Recycling: Furniture Before & After


I am very excited to share this post with you guys! So, this is one of my favorite things to do (when I have time): Recycle, change, and renew furniture.


One of the examples I can show you today is my "third-time's-a-charm" drawer make over. You won't believe this, but I found this drawer in the hallway of my previous apartment building. Someone had actually thrown it away. I can't understand why, it was in perfectly good shape and had a lot of potential. I decided that I could not let it stand there, all alone, in the hallway. So I gave it a warm home to live in.


Before:
This is what the "orphan" looked like when I first took it in. 

After re-doing my previous apartment one time, I decided to give it a bold color. As you can see I even added new drawer handles to the drawers. This red/orange color added a great accent color to my neutral apartment. 


After 1:

As if this wasn't enough, the orphan got another make over, 1 year later. Take a look at this beautiful blue/green/grey color. I took a color that was 2 tones darker than the color of the wall. This makes the drawer fit perfectly in the room. Don't you just LOVE the color?


After 2:

Is this the color that the drawer is going to be for the rest of it's life? NO, certainly not! I don't know what its future will bring, all I know is that I love to see it in different colors and interiors. I hope to have inspired you to recycle your furniture. As you can see it is ridiculously easy and, most importantly, good for the environment and your interior to play with your furniture instead of throwing it away. 


Over and out.

Dear blog readers,

You have been asking about when I will be posting again. I haven't forgotten you. 

I promise that I will post something very soon. I am just crazy busy right now.

Check in again next week.

C u soon,

Lisa

Sorry Mom and Dad..........for being too bold.

So this is the story. About 4 years ago I was sitting in my cold room in Tilburg and my "designer" urge kicked in. After a phone call to my sister to discuss the color, and one to my mom, it was decided. On my request, my mom had a man paint my room in Curaçao HOT PINK. Without her knowing that my plan was to bring some Black & White, Baroque design, wallpaper with me to Curaçao a few months later! 

To make a long story short: I have a crazy wall in Curaçao. It is really unique since very little interiors on the island have wallpaper on the walls, let alone black & white. I can't say that it's the best interior design job ever, because I did not have any experience yet. What I can say is that for some reason I love it, it's really young and daring. So every time my parents walk past the door, their heart probably skips a beat. Not because they miss me so much, but because the "crazy wall" is screaming at them. 


I have to say, every time I'm not in Curaçao, I miss my pink, crazy room. It makes me feel really glamorous and it serves as a great picture background! LOL

Attention: Calling all Cougars!!!!!


Apart from being one of the funniest TV-shows at the moment, Cougar Town has some really interesting sets! Did you notice Ellie's crazy green-pink-orange interior? I'm not a fan of "too much pastel", but taking SOME ideas from this French inspired interior couldn't hurt. It is much cooler (as in cold) than Jules' house.

But not to forget.... THE CORAL COUCH! 

My sister and I have been obsessed with this couch since the day we first started watching Cougar Town. Beautiful color. Gives a "punch" to the room.
It's a really hard color to find, especially for a couch. If you are planning to renew the fabric on your couch, this could be a great color to choose if your interior permits it. Warm, neutral interiors will welcome a color like this with open arms...... 
Blue is also a great color to go with Coral because blue and orange are opposites of each other in the color wheel. This means that they compliment each other. 


Look at him teasing me in the back. I can't get my eyes off of him!

IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS......

My favorite time of the year is approaching!
It's Christmas time, so it's time to start decorating the house. How fun! 
But what are the trends this year?


H&M Home has these fantastic decorating pieces that are stylish and unique. Instead of using the traditional Red, Green and Gold combinations, try these new stylish Holiday color trends from H&M Home. The 2010 holiday decoration color trends are mainly Black, White and Silver. 


Now is the best time to  order the products in order to get them on time. If you live in Curaçao, ask a friend or relative to order and bring them for you.

Let's start bringing HOPE, JOY & LOVE to our interiors...

Ethnic? Chic!

How cool are these ethnic prints?

This look brings an interesting vibe to any interior. I am loving ethnic prints right now. It is a very versatile option; you can choose from many colors (neutrals, black and white, brights) and prints. Whatever fits best with your room. 

There are also a lot of ways to add an ethnic vibe to your interior: think of fabrics, vases, paintings, and so on!

Take a look at these cute little things I have on a book shelve in my apartment. They add an interesting touch to an otherwise boring book shelve. They are from a store across the street from my apartment (www.pickalily.nl).

This is also a cool way to bring a touch of ethnic to a room without having to use bright colors. This is a vase I found at a second hand store here in Tilburg. 

I bet that 7 out of 9 people living in the Netherlands own this pillowcase from IKEA. How cliché of me to also have them (I think they come in 2-packs). So if you own it: Congratulations, you officially have an ethnic print-thing in your house! You're cool.

Tip: When I was in Curacao last summer I saw a lot of beautiful (African) ethnic fabrics at the Ackerman store (Punda). Choose one or two fabrics that are completely opposite of each other and combine them to make the most gorgeous decorating pillows for your couch or bed.

You may be jealous that we have IKEA in the Netherlands, but I am actually jealous that you have fantastic (and relatively cheap) fabric in Curacao!

Here is a nice example of how to combine different ethnic prints and still create synergy. 

So people......Go Ethnic this weekend!

Feeling blue? Let's talk wall color!

Do you dare to go bold blue like Carrie did in her remodeled apartment featured in Sex and the City 2?

I would. I am thinking of going blue myself.

Notice how the color scheme in this apartment includes purple, white and neutral accents. By using only a handful of colors, the designers managed to keep the room relatively calm.

Tip: If you don’t want to paint your whole room this bold blue color, try to limit it to only one wall. You can also use it as an accent color by adding electric blue accessories to an interior.

A little blue goes a long way….

Hidden (old) treasures…

Who doesn’t love finding something unique to enrich their homes with? The most important pieces in every interior are the unusual things that can tell a story. Search the web, go to vintage markets, visit your local second hand stores (thrift stores) and find your own, unique, storytellers. There are quite some stores in Curacao that sell second hand stuff. Sometimes the most inexpensive things are the most beautiful.

I hereby introduce to you some of my favorite little findings:

Indian handmade carton box (I use it as a jewelry box)

Last spring I found it at an unusual store across the street from my apartment (www. pickalily.nl). When I saw it I had to buy it, it has exactly the same color as my drawer (which I will be showing you in a next post). And when I say exactly, I mean exactly!

Weird lady’s vintage glass jewelry holders

I just love these little things. The story goes like this: I went to a yearly midnight market here in Tilburg about a year ago. While walking in the pouring rain with a broken umbrella I remember seeing an old woman standing across the street from me. She was selling the weirdest things you can think of, like old socks and shoes. But right there, in the middle of used hairpieces and smelly socks, were these two beautiful little jewelry boxes. I gave the woman 1 euro and tuck them in my coat. Love them.

“Blessed” Jesus cross

At the same midnight market, we found this awesome wooden and bronze cross for only 10 euro’s!  The man who sold it to us looked like a priest. So I like to think that it could be a very blessed cross. Either way, it is a great piece to have in your house. I hung it above my front door.

Catcher of my bad dreams?

I think I am one of the few people who actually hates Queen’s day in Amsterdam. The only good thing that came out of a 2007 Queen’s day visit to Amsterdam is this “dream catcher”. I’m not sure if it actually catches my bad dreams. However, the guy from Peru who sold it to me reassured me that it was handmade and that it came all the way from Peru…hmmmm? It gives a nice touch to the bedroom though. 

Ok guys, hope to have inspired you to go out there and find cool stuff for your homes. Please comment or post pictures of your personal findings. 

I hope to welcome you to my next post! I still have a lot to write about....tv show interiors, my new obsession: ethnic prints, findings on Curacao, my new apartment on the island....and so on.