New White Glass Sliding Closet Doors in the Bedroom!

Exciting news!!  I'm collaborating with Leon's Furniture on their new blog, Hello Yellow!  As one of the bloggers recruited to create fresh and inspiring content, I'll be chronicling a mini makeover of our master bedroom.  This has been the kick in the pants I needed to finally finish our master bedroom and create a functional, peaceful space.  I'll be sharing all kinds of updates (new curtains, furniture, accessories and art!), but today I'm sharing one long overdue change:



That's right: we finally purchased new closet doors - it only took about a year and a half!  Check out my first post on Hello Yellow to relive the exhausting adventure of removing the broken mirrored doors, which mushroomed into repairing the floors and replacing the closet organizer.

Before

The last time you saw it, the closet has been given a colourful paint job (to appease orange-loving Hubby), and a new closet organizer was in place - but our clothes remained on display.  I'm a fan of open shelving in the kitchen, but I grew weary of having a closet without doors.

But now, you won't know that I hang my sweatshirts like a weirdo, or that I've been to a Coach Outlet store one too many times:

It was surprisingly easy to find modern sliding doors that we liked (we purchased ours from The Home Depot).  I was immediately drawn to the white glass, which felt light and airy - perfect for a lakehouse.

(I think that I deserve a serious round of applause for backing away from the aqua in the bottom row):

Door Options

While the aqua was certainly tempting, I like the white glass because it's neutral and even though it reads as the softest, palest green, it works well in our house.  If you look around the lakehouse, I've chosen many light reflecting surfaces, like the ceiling fan, the floating credenza and the wall unit.  I wanted to carry a gleamy surface into the bedroom to help create more cohesion between the spaces.  Plus, it's my nod to living lakeside.  I don't do literal lakeside decor (paddles, buoys), but I pick finishes and colours that remind me of beach glass, polished stones, the water - even the choppy ice that forms in the winter. 

We opted for frameless doors, for a more modern look.  Our metal options were limited with the frameless style, and I couldn't get the brushed nickel I wanted, so we opted for white metal.  I think the white ended up looking better, anyway, because it blends in with the white trim and walls.



We chose a triple by-pass door so we can keep the closet configuration we like (with a centre bank of drawers) and still access everything with ease.  You can see more photos on Hello Yellow.



We're so thrilled!  We've had these picked out for awhile but kept putting off the purchase because of the price tag (just over $800 - having three doors instead of two added a bit to the price).  I'm happy, though, that we waited, kept saving, and upgraded from a "Builder's Basic" style - that's a definite perk of small space living!  Because we only need one set of closet doors, we could pick something we really, really love.

A Nautical Inspired DIY Accent Table

This DIY nautical side table is easier to make than it looks!

I was halfway between Toronto and home - a 1600km journey - when I agreed to participate in the #LoveYourWood contest, sponsored by Rust-Oleum and Varathane.  Sure, I was super exhausted.  And yes, we had a stalled bathroom reno to complete.  But the folks at Rust-Oleum have been so good to me: helping me give our bathrooms a facelift and tackle a million other projects, so of course I was on board!  I didn't even realize when I said yes that this was a contest with prize money on the line... I just like making things.

Here's the challenge: myself and 7 other bloggers were each mailed a mystery box of Varathane products, some truly random bits and bobs, and a small budget to makeover or build something cool:

Almost immediately I chose the wire, rope, and sack of marbles, simply because I like a challenge (marbles?!?).  In fact, I went out and bought 100 more feet of rope so I could create a bold, nautical side table.  Go big or go home right?  I also stepped outside my comfort zone and refrained from adding my signature aqua, but I had no trouble dreaming up a surplus of ideas - which is always my problem. 

Supplies for Making a Square Wood Table:

• Three 1.5" x 1.5" pine lumber pieces (8 foot lengths) 
• Two 3/4" x 1.5" pine lumber pieces (6 foot lengths) 
• One 3/4" x 3/4" pine lumber piece (6 foot length)
• Scrap piece of pine 3/8" plywood
• Piece of wallpaper (click for similar)
• 50-75 feet of rope
• Wire
• Handful of round blue marbles
• Epoxy to secure marbles
• Wood glue
• Air nailer and 3/4" air nails (14 gauge)
• Circular saw and mitre saw
• Brushes, rags, gloves etc. for stain application
• Varathane Ultimate Wood Stain - Chocolate
• Varathane Professional Clear Finish - Satin
• Varathane Bar and Table Finish

Why use pine??  I didn't particularly want pine, but I didn't want to have to rip larger boards.  I wanted to purchases the exact dimensions and just cut the lengths.  The sizes I wanted were available in a few different kinds of wood, but if I wanted them all the same, pine was my only option.  Because everything was pine, it took the stain more evenly than if I had mixed woods. 

How to Make a Square Wood Table:
 
After some pondering and scheming, we started with one of our wonky little sketches:

Once we had a sketch of the design and figured out our desired measurements, we cut all of the pieces to length using a mitre saw.  The frame for the top and bottom were cut with mitred corners, while the vertical pieces that make up the legs were just butt jointed.  We also cut the smaller square "frame" for the top, to create a channel for the marbles.  Finally, to make the table surface, we cut a scrap of plywood to size (leftover from the Ikea credenza hack!) using our circular saw with a straight edge - which we use as a table saw stand-in.

With the cutting done, we formed the square base and top by butt gluing the ends together with wood glue, securing them while they dried.  We also glued together the small inner frame.  Once those pieces were dry, we glued the plywood into the frame, securing it on the bottom as well.  Finally, we glued the four legs onto the top and bottom, completing the cube shape. 

Here's a peek at the table before stain (the inner frame hasn't been attached yet):

Pretty, right?  It took so little time that now I have this weird compulsion to make a bunch of these cube cuties.  Anyone need a table?

To drill the holes for the rope, first we plotted out the spacing - enter another wonky drawing:

Then we worked our way around the table, laying the table on its side, with a piece of scrap wood underneath.  All of the holes are drilled in equal distance, except for the first and last (for the rope to double back and be tied).  We used a 1/2" drill bit for our rope.

Next we figured out where the marbles would be placed.  Inspired by the rivets on this nautical mirror available on 1st dibs, I spaced the marbles around the perimeter of the table top, holding them down with tape while I fiddled with the arrangement until I was happy.

To create dents for the marbles to sit in, we measured, marked, and simply drilled a partial hole with a 1/4" drill bit (you could also use a counter sink bit, which we don't have).

With the table assembled and the holes drilled, we lightly sanded the entire piece with 220 grit sandpaper - paying attention to where the holes had been drilled on the legs.  We sand after construction because sharper cuts make for cleaner construction.  Once it's assembled, we sand rough areas smooth and also round corners a tiny bit, which makes it look good but also makes it less susceptible to chips and dings - sharper edges are more vulnerable.

Once it was sanded smooth, we wiped it with a tack cloth to remove any dust and debris, and then it was time for stain!  In my mystery package, I received Varathane Ultimate Wood Stain in Chocolate and Varathane Professional Clear Finish:

The stain went on very easily and smoothly and, as promised, only took one coat!  It did, however, take longer to dry than indicated, which could be attributed to humidity in the air.  I ran out of daylight and ended up letting it dry overnight before applying the clear coat with a brush.  The nice thing about an oil-based stain as opposed to the water-based stains I've used before is that this didn't raise the grain - which makes for much less work!

Next I cut a piece of wallpaper I've been swooning over - the Whitby pattern by Mini Moderns, available from Wallpaper Direct. 

I really wanted the aqua but ordered the washed denim blue because I knew it would look better with the blue marbles (it was so weird to be running around town with a sack of marbles, trying to find complementary elements for my table!).  You can't even imagine how long I agonized over this decision and how much it pained me to order the denim blue.  As lovely as it is, turning down aqua took a lot of willpower.

I think I earned a vote just for that ;)

We used double sided tape to affix the paper to the plywood top (not the best idea - I'll tell you why), and then installed the inner frame on top of it, using wood glue and air nailing it from the bottom.

We used our go-to fixative to affix the marbles, adding a dab of epoxy to each marble and pressing it down gently.  The marbles held tight and definitely could have been left, as-is. 



Then it was time for the scary bit: resin!!  I've been itching to try using resin on furniture (after pinning a bunch of cool projects) and thought this contest would be a great reason to experiment.  With cash on the line, why not try using a product you've never used?  Better still, try it at 10pm, the night before the project is due...

I would have fared well on Trading Spaces - I clearly live dangerously and can pull a DIY all-nighter without breaking a sweat.

Using the Varathane Bar and Table Varnish:

We followed the instructions - mostly - and although there are warning signs on every page of the instruction pamphlet, it was actually easy to use!  We applied it to the channel we created for the marbles and also over the wallpaper.  Now, the instructions suggest laminating papers to be embedded, but it was too late for that so I went ahead!  I only got the product a couple of days before, and if I hadn't been on a deadline I would have done that extra step - or, as per my genius last minute revelation: done a glass top for the surface and then epoxy for just the marble channel!  The wallpaper was changed a bit from the moisture of the epoxy and lost some crispness.  But, even though we deviated from the instructions and poured it on very thickly, it cured and dried in time.  I just love how glossy it is and how it reflects light.  So, playing fast and lose with instructions, you win some and you lose some.

Finally, we created a bowline knot and threaded the rope back and forth through the holes we drilled, securing the bitter end (I'm studying for my boater's exam) with the wire.  And, that's it!!

My nautical table using rope, marbles, and wire - plus chocolate stain, a satin clean coat, and epoxy:

I love how this DIY nautical table turned out!

Thanks to Rust-Oleum and Varathane for sponsoring such a fun challenge.  And special thanks to Wallpaper Direct for providing the wallpaper.  I have more plans for my leftover paper - which is so dreamy (and I keep thinking about wallpapering my powder room in the aqua. The AQUA!)

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New Blue Tweed Dining Room Chairs Update the Dining Room

You know how when you lose something, you inevitably find it when you stop looking?  I'm starting the think that the same thing happens when you're questing for "the perfect thing".  I yammered on for years about wanting to replace our brown vinyl dining room chairs and as soon as I stopped looking, I found a set I liked!  I actually stumbled across them at HomeSense, and hauled them home from Toronto (I love having a truck).

Although they were but humble chairs from Jysk, our brown chairs were seriously comfy, so every chair I contemplated paled in comparison.  I'd recently decided to just spring for new upholstery, but the cost of that seemed daunting - as did attempting to tackle the job ourselves.  And, if I'm being honest, I was leery about spending hundreds to reupholster cheap, made in China chairs - even if they were comfy, and we hadn't had a single problem with them in nearly a decade of use.  (We picked them up for $69.97 each, 50% off their original sticker price because they were discontinued and on clearance).

After eight years of looking at brown vinyl, I'm so excited to see these beauties every morning!

What a difference!

The new chairs are supremely comfortable and the blue tweed upholstery is gorgeous.  It's eerily similar to the fabric I had chosen for re-upholstery - and a perfect match to my stolen Lotte lamps.  Actually, this shade of blue pops up in the living room artwork, the dining room painting - even in the kitchen, courtesy of one of the little enamel pieces above the stove and my cathrineholm bowl. 

They're solidly built and made in the USA, which I love.  They have a slightly curvier, more interesting shape which is nice, plus the silver upholstery tacks are a fun touch!  I like that they look modern because although I love mid-century, I don't want my house to look like a time capsule.  I would have preferred walnut(ish) legs instead of espresso, but I could easily paint or re-stain them later.  I recently added furniture with a really dark stain somewhere else in the house, so the finish doesn't look too out of place here.  They were $149 a chair, which isn't bad for something manufactured in North America.  I'm always willing to pay a bit more for stuff that isn't made in China!

I just love the blue with the teak! 

The first day that I made the switch, I couldn't get over how much brighter and airier the dining room felt.  I hadn't realized that the darker chairs made the room feel heavy and really grabbed my attention.  Now my eyes travel over the dining room table to the lake view beyond.  Next to go is the dark brown ottoman in the living room.  It's falling apart, so we plan to build a custom one - with storage - this fall, and we'll probably still stick with the blue tweed I was ogling.

For anyone who is on a similar hunt for comfy dining chairs, these are made by Sole Designs.  I scooped mine up at HomeSense (like HomeGoods, for my American friends).  But the company sells their chairs on Amazon too, and I found the same shape in an insanely adorable orange and aqua, Mondrian-inspired print.  They make a mid-century inspired ottoman with the same pattern and I want it.  Sole Designs also sells this style chair in a sweet pink Greek key pattern and busier blue and pale purple fabric.  I'll keep you posted on how these wear.  I already gave them two coats of ScotchGuard (which I've never, ever used) in the hopes of protecting the upholstery from stains.  I've grown very accustomed to wipe-able, dirt hiding brown vinyl! 

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