Lately, I’ve seen some pretty good Ikea hacks. The transformation is impressive. This is honestly thinking outside the box. I love how they took everyday items and turned them into extraordinaire items.
I’ve always tried to get my clients to “see” the furniture in a new potential. So here are some great ideas. I hope it inspires you to look beyond what the eye sees!!
As a designer, I come across a lot of designer blogs. So many of these designers have great ideas and do justice to their craft. It’s my pleasure to be able to highlight some of these designers.
This one, in particular, does fantastic work with reviving old furniture.
Take a look.
As you can see, she’s very talented at reviving old furniture. However, my personal favorite is the last one. I LOVE that blue dresser!!
Why would I shove toothpicks in a hole in my antique cupboard door, you may ask…
Super simple…When you have a loose screw (probably should do a different treatment for the mental sense of a ‘loose screw’… I’m just talking about the literal meaning of a loose screw today) due to the hole it’s screwed into being just a bit too big like I did one day, I realized, when I opened the door of an old cupboard I have in the breakfast room. The top of the door fell off the cupboard, barely holding on by the bottom hinge! Oops, I would recommend fixing those loose cabinet and cupboard doors before it gets to that point, or it can lead to more significant problems. I’m lucky I used the door when it happened, so I could immediately catch it and relieve the tension on the bottom hinge. I’m afraid the door and cupboard could have split if it had let loose when one of my grandchildren opened it.
(according to my old carpenter friend that taught me the carpenter trick to repair furniture)
I removed the door from the cupboard and laid it on a flat surface, (it will need to lie flat overnight, so pick a spot where it can sit for a while)
(in this case, I do prefer wood glue, I believe it is more robust and works better for this project)
One at a time, shoving the last ones in as hard as I could. A couple of thoughts about this: be sure to try to get the toothpicks to the bottom of the hole; this is important because one of the issues with loose screws can be the gap is too deep. And secondly, try to fill the hole; some of the glue will ooze back out of the spot, but that’s OK. For effect, I showed you all the toothpicks long at one time,
but it’s much easier if you snip each one once as it’s inserted in the hole. Getting the top of the toothpick flush with the cupboard door is crucial so that your hinge will lie flat on the door when placed back on it.
Once the holes were filled with snipped toothpicks and glue, I let them dry overnight. It’s hard to define separate toothpicks in this photo, but each screw hole did take several toothpicks to fill.
What you’re creating is a wood-based wood filler that will have the strength to give the screw something to grip onto.
When you are ready to put the hinge back on the door,
This always helps prevent the screw from slipping around and not going into the wood in the exact spot we’re aiming for and helps prevent the wood from splitting. Just be sure you don’t go too deep or use too large of a drill bit (but if you do, now you know how to fix it!)
The old screws holding the hinge were in terrible shape, and I couldn’t reuse them, but these new screws work great and hold the door on well.
All done!!
Peel and stick wallpaper has been one of the best creations when it comes to designs. Why? Because there are so many uses for it and it’s so easy to use. Remember when it used to be called contact paper? Well now it’s been revamped and I love how versatile it’s become.
Think about it. You can use it on furniture, stairs, items (like trays), even ceilings, and sooo much more.
Peel & stick wallpaper have been making their presence known as of late. They are a great alternative to wallpaper. Why? They are easy to apply, making them more versatile. And they are a great source to the renters.
Consider the many options. They can be used on the back of bookcases, on furniture, and in closets!! You can even have peel & stick wallpaper that looks like wood!! There are so many uses for peel & stick wallpaper and they come in many colors and patterns. Give them a try!!
