly easy (here's one of my favorites yet). Supplies were inexpensively acquired and one night after work, I outfitted our shower area with Home Depot buckets and created a dye bath station.

I soaked my twisted, banded and knotted fabric in basic black Rit dye, alternating the bath times to result in contrasting tones. I even tried my hand at painting fabric, sketching dozens of lines down the face of one pillow with screen-printing paint.  The once brown, grain-sack place mats I found on the clearance rack at Home Goods were sewn together and stuffed to create a couple of striped accent pillows.

Once they dried and I had a chance to iron them,  I was pretty tickled at how well they turned out on my first attempt. 

The winds have passed now (hopefully for the rest of the season), but we have not yet moved the bench back out by the fire bowl. The display of plush, shibori pillows makes for nice visual transition walking from indoors to out.  Just beyond our kitchen door, this little area has also become a favorite, cozy spot to thumb through magazines or just curl up in our bathing suits while having lunch on weekends. It may eventually be relocated, but for now, it's a good place to settle in for the lazy days of summer that lay ahead.

One Room Challenge Project Reveal // Guest Bath Redux

 A mere six weeks ago, our guest bathroom bore the band-aid paint job of a hasty, make-do-till-we-can-do-it-right make-over. Today, it is a peaceful, modern retreat nearly fit for a master en suite. Friends, today I'm happily sharing my results for the One Room Challenge, a six-week, semi-annual makeover event that takes the blogosphere by storm. This round, I threw my hat into the ring as a linking participant and while it certainly was every bit the race-to-the-finish line challenge it was always intended to be, the community spirit of this event has admittingly been one of the best blogging related experiences I've had yet. So before I pull back the curtain on my own effort, please let me extend a warm word of thanks to Linda of Calling it Home for hosting and encouraging design minded bloggers like myself to join in amongst the core group of heavyweight designers who shared their reveals yesterday. What a thrill to be sitting here, typing up this post with yet another room finally completed at Holtwood House.  

Over the last three years, our home has slowly transitioned away from dated mid-century finishes and bad 1980's upgrades, to a more modern California ranch-style, with desert and coastal influences.  In the early days following our move, we took the the guest bathroom and upgraded it a bit with some paint and accessories. It was never meant to be a forever solution, but the whimsical striped pattern we had painted on the walls served us well for the last couple of years while we focused on other areas of the house. The One Room Challenge upgrade I'm revealing today brings our plan full circle. We inexpensively remade this space with V-groove paneled walls, concrete counters, paint, hardware, artwork and accessories.

We achieved our objective of 'desert, modern, luxe' through a creamy and earthy mix of color and texture. The clay-like tone of the concrete countertop really drove the direction for some of the more earthier elements like the cactus pottery, Nate Berkus bath rug, curtain trim and the tweed upholstery on the stool. The creamy undertones of Benjamin Moore's White Dove on the paneling and walls brightened up the space and made it feel fresh, while blending nicely with the older tile we have yet to replace. Our hope is that the mix of hardware and fixture metals will also whether design trends as far as these things go. I'll probably always be partial to the warmth of brass, but the coolness of chrome always feels new and modern.

One of the most refreshing changes in this space has everything to do with the panels draped on the sides of the tub. The old shower doors were aged, mismatched and dirty. We were so concerned about exposing the dated square tile behind the tub, that we had kept them there, thinking we'd eventually replace them when we installed new tile. Problem solved - doors were removed and the tile was not as hopeless as we always assumed it was. It's not the subway tile I had my heart set on, but it's in good condition and cleaned up just fine. We hung the paneling high and gave the narrow room some much needed height. 

I think all of the different elements play together cohesively, but there are a couple of individual details that I wanted to highlight. The little vanity stool was a Home Goods find made over with some multi-toned tweed fabric fished out of the discount bin at my local upholstery shop. In person, the undertones read gray-green and compliment my favorite vanity color nicely. I sprayed an inexpensive chrome robe hook from Home Depot gold to match the cabinet hardware. I opted not to install a towel rack in the room, but the hook now offers a place for visiting guests to hang a towel if needed. I skipped the spray paint and applied gold leaf to our two factory-grade IKEA mirrors and then roughed them up a bit with a scouring pad to help give them a bit of a patina. I love the dichotomy of 'aged' metal against the pristine paneling.

So before I close this chapter on the One Room Challenge Guest Bath Redux, one more quick look back on where it all began:

A big thank you again to Linda and to all of you who took time to drop me a note throughout these last 6 weeks. What an adventure. I also can not forget to thank my Pops who spent quite a bit of time helping me panel and paint and of course The Mister, who always indulges me in all my design imaginations. 

You can read about my plan and weekly progress here:

Week 1 - The Plan

Week 2 - Paneled Walls

Week 3- Small Wins

Week 4 - Color Palette + Vanity Reveal

Week 5 - Loose Ends

 Please be sure to pop on over to Calling it Home and congratulate all of the talented, hardworking participants linking up today with their big reveals.  

Make This // Lobster Cage Pendants

Where do you want your lobster traps hung? We were getting ready for a little shindig at the house over this past weekend and thought we'd add a little mood lighting in one of the far corners of the yard with the bamboo pendants I had made the week before. Until then, I didn't see it. I had envisioned calling them "netted bamboo pendants" or something of that sort for this post. But it wouldn't be the first time The Mister saw something different than I did in one of my projects. 

Lobster cage or not, I liked them. I liked them a lot - especially once the black netting harnessed the soft glow of the filament bulbs we placed in them that evening for our party. 

They were a cinch to put together too. Here's how I did it:

I took inspiration from the Ay Illuminate pendants I gushed over in a recent post. Though much more low brow than the fancy designer pendants I have such an affection for, I think my version captures a similar vibe - no fuss, rustic simplicity using minimal materials to create a statement all its own. 

First Look // Project Green Garden Screen

One of the bigger projects on our Spring 2014 punch list was to build out a set of planters that would sit along 24 feet of fence line adjacent to our pool. This is a high profile area both from the inside of the house and from the pool deck so we wanted the final outcome to pack a good visual punch. In previous years, we'd tried planting various vines and bedding plants directly in the ground along the fence line, but were unsuccessful based on limited planting space, soil condition and heat/sunlight in this area of our yard. Our solution was to take the plantings above ground where we could have more space and control over the soil and fill it with heat tolerant greenery that would eventually grow and give us some of the height we also desired.

The original plan called for bamboo. Fast forward through weeks of research and local sourcing and what we learned was that our USDA zone limits us to just a few heat tolerant/full sun clumping varieties (we just didn't want to take the chance with runners) - none of which we liked the look of. There was one variety that we could have shipped in from Florida, but that was cost prohibitive. So we examined other "looks" and plants and found ourselves at Home Depot last Friday night with a cart full of Podocarpus and Japanese Boxwood. 

We had built out and stained our boxes in the weeks before. We also coated the heck out of these guys with a marine grade finish and lined the insides with plastic, taking care to leave holes in the bottom for drainage. Before planting our new flock of flora, we also filled the bottom of each box with gravel and bark chips to aid in drainage. Then we filled... and filled... and filled each with roughly 6-8 cubic feet of soil. 

We had some leftover decorative rock from another landscaping project out front and topped off each of the boxes late Sunday afternoon. Though Podocarpus can grow some 30-40' tall into a full grown tree if planted in the ground, we plan on keeping it trimmed to create more of a formal hedge look as grows out. The Japanese boxwood will also be trained and trimmed into shorter spheres in the interim. Perhaps at some point, we'll remove the boxwood and allow the Podocarpus to grow together. We'll see how things progress. For now, we're both really satisfied with the outcome and delighted to have a little greenery along this stretch of fence at last.

DIY Wire Patio Table

Yesterday I revealed my infatuation for all the colorful wire patio tables that have arrived in stores this season. I even nearly bought a mis-matched pair I spotted at Home Goods. Fast forward to a couple of days cleaning up the garden and wouldn't you know it, I found myself holding two very sturdy tomato cages that were in good enough condition to eventually become the base for my wire patio table.

I figured I'd ride this idea to its eventual conclusion and either I'd have an inexpensive project that went awry or I'd end up with a custom side table to pair up with our deep patio bench out by the fire bowl. As it turned out, this little table came together just like I wanted it to, with very little effort or money spent. 

One of the things that made this attempt so appealing was that I already had most of the items I needed on hand. My only out of pocket costs were for the table round and mending plates. While I opted for a warm wood stain and a black base, you could just as easily make yours colorful like those I highlighted in yesterday's post by either using a color-coated tomato cage (easily available at most nurseries now) or by changing up the spray paint. Consider painting the table top itself as well and you'll have almost any color combo you want (how 'bout a white top and a mint base or a black top and neon base... so many options!).

Painted or stained, you'll want to give the top a good seal before putting it to use. Wax the top or paint on a good poly to keep water and cup rings at bay. We'll be leaving ours outside year round so I'm planning to seal ours good with a marine grade finish to protect it. 

I'm loving how this little table that came together so quickly plays off all of the black, gray and other wood elements we have going on outdoors. I'm planning on making at least one more to ensure there's always an extra place to set our cocktail down while sitting around the fire. 

Make This // Geo Dowel Pendant Fixture

I recently shared some pictures from the big New Years bash we had here at the house and today, I thought I'd highlight one of the design elements that went into the party decor.

We were expecting a lengthy guest list and wanted to make good use of every corner of the property. So though it was unseasonably warm that night, we staged a tent out by the pool to house another seating area for guests. Tent lighting options are readily available from party rental companies, but I always opt to create a unique statement piece of my own. I have an affection for lighting fixtures in general- but especially those that are inventive and make good use of understated items to create something more dramatic. The dowel pendants I came up with were heavily inspired not only by my fixation of late on geometric patterns, but by the seasonal Himmeli that adorn Scandinavian houses at Christmastime. So there was both a motivation to infuse something handmade, but also meaningful and relevant to the time of year.  The fringe benefit? These were inexpensive to make which left extra budget available for other more important expenditures like cocktails.

I have to tell you that though these may look complicated, they honestly came together so easily. I was convinced they'd fall apart with the first evening gust. But the glue has held them strong and sturdy well past the turning of the New Year. 

Here's the how to.

What you'll need:

1/4" wood dowels sourced from craft supply store

Hot glue gun/sticks

Plug in pendant lighting kit

Filament Bulb

To create a design like mine, you'll need 24 - 12" dowels. I also used Ikea's Hemma lighting kit. But you can also find similar kits at Urban Outfitters and on Amazon.  I finished off the pendant with an old fashioned filament bulb for effect, sourced right from my local Home Depot.

For our large party tent, I made two separate fixtures and hung them side by side. I also left the wood dowels unpainted for this affair. But, these can be easily repurposed with a little paint to create an entirely new look for our next party. See? It's a win win and good use of resources.

Party on.

Made It // Upholstered Box Frame

I'd love a new bed. I've imagined moving a king sized mattress, complete with a professionally upholstered frame, fit with 500 thread count sheets into our bedroom long before I ever laid eyes on Holtwood House. But you have to admit, that there's also something so undeniably satisfying in making something happen from almost nothing and in resolving a long standing eyesore with just a little experimentation, risk and determination.

I'd long tired of the old skirt that used to hang around our bed. I tested longer bedspreads and oversized duvets that might fill the gap between our metal frame and the floor just so and still leave a sleeker impression. But those temporary solutions still left our 'made' bed still looking pretty disheveled. As we approached the holidays this year, I had a vision to create an extension of the wall hung headboard I had made just weeks after moving in. My plan would implement a 'box' that would sit around the bed - unanchored to the metal frame, but sturdy enough to stand on it's own. 

Initially, I spec'd out some boards, but even knotty pine in the dimensions I needed would end up costing more than I ever wanted to spend on this project. I nearly bit the bullet when I happened to glance over at the reduced lumber pile and saw a plywood panel marked with a little paint at 70% off. Some quick math and at $3.60, including some custom cuts out the door, I knew I could not pass it up.

Back home on the fly, I fashioned a box that sat 16" high from the floor around our bed - just a smidge higher than the box springs. I set my plywood boards at 90 degree angles, fastening them together with 2" wide corner brackets. Some batting I had hanging around the house was stapled over the box once it was set upright around the bed. This added some much needed padding and dimension under the upholstery. 

Unfortunately, I no longer had the headboard fabric and knew I'd have a hard time finding an exact match. Luckily, I had just enough (and I mean... just enough) micro-suede in a similar color left over from an abandoned pillow project and at last found another use for it. I carefully measured and marked the backside before cutting it down and stapling it into place.

The bed looks so much more polished now - particularly when the duvet is tucked tightly into the box frame. This was one of those surprisingly satisfying little projects where the stars aligned and all came together quickly, inexpensively and better than I ever anticipated. Just an hour of my time - using just a handful of materials, most of which I already had on hand and the result really worked to elevate our master bedroom. 

Up-cycled Mineral Decanters

With the impending holidays, my mind immediately turns to party, which then inevitably leads to bar. Funny how that works. I had been wanting to update our house bar with some fancy new crystal decanters for quite some time. But frankly that expenditure falls well behind in terms of priority - particularly now right smack in the middle of the season of giving. So last weekend, I found a creative way to scratch that long nagging itch and came up with a project that would up-cycle some materials I already had on hand. In the end, it was really what I was hoping for all along.

We've been saving up our old clear wine and liquor bottles for the past couple of years - actually having friends and family save theirs for our hoard. Some are just too pretty to toss and I knew we'd find a way to recycle them into a project at some point in time. When inspiration struck for my makeshift decanters, I turned to our stockpile and picked out a few in varying shapes and sizes. Cleaning and removing the labels was the most time intensive part of this project - nothing a dishwasher and a little 'goo be gone' could not tackle. 

I knew I had a few rocks, minerals and cabinet knobs lying around that I decided could work to fancy up the caps. A dab of E6000 was all I needed to bind them strongly to the existing bottle tops and corks. 

Originally I considered purchasing some traditional chain metal tags to complete the look. But I caught a glimpse of Christine's Instagram and decided to give my decanters a little more edge with a string of bulky chain right off the hardware shelf. 

I think these decanters are ready to rock it and just in time for our big New Year's Eve bash.