Laundry Room Ladder Project

Hey there!!!!!

TGIF 

I must admit to having a serious case of writers/bloggers block...and it's not for the lack of trying

I counted at least 8 drafts that I started writing and never finished posting 

in the last two weeks...hey what is up with that?

So on to my projects...

I counted at least 20 projects that I started working on and have not finished in the last two weeks...

OK is it something I ate?

But I did manage to finish one little project for the laundry/mud room area

It's a laundry ladder

Now I won't even begin to take credit for this great idea

 because I have seen this done on some other blogs and on Pinterest 

and I loved the idea

Most of the others who used this ladder idea 

suspended it from either chain or some sort of rope/pulley system 

which all looked good and worked out well.

But on my weekly trip to the hardware store 

I spotted these:

this is a turn buckle

I love these things!

and who was the genius that invented it....?

how wonderful she must be!

you may remember that I used a wire and turn buckle system to support my grape vines

if you're interested you can read more about that project here

but on to the laundry/mud room

I have a big open area which we recently renovated

 plumbing, electrical, windows, flooring doors etc etc...it started out small and grew into a monster

but I digress....lets talk about the ladder!

 Initially, I thought I would leave it the natural wood 

but then I got it up

and it looked a little to rustic and unfinished....

so it got a nice couple of coats of bright white paint

 the ceiling in this room is the original ceiling 

from a breezeway between the garage and the back door

 the walls on either side of the room are the original exterior walls of the house

so as you can imagine

 that was a huge part of the renovation too 

scraping, sanding, removing paint and glue and 

getting all of the board and batten siding into shape again 

because this is now an enclosed interior room

 once the ladder was up it needed some nice S hooks for baskets and hanging things

I purchased these from a blacksmith on Etsy

and they are really nice and beautifully made

 the turn buckle system is really solid and sturdy 

and I think it fits nicely with the vintage and somewhat modern style of this room

the lights are from Barn Light Electric 

&

the windows are Anderson

 I have a nice collection of these old English baskets 

which make great laundry baskets because they are big and really sturdy

 another of my favorite laundry "must haves" are these rolling canvas laundry carts...

they can be stacked, 

are interesting looking 

and are virtually indestructible...

and did I mention that small children like to get into these and get pushed around?

 the little laundry ladder 

will work for herb and flower drying in the summer too...so much better than the front porch

the total cost for the laundry ladder 

was around $100 dollars... 

which includes the ladder, hardware and S hooks

but you could probably do this for less if you shopped around a bit more

hope you have a beautiful and busy weekend!

( I will be in the garden )

I will share more projects and ideas soon!

cheers

Kelley

Vintage Toaster Lamps

You may recall a post I did a few weeks back about Barn Light Electric and my love of their industrial and fun lighting. 

 I love to mess around with different things to make unique light fixtures 

I also think I must have some sort of "handyman" gene because I also love to go to the hardware store...

my good friend Melaine from My Sweet Savannah does too, 

check out her latest lamp creation at here

So here are the elements I used:

Take a vintage stove top toaster....about 10-20 dollars from the flea market...

 Use a vintage colander, about 20 dollars, 

or something with a "lampshade" like shape and combine the two with the necessary parts to make a lamp...

These take two small 40 watt bulbs that spread horizontally at the top of the fixture,

 so this is soft diffused light.

Here they are sitting on a little dresser in a guest room.

 The toasters are really very sturdy and a great shape for the bases

 I really want to use these in my kitchen somewhere but I haven't found the right spot yet...

 I like these!

what do you think?

~kelley~

Ofiice design

I was going through a bunch of old photos in my portfolio and came across these.

  

This is an office I did for a client back in 2000....10 years ago!

The building was one of those old concrete, tilt up, ugly things with drop in ceilings and flat grey carpet.

Oh...but...yes

such potential!!!

Enter into a 1950's era office circa 2000:

I remember finding all of this old metal furniture at a store in Costa Mesa, CA, just a stones throw from the office.

 We had all of the furniture stripped down to the bare metal and then sprayed with a clear coat to prevent any rust or corrosion.  

The chairs, which if I remember correctly, were actually new/reproductions.

 I did them in black vinyl and the seats in a wild lime green  poly/ wool fabric. 

 I know it sounds weird, right, but what a fun pop of color,

 in an otherwise horribly drab office space.

The now famous Aeron chair, designed by Herman Miller, had just made its way into the main stream and we used that for the desk chair.

 The little green cabinet next to the credenza (another smaller metal desk) is actually a tool chest.  

It was the only piece that I left the paint on. 

The prints on the wall I found in a catalog. 

 They were these great big bright blue ferns and  we framed them out with black matting and used a mottled metal frame.

The only item that was really "new..new" and not retro inspired was this large table, used for looking at blueprints or having a group meeting. 

The green glass top is actually panels/extensions that could be pushed under  one another to make the table smaller if need be. 

 It was actually a dining table I found at a discount furniture store.

The lawyers cabinet was perfect for manuals and guy/office stuff. 

 I remember thinking how many uses that cabinet could have and all of the other places I could put it...like my own house!!!!   

I still love the oil drums, even today, and they always make for a great planter.

No office is complete without a jar of jelly beans!
  

And look at the desk!  

So cool and retro.  

Not too bad for 10 years ago!

what do ya think?

~kelley~

Vintage Water Bottle Lamps

Making lights out of jugs, baskets and buckets is really fun.  It's sort of that philosophy of:

 "re-think, re-use, re-cycle"

 I saw these old bottled water jugs in their original wood crates and knew they would work perfectly as an interesting lamp base.

Each bottle was different but both had great detail and a blueish green color to the glass. 

 I love the diamond pattern of pressed glass with the bottler's logo, Arrowhead and Bustanchury

The old crates were sturdy and only needed a good scrubbing to clean them up before I had them rewired.  This one has some great old green paint.

I have a small grouping of vintage seltzer bottles on that table too. 

 Probably about the same age (50's ?) 

which is why the glass seems so similar.

Recently I have collected some of this old Mexican tourist pottery.  It looks great filled with oranges and lemons from the orchard

No, I'm not collecting birds nests...... but this was abandoned with one perfect little cracked blue egg. 

 It was so interesting and simple that I couldn't throw it out!

Below is another lamp made from an old basket wrapped jug.  I used a rawhide shade on this one and the color of the light diffused by this type of shade is really nice.

Below is one of many ice cream bucket lamps I've had made.  You can still find them on Ebay or at flea markets with original paint.

The shades are covered in left over grass cloth wall paper.

These are some decorative jugs with really interesting wicker wrapping.  I got them from a local designers warehouse sale.  They were great just as a decorative item but now wired as lamps they are useful too.  The shades I had made from some vintage hemp fabric, run horizontally.

The shades for these little buckets are really fun.  I usually try to think of how the fabric will be best run on the particular shade shape that I choose.  I like the fact that these have very little in the way of detail.

I am working on a really unique ceiling fixture too and will be sure to share it with you when its all finished.


Have a wonderful weekend!!!!!
~kelley~

Apple Crate Wall Shelves: repair, rethink, reuse

Here is a wonderful idea for a wall organization system.

 I ran across this in a book by Mark and Sally Bailey called Recycled Home.  Here is a link to Baileys Home and Garden (this may or may not work but you can also google it)

They are a  husband and wife team of designers and eco thinkers.  Their philosophy to design?

 "repair, reuse, rethink"

  Their look is so in the moment and yet uniquely their own.  There are gobs of these types of crates available on ebay and at flea markets.  So much fun and a great solution for lots of different rooms!

They have spent the last two years thoughtfully restoring a farmhouse, barn and various out buildings to encompass their vision.  In addition to all that;  they have a cafe which serves all locally sourced veggies artisanal cheeses, poultry, fish and homemade desserts and tea.

What I truly enjoy about this couple is the idea of taking ones design esthetic and incorporating it into all aspects of life.  The way one decorates their home translates even further to how one chooses to eat and  raise a family.  The renovation of the barn was a labor of love for sure and it is reflected in the items that are sold and the entire feeling of the sales spaces.

They sell these wonderful oversized farm sinks and industrial faucets.

I love the sleekness and simplicity of this sofa and the signage stacked on end, how clever!

They sell an entire bathroom of 30's inspired fixtures and fittings

A toothbrush holder in a printers block

And finally the "wellie rack"  which I know I need.

So inspiring don't you think:  repair, rethink, reuse

Have a great week~*~kelley

all photos from Baileys Home and Garden UK