Yesterday was a beautiful winter's day. The unexpected sun was a lovely surprise and a perfect opportunity to finally take some photos of the finished window seat at the top of our stairs. There are still are few things I would like to tweak but for now I am happy with the outcome. It's cosy and relaxing and at the moment decorated for the winter season.
I picked up the red berries from my favourite garden store down the road a few days before Christmas. Their days are numbered but they still add a pretty winter colour to the neutral palette. The clay planter has been kicking around in storage for a while. I spray painted the bottom half gloss black and the top half white to achieve an ombre effect.
The cushions are all made from material collected from thrift stores. I should have ironed the fabric first but patience when working on a project isn't always my strong suit. Oh well. The black reading lamp is from Ikea and the little silver trees are from the Dollar Store. The curtain is an old Ikea sheer panel and the silver balls are left overs from a Christmas wedding I decorated last December.
I am not overly excited about this art piece. My vision was definitely in a different direction. But true to my nature I tried to fix a mistake by adding more and this is what I ended up with. The owls are a wallpaper sample I had ordered online from a supplier in the UK (still trying to track down the company in my email). I was initially thinking of using the wallpaper to line the back of a shelving unit but you had to order a whole roll so the cost would have been too high in the end. The words are the title of one of my favourite children's books growing up. I do like how the effect on the matte resembles birch bark though. I may definitely revisit this project in the future.....we will see.
The black wooden letters are from Walmart.
The faux sheepskin rug is from Ikea and the grey material covering the bench is also a thrift store find.
All the art on the left wall is DIY'ed. I have posted about the crayon art and the hockey tape art here and here. The other pieces will get their few minutes in the spotlight hopefully in time.
I have to say my pride and joy in this area is definitely the tree stump side table. I had snagged the stump from my Dad's wood pile last summer and left it in the basement to dry out for a few months. It was covered in thick bark and moss but I saw it's potential right away. It was love at first site. Actually I grabbed two stumps and am hoping to make another side table for the family room in the future. The second stump has a special characteristic so stay tuned.
After this stump had dried out I took a hammer and chisel to it and spent a couple of hours removing the bark as best I could. Then I spent a few more hours sanding it down. The wood was quite soft and sanded easier than I expected. Finally I sealed it with two coats of semi gloss wood sealer.
The two vintage books belonged to my Mum. The silver tea light holders are a Dollar Store find. The white ceramic bird is one of a pair I found at the thrift store a few years ago, along with the grey glass ashtray turned candy dish.
I love the colour variations and imperfections in the tree stump.
Apart from the accessories and decor, we also painted the old ugly wood panelling in this area white, caulked around the window and gave it a fresh coat of paint, repaired the ceiling tiles with dry wall filler and painted them a light grey, found the ceiling light cover in the shed, and finally added moulding around the ceiling.
Eventually, along with the rest of the house, we will be tearing all of the wood panelling and crappy drywall out, starting from fresh with new drywall and redo this area properly. But for now with a little elbow grease and a few bucks, it's definitely a huge improvement!
Total Cost for this little update:
Reading Light - Ikea = $11.99
Faux Sheepskin Rug - Ikea = $12.99
Tree Stump - Dad's garden = Free
Cushion/Window Seat materials - Thrift stores = Less than $20 total
Cushion inserts - Reused from old cushions around the house = FREE
Window Seat Foam - The Foam Shop = $46
Clay Planter - Reused = FREE
Silver Xmas Trees - Dollar Store = $1 each ($3)
Silver Xmas Balls - Reused = FREE
White Ceramic Bird - Thrift Store = $4.99/pair
Grey Glass Ashtray - Thrift Store = $3.99
Silver Tealight Holders - Dollar Store = $1.50 each ($3)
Canvas' and Picture Frames - Dollar Store/Walmart = Less than $20 total
White Sheer Curtain - Reused = FREE
Black Wooden Letters - Walmart = $1.99 each ($10)
Paint for walls and ceiling - Had on hand from other projects around the house
Total Cost = Approx. $135.00! Not bad for a functional and attractive little nook.
And just as another reminder of what this space started out as....
