Showing Some Ikea Love

Good morning,

I recently heard someone say that they don't like Ikea and wouldn't use it in their home.  Now, understandably Ikea can lack the quality and finish of high end furnishings, and needing to assemble furniture with unfortunate picture directions and piles of nuts and bolts is no one's idea of fun, however the price and flexibility of this big box store are pretty unrivaled. They also have some pretty great "basics" such as frames, pillow inserts, and decor items that can be added to any space. To go right with Ikea it's all in the construction of the piece, the selection of the product and the creativity in how you style it that makes Ikea a cult fav.

I recently scored some great pieces in the clearance section at Ikea that I will show you soon, but in the mean time I'll show you some of the amazing ways that Ikea has been used and modified in other people's homes that in my opinion set the Ikea haters to rest. It's not that I don't value an opinion, but hey I love me some Ikea and I think other people should too! 

Take a look at some of these AMAZING spaces styled with Ikea.

Ikea Akurum cabinets with high gloss Abstract doors from Made By Girl. One of my favorites! I could see this in my own home. 

Ikea Expedite cabinets styled and featured in Elle Decor

Jen from Organized Design took an Ikea bed frame and made her own headboard then upholstered  both to match. LOVE! Her blog has a step by step on how to. 

A Liuttle Bit of Everything  took a very affordable Erslev rug from Ikea for only $40 and hand painted it in to this beautiful Moroccan beauty!

 

Check out this RAST night stand from Ikea which start as a raw wood for only $30 and was transformed into this. You can see the step by step from the Craft Sisters . Pretty amazing.

 I absolutely ADORE the styling of these Ikea Expedit shelves, the Ikea RIBBA frames and the Ikea rug. The light airy colors are perfection. Source unknown.

I LOVE THIS IKEA KITCHEN!! The cabinets, counter tops and pendants are all Ikea. In a kitchen, if you have a good cabinet installer Ikea can be a very affordable option. They have a large variety of styles and finishes, and can hold up to the other budget Chinese cabinets that are available. I  love the chalk board paint on the island here, so clever. Source unknown.

 

Here is an office with painted Ikea Expedit turned book shelves. It gives these basic shelves such a high end look. Source unknown.

I love this cozy sitting area with the Ikea RIBBA frames and the Ikea Ektorp Tullsta chairs. I would love to sit and have my coffee here.

Can you believe this dining room with 2 gold leafed Ikea Kulla pendants from Haute Khuuture ? Check out her tutorial, and possibly beef up your own Kulla lights.

 

Here, Centsational Girl took some Ikea kitchen cabinets and turned them in to a window bench. How amazing are these?!!!

 

Here are some staged Ikea Vittsjo shelving units that are just beautifully done. I could see this as a library option, in a dining room, or as a beautiful statement in a living room as you see it here. 

Here are 2 Ikea Storsele chairs in black mixed in to this airy and pattern filled living room. They are a stunning addition to this room, and for only $119 each they are a unique bargain find. Source unknown.

Here is a perfectly poised and organized office with Ikea Expedit and the Ikea Alex drawer unit. I can only dream of so much perfectly organized office space in my own home.

 

 

Here is the most adorable Ikea Hemnes dresser in a little boy's room with the smallest yellow paint addition proving that small touches go a long way.

Here is another Ikea RAST night stand turned campaign chest. This is definitely a WOW moment that I would take on if I had the energy.

My point here is that Ikea rocks! I never rule it out as an option and have used it in probably every single project I've done. Let me take that back, in one way or another in every project I've done including the high end ones I have used Ikea. For budget projects it is a great resource for getting the look for a minimal cost, and as I said before the basics that they have in a large plentiful supply are better priced than the next guy.

What do you think of Ikea? Is it something you can't get enough of or are you on the other side of the fence? 

My Very Own LACK Hack

Good morning,

Recently I have been updating my older daughter's room which I will reveal to you soon. I decided to take the LACK nightstand/end table that I made for our guest room as seen here and move it to my daughter's room. It has a nice scale and style and is perfect for her new space.

I want to share with you the "how to" for this amazing project that I originally saw on clementine and olive . This is a must if you are a fan of nail head trim furniture, simple DIY projects, and just need a stylish table of your own. You can find designer versions such as Clayton Grey, but they will run you around $450 which is pretty extreme. In this case, I took the lovely budget queue and made one of my own using 2 LACK tables from Ikea and some nail head trim.

Take a look at my LACK hack night stand and just a peek at my daughter's new room.

**It should be noted that I really rushed through this table much to the dismay of Mr. R and had I have taken time to place the trim I could have gotten it much more precise i.e. straight.  

For this project you will need:

-2 Ikea LACK tables (for 1 end table or night stand)

-2 rolls of nail head trim. I found mine at Joanne's Crafts and used the roll to keep it straight.

-1 rubber mallet for the nail heads. You can use a hammer but it will dent and scratch your trim.

-2 long screws to attach the base of the 2nd table. I measured by looking at what we had already, but I assume you would need about a 3" screw. Simply measure your table top for the thickness. 

To do this very easy hack you simply assemble 1 of your LACK tables and turn it upside down. Take the top from your other LACK table and screw directly through the table at the corners attaching that top to the legs of your assembled table. Lastly take your rolls of nail heads and attach them starting at the corners. That's it!!! So simple!!! Thank you clementine and olive for your amazing hack! 

**It should also be noted that she attached her nail heads to the unassembled top and base and said that she would not do it that way if she did this again. I found it easier to assemble the entire table first and then add the trim.

Here is the version from Clementine and Olive  which shows the same project with the dark nail heads which also look beautiful as another option to my chromed up version. You will also see that she took time with hers and made them nice and straight which I should have done!

I hope to finish her room this week and reveal the rest soon. It is clean, uncluttered and perfect for

this cool teen in need of a grown up room. 

What do you think of this LACK hack? I'm sure it's not the first time you've seen it, but man was it easy and perrrrty! If you've seen it and second guessed it, don't! It is the most simple hack out there.

A New Season, A New Hue

Hello, and welcome back to me! I know that there was a lack of posting or being around in general last week. I'm sorry, and am back on track. There was a large undertaking here at the Perez house which included getting MANY projects done, but on the flip side burned me out. This is a new week.

Today I want to share with you some changes that happened in our master bedroom. You may remember my recent post about the Gossip Girl inspired room here ? Well, I went ahead and made many of those changes happen and loved most of them. The part that I didn't love however was the stenciled wall. It wasn't that the wall turned out bad, in fact it was beautiful and for the right space would be the main feature. It's more that I enjoy a very muted palette and would rather introduce color in my own home through accessories and prints and textures, and not necessarily through the color on my walls. It's a personal thing, and a lesson learned which by the way concluded in Mr. R. painting over the stenciled wall the very next morning! Hey, s&*t happens, and after the 7 hour lesson of I still don't like color on my own walls, I took a bit of a break on the ol house:)

The up side here, however is that I am loving the new changes in our room. A good friend of mine said that it's very "rock star", and that's a compliment I'll take.

Take a look at the new room with it's many colors, prints, textures and may I say fall-ish hue.

What I love most about the room is that it is a completely me project. In the details of this room I am able to squeeze in all the little treasures that I covet such as the Arteriors horn on my tv console and the amethyst candle votive. These are the little things at the end of the day that make me happy.

Some of the notable happenings in this room are:
- Ikea mirrored 3 drawer chests . They are amazing in person and are a very affordable alternative to the mirrored night stands that I wanted. I may customize mine with some chrome pulls one day, but for now the clean modern lines work well enough. If you've considered them I highly recommend them.
-Paint. Though you have to look hard, you will notice the wall behind our bed is in fact painted! It is a bit of a LOL moment that it is actually a grey similar to the white on the other walls and may in fact be a shade of white, but it actually warms up the wall just enough;)
-Art. I really went for it with the art that I chose. I have to thank MadeByGirl and her reference to the "Cougar Friends" print by Jessica Craig-Martin that you can find here. This really hit the spot for me because I tend to like photography as art, and I definitely like things that are a bit "off the beaten path" i.e. a little bit edgy and out there. I also like that the art here has a bit of a vintage feel to it, which paired well with our Vegas wedding picture. It all works and ties the room and colors together.
-Color and pattern. I definitely didn't color inside the lines. I went with what I liked and made it work. I still have my neutral palette going on, but it's amazing how adding a few pillows here and a throw blanket there along with some added texture can transform a room.
-Balance. The tv console area is actually one of my favorite parts to our room. The size of the tv was an accident by Mr. R. and was also on sale and NOT returnable. My solution here was to balance the wall and console with a bit of a gallery wall vignette. The result made an unfortunate mistake work. Sometimes you have to work around the eye sore in a room. My motto here is "if you can't beat em, join em" and that's exactly what I did.

It's possible that the art or the fuchsia pink thrown on the chaise are not for everyone (or every husband LOL), but that's the beauty in design. Certain rules are meant to be broken, and I think there is something said to thinking outside the box and instead of being concerned with trends or majority, instead be concerned with what makes you happy and you can't go wrong.

What do you think of my Gossip Girl inspired, jewel toned, possibly rock star-esque bedroom make over? Have you tried something out of the box in your own room just to find that it did or didn't work for you?

 

My Dream Closet: Part II: The Reality Check

Good morning,

Remember a long time ago when I posted about my dream closet here ? As I said in my post everything I listed is my "Dream Closet", but in reality I had to make the most I could out of the space I had, on a shoe string budget, and still make it feel some how luxurious and functional.

This was a challenge I overcame. I want to share it with you possibly space deprived readers as well as closet enthusiasts alike because having an organized closet WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE! My closet may not be the most beautiful closet in the world, and it certainly isn't the largest, but man am I happy we invested in building them out.

Let's talk turkey!:

Shoes And Shelves

Shoes and shelves:  The more the better! I for one have a few pairs, and I would venture to guess that so do most of you. Give your self a place to put them! I put mine heel to toe which gives a tiny bit more room for one extra pair;) Also, take em high, as in all the way up to the ceiling. Use every bit of your vertical space to accommodate for storage. To the left up top I have my boots and booties, and to my right I have boxes and room for things such as seasonal clothes that can be put away and rotated. My plan is to one day line the backs of the shelves with some fabulous paper, but for now they function and that's what I need!

Dresser Drawers

 

Dresser Drawers: I added an extremely large 8 drawer built in dresser that's taller than an average dresser. For me this is a way to keep the hanging space down and also gives me more organization. Bras, panties, tank tops, shirts, shorts, gym clothes, swim suits and then some. We all have "stuff" and we need a place to put it. This solution was perfect for me, and though I sacrificed on more hanging racks I was able to stuff the drawers to the brim with all my other clothes and save room for the quickly filled hanging racks. I dressed them up with large modern chrome pulls which just ups the style, not to mention serves as a great place to hang things when getting ready.

Vanity

Vanity: Having room above the dresser for a vanity section was a must. I have a large collection of perfumes and costume jewelry, and I display them on pretty mirrored trays and inside glass jewelry boxes. I have tons of these jewelry boxes throughout my room, but I keep my "current" accessories here for quick easy access. Let's face it, a vanity just looks pretty.  I added a mirror, some art, and other pretty things to give it a little somethin somethin.

Hanging Racks

Hanging Racks: You're going to need them, and lots of them! In my case I separated the closet by clothing type, and color. I have a place for short skirts/ shirts, tanks, and blouses/ short dresses/ long dresses, skirts, and long coats/ and short jackets. I find that by sorting things by color it just makes it easier to find what you are looking for, grab and go! I also added the same color of hangars (black velvet for clothes and wood for skirts etc) which makes it feel more grown up, organized and elegant.

Hidden Shelving

Hidden Shelving: In my space deprived closet no nook or cranny goes unused. In this case you can see that below my short jacket section I have a shelf that is perfect for my collection of folded jeans (of which I have no hanging room for). My advice is to look beyond the obvious with space and you may find those spots that go unnoticed can become valuable real estate for your closet and needs.

Hooks

Hooks: Hooks are a way to display and organize those things in the closet that you don't necessarily want to tuck away. In the first picture you can see the hook that I have on both sides of my closet. I use them to hang my robe, or to display the evenings outfit before I go out. I have the deer antlers on my wall of the closet that I will use for a holding purses or shirts, or even a hat. The third picture is how I display my necklace collection. It is simple clear thumb tacks that may one day change and become more sophisticated, but for now work perfectly preventing my jewelry from getting tangled and displays my ever changing collection. The plus side is that you can easily adjust them for height. 

Mirrored Cabinet Door 

Mirrored Cabinet Door: I have a long awkward shelving that is L shaped to the dresser. The point of this was to utilize the negative space and gaining hidden storage. Functional as it were, it looked weird. My solution was to add a long thin cabinet door so that I could hide the "stuff", I then added a mirror to for dual functionality. It gave my cheap-o closet a much more finished look. Inside I keep my things organized on different shelves and in boxes and bins. The result is one extra place to keep all of my belongings, but it also hides them behind a pretty door so that I don't necessarily have to keep them on display.

Finishing Touches

Finishing Touches: The rest is simply for show. I have a Greek key rug that changes with my moods, a little mirrored table with my DIY Ikat bowl. An adorable chrome and white leather stool with a dual purpose for seating and stepping up to reach the top of the closet as well as the high hanging clothing racks. Sometimes it's not a room itself, but everything you put in it that makes it beautiful. Don't forget this when looking at your closet. Also, think outside the box when decorating yours. There are many things that you can display that become artistic such as my necklace collection or a scarf collection. Regardless, find your inspiration and go for it!

The Conclusion

In the end I may not have EXACTLY the look or style that I wanted on my shoe string closet budget, and the all white "cheap-o" closet may not exude the glamour of its higher end counter parts, but what I do have is a well executed space that has exactly the place for everything. Organization for me is essential to not only fitting my things in the closet, but also so that I can function in my chaotic daily life. Though I may likely dress things up along the way (i.e. chandelier, different rug etc.), I am happy to have MY own organized closet.

What do you think? Are you lucky enough to have a well spaced well organized closet? What tips can you share for making a small closet work?

Either way, one thing is for sure that if you decide to build out your own closet it WILL change your life and you won't regret it!