Apartment Renovation: Barn Door Solution

When it was built in the 1940s, our apartment would have had a foyer, living room, kitchen, dining room and bedroom--a very civilized amount of space for a one-bedroom. When we saw it in 2014, my husband furtively whispered to me, "That one-bedroom is really a two-bedroom." Because really, who has a formal dining room in a New York City on-bedroom apartment?

The sellers had added somewhat awkward double doors (above) onto the dining area--perhaps to illustrate that this room could maybe be a place to shut the door and sleep. However, since the apartment is technically a one-bedroom, it was marketed--and priced--as such. Lucky us.

We knew we wanted to improve the look and feel of the entry to what we considered our second bedroom. Our contractor suggested French doors with glass panes and sheer curtains on one side, which he thought would be more attractive. I agreed that the doors were super-ugly, but what bothered me was the way the swinging doors ate up a significant amount of floor space. Installing custom pocket door was out of the question financially, but I thought barn doors might be an option, though I wasn't sure if the country look would work in our city space.

I'd seen photos of the Dean Hotel in Providence, RI and admired the small space solutions that design-build firm ASH NYC had applied to the rooms. In particular, I love the entrances to their bathrooms that use barn doors with a very traditional style. As I mentioned before, we'd already decided to go with white walls and black doors, so the look was in keeping with what I imagined for the rest of the apartment. 

I showed the contractor these photos and he helped us figure out how to DIY the look. We used two of the HomCom 6ft Interior Sliding Barn Door Kit Hardware Sets from Frugah.com, as it was the cheapest track. (It also had stellar customer reviews.) For the doors, we purchased single panel, solid-wood slab doors (from Liberty Panel Center in Brooklyn) that were the closest match to the apartment's original doors, and we painted them with the same high-gloss black paint used on the rest of the doors.

We're thrilled with the finished results (above), and the doors have been one of the first things that guests have commented upon when visiting the apartment. All told, it cost almost $500 ($215 for the tracks, $270 for the two doors, and a bit for the paint), but I think it was worth the investment. If you have a small space where you're considering barn doors, I would definitely recommend them.

How To Make An Upcycled Napkin Curtain

I've got a DIY project up on the Etsy Blog today: This pretty upcycled napkin curtain. I'm super-thrilled with how the finished product turned out (above), especially considering I'm not an expert seamstress. To make your own, you’ll need a stash of napkins (tea towels and other vintage linens will work, too), a sewing machine, a few basic craft supplies, and the Tetris-like skills to piece your design together.

Visit the Etsy Blog for the full how-to instructions!

I thought I'd also add a few of the photos that inspired this project, to get you thinking!

DIY Cardboard Rudolf

In a moment of inspired craftiness, I made this cardboard Rudolf as a decoration for our annual Christmas party. I thought it would be funny to hang it in our entry hall alongside my husband's actual roe deer antlers and hunting prints.

I'd spotted the idea on Pinterest, and followed the link back to GoodHousekeeping.com, which had instructions and a very good template to make the craft.  (See the original below.) Note that you'll need 11 x 17 paper to print out the template. I was able to make this cute creature out of one wine box. I'd say it took me less than an hour to make it; I used hot glue to attach the various pieces, and since we didn't have a wreath to act as the base, we wrapped a Christmas-y scarf around his neck.

Check out more of my holiday decoration inspiration on my Christmas Pinterest board. 

7 More DIY Christmas Gift Ideas

It's just a few weeks until Christmas, which means it's time for another round of easy, DIY gift ideas. My family has decided to have a no-gift holiday this year (instead we'll spend some extra money on delicious things to do and eat together). However, if I were giving gifts this year, these handmade ideas would be at the top of my list:

I love the utilitarian simplicity of this trivet made from wooden clothespins from the book, Sweet Paul Eat and Make.

Here's a craft I made for Country Living magazine years ago: Jewelry magnets. Vintage brooches and pins are glued to strong magnets to make decorative fridge magnets.

Colorful lanyards were used to make these camp-inspired crafts from Martha Stewart Living. If you wanted to avoid the plastic, you could use colored suede lace instead.

A super-practical gift, these simple drawstring bags are great for shoes, but I can think of dozens of other uses. Find the full tutorial for the drawstring shoe bags on The Purl Bee.

I couldn't resist this sweet idea for a DIY moon clock, which I found on the blog Hellobee. It could be a great gift for a kid or a grown-up (I know I'd love to receive it).

I love vintage linen tea towels, but they can be hard to find in good condition (and new ones seem to cost a small fortune). Make your own with directions from the blog Everyday Occasions. I'd stencil them en masse, so that I had a few extra gifts on-hand.

I came across this stone alphabet idea idea on Pinterest, which lead me to a Spanish blog. Based on the Google translation, the blogger just used markers to write on the stones--easy! It's sweet and simple idea for early readers.

Check out 7 DIY Christmas Gift Ideas from 2014.

DIY Inspiration: Denim Quilts

I saw the photo above in Martha Stewart Living years ago, and I have been saving my worn out jeans ever since in the hopes of someday making my own denim quilt. After collecting for several years, I think I may have gathered enough to make one. However, my only quilting experience is a group project my Girl Scout troop made circa 1988, but I think I can manage it, especially since I'm most inspired by somewhat rustic-looking quilts, like the one below.

While Martha provided a gorgeous inspiration image, the directions are a little scant on details. A little sleuthing online lead me to a tutorial on the blog Little Birdie Secrets. I'm not crazy about the contrasting top-stitching she chose, but if I tried it with denim-colored thread, I think it might be a workable technique. However, I like the way the Martha team laid out their quilt: They made strips that run the full-length of the bed and stitched them together (the other blogger, made strips that were the width of the quilt instead).

Does anyone have any experience quilting with denim? I'd love to hear any advice! Here are a few more denim quilts that I find inspiring.

I love the bleached crosses on the one above and the dots below. I think the bleached denim technique might be a nice way to add pattern to the quilt. Note that Martha's version had sections of ticking stripe fabric and what appear to be dish towels to break up the sea of indigo. 

Photos from Martha Stewart Living, Jared on Flickr, Jo Simmons on Flickr, Mazama, and Tumblr.

7 DIY Christmas Gift Ideas

The holidays are just around the corner, which has me thinking about gifts. If I had all the time in the world, I would make handmade gifts for all my nearest and dearest. Here are some easy, do-it-yourself gifts that would make great holiday gifts:

This mason jar soap dispenser is probably the most popular craft I ever made. Get the how-to instructions from Country Living's website.  

All you need to make this pretty necklace are some leftover fabric, wooden beads, and a needle and thread. Follow my step-by-step instructions for how to make your own. 

I've always loved books with compartments hidden within. Better Homes & Gardens shows you how to make a book box. 

Turn and old pair of jeans into a super-chic lunch bag following the instruction from Between the Lines.

The Purl Bee blog is chock-full of amazing projects you could make as gifts. I'm particularly fond of this pom-pom scarf--you can sew your own scarf with these directions.

You could spend $500 on a Hermes tassel key chain, or you could make your own with DIY directions for a tassel key chain from Lovely Indeed.

Got a drill? Your friend's cube would look a whole lot cooler with this clever pencil holder from Strawberry Chic. 

10 Solutions for a Damp, Humid Bathroom

We love almost everything about our new apartment, but the windowless bathroom became so hot and humid in the summer that we started calling it Swamplandia. A little effort on our part conquered the humidity problem, and I thought I'd share my advice with anyone else who is looking for a solution to a damp, humid bathroom. Read on for ten tips to dry out a damp bathroom:

Photo above by West Elm (not our bathroom, sadly).

1. Get an exhaust fan installed. In our case, the bathroom had an existing exhaust fan that needed to be repaired. A working exhaust fan made a huge difference, but the exhaust fan alone was not enough to solve our humidity problem.

2. Invest in a small fan. We got a small clip fan for additional air circulation in the room, which seems to really help keep the air dry.

3. Squeegee after every shower. Wicking the water off of the shower walls with a squeegee means the water goes down the drain, not into the air.

4. Stretch the shower curtain taut after you shower. The water droplets on the curtain will evaporate more readily if the curtain is stretched out than if it's bunched up.

5. Try Damp Rid. Researching solutions for a damp bathroom, I came across DampRid. I can't say for sure how effective it is, but we can definitely see that the DampRid Super System is drawing moisture from the air, so it's doing something. It's also cheap enough that it couldn't hurt to try, if you have a really damp bathroom.

6. Shower with the door open. If you don't have guests, showering with the door open will keep the moisture from building up in a windowless bathroom.

7. Shake yourself dry before toweling off. If you do this, your towel will not get as wet and therefor harbor less humidity.

8. Take shorter showers. The shorter the shower, the less moisture you're putting into the air.

9. Declutter your bathroom. If there's a ton of bottles of shampoo and the like hanging around your bathroom, there are more surfaces for water to cling to. Avoid any textiles other than towels that you use daily in the bathroom.

10. Hang your towels outside of the bathroom. If you still have a dampness issue, you could try hanging your bath towels to dry outside of the bathroom.

One Last Look: Kitchen

Before I start posting about our new little house in the city, I'm taking a last look at our old place. Today I want to show you the results of our kitchen renovation, which I don't think I ever shared on the blog(!).

The kitchen in our apartment was small, but big enough to cook meals of any size. I am super-proud of how the it turned out. It's no wonder the remodeled kitchen was an hard-working little space: I lived in the apartment for almost five years before I renovated, so I had lots of time to figure out the best design!

The savior of this budget renovation was IKEA, the lovely lady at the Red Hook store who helped us figure it out, and in particular, a corner base cabinet that just fit in our space, allowing us to make the most of every inch. We opted for the Ståt Applåd white doors and butcher block counters. We used oil on the counters, but even being vigilant about not getting water on the wood, we saw some water staining over time. If I ever do butcher block counters again (which I might, since it's such an affordable fix), I'll do what this blogger did to seal them. 

The new stove was a 20-inch gas range from Summit (since discontinued), which I ordered online through AJ Madison. The floor tiles are a dark grey 12-inch tile that looks sort of stone-like. We got them at Marino Tile in Brooklyn, which was recommended by our contractor. (If you're looking for tile, it's a basic-as-can be tile and stone distributor in Brooklyn with a huge inventory of product in stock, but be warned that much of it may not be to your tastes.)

I'm particularly proud of our upper cabinet design. It was like playing a game of Tetris to figure out which cabinets would fit the space. We had to cut a little bit off the vent to make the last cabinet fit. Opting for the taller 39-inch high cabinets really gave us a ton of storage space. I'd recommend this to anyone remodeling a small kitchen.

The backsplash was tiled in the same basic white subway tile and dark charcoal gray grout that we used in our bathroom remodel. The sink is the Bredskar single-bowl inset sink from IKEA. We opted for the smaller model of the Bredskar and I always wished we'd gone for the larger one. The faucet was one of the only things leftover from the old kitchen. The kitchen hardware is from Martha Stewart's line at Home Depot.

Here's a shot of the corner cabinet in action. A pot lid rack on the interior of the cabinet door, is another simple thing we did to maximize our storage. I also love the handy-dandy, over-the-door towel bar you can see in this shot.

Another space-saver was a wall-mounted rail (Rationell from IKEA), which we used to hang small pans and cooking utensils. Two magnetic hooks at the ends hold bits and bobs like the funnel seen above. The slim space leftover between the stove and the wall stored our step stool (key when you have cabinets that stretch to the ceiling) and a large cutting board.

Here's just a quick shot of what the kitchen looked like when I bought the place--yikes, right?

And here's a shot of the bandaid makeover I'd lived with for years. White paint really is a cure-all for ugly cabinets, but please, if you go this route, do the proper prep work! Our new apartment's kitchen cabinets were painted white by the landlord before we moved in. The painter clearly didn't prep (or possibly even prime) the cabinets before painting, and they're already starting to chip. My paint job on these faux-wood beauties, on the other hand, held up for five years.

One Last Look: Living Room

Before I start posting about our new little house in the city, I want to take one last look at our old place. First up, here's the living room (and dining room) of our old apartment. The biggest change I made to this space was to remove an existing closet to open up the space. At the same time, I installed shelves and cabinetry to give me storage to replace the closet:

The sofa sits where the old closet used to be. Our Jasper sofa from Room & Board has held up well, and luckily, it just fits in the new place. The coffee table and bamboo chairs are hand-me-downs from my parents. The side table was a street score from my husband's bachelor days. The navy lamp is from Mottega and the brass lamp is a vintage find. The John Robshaw pillows were a major steal at a thrift store in Southampton.

The "entryway" is really just the space inside the front door: We kitted it out with hooks and a shoe rack (which had been removed to show the apartment for sale). We painted the door black with high gloss oil paint and I love the way it came out. 

The wall of shelving was inspired by a story I saw in Blueprint magazine. The upper shelves are Elfa from the Container Store and the lower cabinets are from IKEA. I added the column of shallower cabinets at the right later on; they are also from IKEA. Now that we've moved, I miss all this storage desperately.

This shot shows you the transition from the living/dining space into the rest of the apartment. The kitchen is at the left and the hallway leads to the bedroom (on the right) and the bathroom (at the left). 

The "dining room" in our apartment was just the other side of the living room. The ceiling fan was oddly placed here (instead of at the center of the room), and spray painting the blades white was one of the biggest bang-for-your buck (and immediately satisfying) projects. We got the dining chairs off of Craigslist and built new seats for them. The dining table is IKEA (also via Craigslist) and has a leaf that expands the table to be quite large. We hosted many, many wonderful dinners at this table--the largest a party of 10 to celebrate my mother's birthday.

The desk was also a Craigslist score (are you catching on to a theme here?)--it was a perfect solution for me to have a workspace that we could fold away out of sight. The painting above the desk is one of my most-prized possessions: A painting by my late grandfather, which we received as a wedding gift from my parents. 

If you want to see the progress of the apartment, read on for some "before" and in transition shots.

A New Little House in the City

This post is now long overdue: Back in April, my husband and I said goodbye to our little house in Fort Greene. In a quest for a more space, we decided to sell our apartment and look for someplace else to live.

Our search for a two bedroom in Brooklyn was discouraging to say the least. I usually think that the New York Times’ real estate section is full of exaggerated tales of the state of the city’s market, but we encountered the shockingly tight market first-hand. We’d go to an open house for an apartment that I felt was a bit overpriced, thinking perhaps we could get the seller to come down a little on the asking price. Boy, was I wrong. We’d usually find twenty other couples at an open house (often with a visibly pregnant woman as half of the couple). I wouldn’t have been surprised, if someone had offered a broker a suitcase full of cash on the spot—that’s how crazy it was.

So, we expanded our search to look at large one-bedroom apartments that could be converted to two. We expanded our price limit, stretching our budget just a little further. We explored neighborhoods we’d never visited before. We debated the merits of a nearby co-op complex with affordable apartments that come with high maintenance and a 10% flip tax, making them incredibly difficult to sell. Each day, I eagerly opened email alerts for a new listing. And finally, we gave up.

Layered Persian and Jute Area Rugs

While out of town last weekend, my husband and I stumbled upon this Persian rug (above) in a thrift store. It was very reasonably priced, so we decided to buy it. However, when we got it home, we realized it was a bit smaller than might be ideal for our living room. 

We're living with the tiny rug for now, but I'm toying with the idea of layering it over a plain jute rug. Over the years, I've seen lots of interiors in which layered rugs look great, but I needed to do a little visual research to convince myself. Here are some rooms with Persian rugs laid on top of larger jute rugs below. 

What do you think? Could we pull this off in our living room? 

via ELLE DECOR.

Lisa Borgnes-Giramonti's home office, via Houzz.

Lisa Borgnes-Giramonti's home office, via Houzz.

Rita Konig's apartment, via New York magazine.

Source unknown.

via One Kings Lane.

Jenny Wolf Interiors, via MyDecorPad.com.