This is my new hacked version of the Ikea Maskros lamp.
1. I used spray paint in gold color, to spray paint the whole lamp (before the lamp is put together)
2. Then the lamp is put together, and hung up.
3. I glued on “wool felt balls” in black, gray and white (using a glue gun).
~ June Hernvig Hansen, Denmark
The post Alternative style for the MASKROS lamp appeared first on IKEA Hackers.
In this special episode, we’re talking about the unpredictable and sometimes dramatic ways that we’ve seen the internet change in the last decade. Has social media dethroned blogging? Has sponsored content made things worse? And what has made us more guarded about opening our lives up for public consumption? In this recording of our keynote talk from Altitude Summit, we tackle all of this and more, including why a Bachelorette turned to us for advice, what we regret about a major moment in our career, and what blog comment still brings Sherry to tears.
You can download this episode from iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and TuneIn Radio – or listen to it below! Then use this page to check out any links, notes, or photos that we referenced. Note: If you’re reading in a feed reader, you might have to click through to the post to see the player.
Since this week was a special episode, we didn’t have a We’re Digging section, but we put together a master list of everything we’ve been digging in all of our past episodes for you guys so it’s all in one place.
Check out the all of Delta Faucet’s products and innovations at DeltaFaucet.com/YHL.
The post #38: How The Internet Changed & How Our Lives Changed With It appeared first on Young House Love.
After turning the guest room into a sewing room I realized the folding table I was using for my sewing table was too tall. I really wanted something at a more ergonomic height. I searched the web and found a hack with the INGO table, but I needed storage.
Supplies Needed
We came up with a plan, purchased the INGO table and assembled it. I measured how tall the sewing bed on my sewing machine was. Lucky for us the height was the same height as the table apron. If it had been taller we were prepared to add spacers.
I determined where I wanted the machine to be and traced it onto the table. Then my husband cut the apron 1 ½ inches towards the center past the bracket on the side the machine was to sit. And removed it from the table.
He used the jigsaw to cut the top of the table for the machine to fit into. I used the sandpaper to smooth the cut area and then smoothed the whole table with steel wool.
He then measured the distance from the back of the table to the front and cut the apron board to the length. He drilled a pilot hole through the apron board applied wood glue to it and screwed the board to the table from the bottom up taking care not to go through the top of the table. He also screwed the board to the back apron board.
My husband then measured the area I wanted the shelf for the sewing machine and the accessory area and cut the board to size. He screwed the board to the bottom of the table.
~ by Denise Kendrick
The post Ikea INGO To Sewing Table with Storage appeared first on IKEA Hackers.
This table started as 2 Hammarp countertops.
First I spliced the countertops together to make the table, and cut the curved ends.
I used the spare wood to build the legs and support structure below. I used silicone to bond the blocks in place after building the leg structure.
Using birch as a building material is so nice, it has a very close grain so the cuts come out perfectly smooth. To make the curves on the table, I cut out the rough shape with a jigsaw, then used a template and router to make the perfect curve.
On the legs, I used a band saw to cut rough curves and used a disk sander to finish the curve to the final shape.
~ by Daniel Tagtow
The post Birch Dining Table from Hammarp Countertop appeared first on IKEA Hackers.
Back when we revealed our kitchen makeover, we mentioned that we worked with Shades of Light to design our pendant lights (below). But those were just one of a whole slew of new designs that we’ve added to our lighting collection over the last year-ish. So in addition to sharing some of our latest designs with you guys, we also wanted to take you behind the scenes and show you some of the tricks that catalogs and websites use when it comes to photographing stuff (including how we turned an armchair into a headboard, all in the name of getting the shot).
After launching our initial collection back in 2013, we added a few new pieces over the years (like the geometric flush mount that we included in our laundry room remodel) but this whole batch of new designs was kicked off by wanting to use one of our $69 farmhouse pendants in a spec house kitchen that we were designing. The only problem was that all of our existing colors were too bold for the look we were going for. So when we asked Shades of Light to custom paint two of them in a softer blue so we could buy that version, we all sort of said “why don’t we refresh all of the colors so everyone can buy them?!”
So now there are neutral options like a soft gray and a warm brown as well as subtle pink, green, and blue. And all of the original colors are still there too if you’re more in the mood for teal, red, green, yellow or watermelon pink (and all of them are just $69).
Those new color choices for our farmhouse pendants sparked some other ideas for new designs, so we continued to play with geometrics and open frame designs, while introducing some new finish options, like the brass/gold look. (clockwise from the top left: diamond sconce, diamond lantern, diamond ceiling light, equilateral pendant)
We had fun diving into the world of gold and copper, making sure that we had different hanging options. So whether someone needs a flush mount light, some sconces, a ceiling light, or a pendant, we did our best to cover all the bases. (clockwise from top left: copper glass, oopsy daisy, wonky glass, mercury glass)
We also made our metal pendants from the kitchen in a bunch of colors (there are 6!) and one cool thing about them is that they’re “convertible fixtures” meaning you can just choose not to use the hanging rods that come with them to make them semi-flush mounts instead – so they would work down a hallway or in a bathroom, closet, or mudroom (anywhere you don’t want a long dangling pendant). You can also see a few glass and chrome pendants and flush mounts that we played around with too. (clockwise from top left: diamond ceiling light, metal convertible pendant, honeycomb bubble pendant, metal convertible pendant, metallic rimmed glass pendant, metal convertible pendant)
We also added a bunch of new fabric shades, and each of the patterns come in multiple colorways (a couple of them – like the stitched helix sitting on top of the pyramid below – have a slight texture to them too).
They’re all available as a pendant with a diffuser or a flush mount with a diffuser (which are great for halls or bedrooms where you don’t have high ceilings), and each of the shades also comes alone (in case you want to retrofit an existing lamp or DIY your own pendant or flush mount fixture).
Many of our new pieces still fit within the $99-and-under price point from the first collection, but we did expand beyond that price cap for some so that we could create larger sizes or use materials that had been ruled out for being “over-budget” before. For example, we couldn’t add diffusers to many of our lights from the first collection – or make multi-bulb fixtures instead of just single-bulb ones with that price cap – but most of our new stuff is still $150 or less.
In fact, one of our favorite new pieces is this $90 adjustable arm wall sconce which comes in a mixed finish (black & aged gold) as well as a sleek all-chrome version (might use that one in the beach house). And the fact that it’s a plug in sconce makes it SO EASY for anyone to add these to a bedroom without needing an electrician to hardwire it.
That photo above actually brings us to the topic of the photoshoot. Last spring, once enough of our finished pieces and/or prototypes had arrived, Shades of Light invited us to help photograph everything for their catalog and website. They had just moved into a huge new facility here in Richmond, and they now had a dedicated photo studio (we had shot the first collection in our old house). It was ridiiiiiculously cool to peek behind the curtain to see how these things are styled and photographed in a studio.
They had constructed all of these fake, movable walls (all on casters) and each one had a different wall treatment (tile, beadboard, shiplap, etc) or a different paint color – and many had windows or some other architectural detail. This created the look of many different rooms, all without having to go to multiple locations. For instance, the set-up above yielded the final shot below:
If you’re like me you’re thinking “how did that gap where the casters are on the bottom of the wall disappear and turn into thick white baseboard?!” Well, they had strips of baseboard around that we slid into place in front of the wall to cover the gap and make everything look seamless. So smart, right?
They even had some cabinets that we could put together to stage a kitchen scene.
Once we got a scene all set up and styled, we swapped in every variation of that light (sometimes altering the styling as we went) and the photographer snapped away.
They had literally JUST moved into the facility a week or two before our shoot, so we got to help break in the studio (this was their first shoot in there). Some of our lights were still being finalized, so there was a certain amount of ingenuity necessary to make everything work. For instance, the lamp base below hadn’t been wired yet, so in order to take a pic with the light on, we had to wire it from above and they’d just photoshop the cord out later.
Here’s one of the final shots (with an alternate shade on it). Look ma, no wire.
I also mentioned we had to fake a headboard using a chair (actually, it was the chair shown above) because some of the prop furniture hadn’t been delivered quite yet. So Sherry and I used the tufted back cushion in place of a tufted headboard, found a bolt of fabric to use as a “bedspread,” and just crossed our fingers that some careful cropping would do the trick. From afar, it was MAJORLY JANKY…
… but up close you’d never guess that wasn’t the corner of a bedroom! Here’s the final shot (it’s the one we took with the chrome version of the sconce, so some of the styling had been swapped).
It was oddly fun to create different “scenarios” that showcased our lights in a few fantasy environments. And it was fun to rifle through their furniture props. John kinda loved that chair because it was super comfy and “felt like a hug” (did I mention I married a big weirdo? but he’s my weirdo).
You can browse everything on our Lighting Page or shop directly on Shades of Light’s website. Again, many of the items come in different finishes, colors, or configurations (sconces/pendant/flush/etc) than the ones we showed above. And since some of this stuff has been out for several months already, feel free to send us a picture (or tag us) if you’ve got one of them in your house. We love seeing this stuff in its natural habitat!
PS: Speaking of things we did last year, some of you have already heard that last fall we shot some videos for a free do-it-yourself app called DIYZ. We did six projects that each take five steps or less to complete – and they’re available to watch by searching “YHL” in the app. We covered stuff like making a paneled headboard, an outdoor house number plaque, a twine wrapped shelf with leather brackets, a wall-hanging photo & recipe display, a wood centerpiece box, and even a wood frame to upgrade one of those old cheap bathroom mirrors that hangs with plastic clips (make sure you snarl at those plastic clips one last time before you gleefully cover ’em up).
The post New Lighting Designs (And Photoshoot Secrets) appeared first on Young House Love.
In only a few months, I’ll have owned my house for four years! That’s pretty wild. Which also means it’s been about four years since I started thinking about how I’d like to someday renovate the kitchen…you know, after that time when I kind of already renovated the kitchen. That’s a long time to design a kitchen! Yet somehow I keep changing the plan again and again—waking up one morning certain about something and then going to bed roughly 16 hours later absolutely sure about the exact opposite decision. It’s vicious and at some point very soon I need to just make up my mind once and for all so I can get onwith things like roughing in my plumbing and electric.
Granted, the house has changed a lot in those almost four years! I drew the above floor plan on some weird software back when I bought the house. It’s like a different place today!
So yes—I’ve definitely lost some square footage, but that loss is totally outweighed by what I’ve gained in natural light, structural integrity, and—I’d argue—giving this house much more of an architectural identity. Just looking at that 2013 plan makes me feel kind of anxious! But the clarity and simplicity of 2017 makes it feel better.
ANYWAY. The area highlighted in yellow. It’s ALL CHANGING. Bear with me and let’s see if I can stumble through this.
Cool? Just pretend you zoomed in on the bright yellow part, and then changed all the things.
Ah, memories! One thing I always hated about the kitchen was the sink location. If you look back at the first floor plan, you can see how the doorways align—meaning you can be standing in the living room at the front of the house with a perfect view of the kitchen sink! Blech. I also hated the huge soffit overhead and the lack of countertop adjacent to the sink. The sink itself is really not in good shape—the enamel chipped and rusting in some places, and just very worn down overall—and the base cabinet below it basically started disintegrating several months ago. So that was all pretty cute.
Also, the stove location. It sucks! That little kitchen cart was the only thing that made it OK, but still. No prep space and no room to add any. See what I mean? I feel like I made the kitchen as cute and functional as I could without doing anything major, but ultimately there’s only so much you can do to turn a bunch of rotting lemons into something resembling lemonade.
Blam! That grey mass on the left is meant to represent that antique hutch that currently lives in the dining room, by the way. This one:
I’ve always felt like it was more of a kitchen piece, and so I really wanted to work it in. I think it’ll hold the majority of my everyday dishes and stuff, which I’m really excited about!
The original radiator stays, but changes locations to be where the sink used to be. I don’t mind being able to see a nice black radiator from across the house, but not a big sink full of dirty dishes. Of course, the soffit is gone, and both the window and exterior door get replaced with windows that match the ones that got installed on the side of the house this summer. It’ll all feel so uniform you won’t even know what to do with yourself.
Also, I’d like to put a little wood stove in the fireplace! That’s what it’s there for, I love burning things, and can you even imagine how cozy?? This kitchen has historically been VERY VERY cold. Hopefully a lot of that will be resolved with new insulation and less house than there used to be (I think the solarium/”side porch” was a major culprit), but I love the idea of that option for some supplementary heat.
Also, burning things.
Confession: when Max and I broke up, I went a little nuts one night and ripped out the upper cabinets and the soffit in this picture, started work on repairing the wall, and that’s as far as I got. I never repainted and it looked like total shit for about a year. Adorable.
But who cares now because it’s all gonneeee. So you might be wondering…if I remove the exterior door, how am I going to get outside?? Good question. The door moves to the current laundry room, basically right where that funny little window is now.
And no, I can’t actually believe I’m messing with my laundry room. I love that laundry room! BUT, let’s think of it this way: I have a better idea, and basically all the value in that room is the machines themselves, which of course will be saved. The entire rest of the space cost me about $350 and a few weeks of part-time work three years ago, so I can get over it.
Want to talk about that island? It’s a concept I’m digging. As much as I’d really love to just put a nice old table in the middle of the room (which might end up being a short-term solution that ends up lasting a very long time), I think I’m going to want more storage. My biggest anxiety with the kitchen is that I DON’T want it to look super new and…suburban? I grew up in the ‘burbs and got nothing but love for the 90s granite-countered kitchen that raised me, but that’s kind of my biggest fear here. So I like this middle-ground, where the island is still a piece of cabinetry but doesn’t match all the other base cabinets and end up feeling like a huge mass in the middle of the room. Ya dig?
YIKES. I do not miss this.
Now about where that doorway to the solarium used to be, there’s a stove! But not just any stove! A 36″ gas range! I haven’t picked one out yet (omg, so many options, so many reviews, so much money), but I’m really excited. I think it’ll feel like a big upgrade over the 1960s bottom-of-the-line Sears-Kenmore electric stove I’ve been rocking all this time! I’ve given a lot of thought to doing an induction cooktop at the encouragement of several commenters—everyone who has induction seems to love it, and I’ll admit they are very very cool!—but I just can’t see it in here! I can’t! I’ll do induction in the super mod lake house that I’m building (someday, no formal plans).
I know these images look really….blah…but try to imagine this as a real space. The back of the island can hold cookbooks and pretty bowls and whatever, and that shelf over the sink will be styled out all pretty with bowls and cutting boards and shit, and the room will have color and texture and a rug and…ya know. It’ll look like a real space and not a computer drawing.
I couldn’t bring myself to install a range hood in the SketchUp rendering. I know. I know. I know. I’m trying really hard to convince myself that this is something I need or want since I know the rest of the universe has decided they are necessary.
I don’t want one. The thought of drilling a 4″ hole and installing a vent cap outside on the newly restored side of my house is giving me agita.
Have I lost you? Is this making any sense? I feel like I need a focus group for this post.
SO. I wanted badly to sort of isolate the laundry room from the whole kitchen and first floor bathroom renovations, but no. It will not be spared, because I’m moving the laundry! I’m moving the laundry upstairs! I’m PSYCHED. It’s an option I wrote off long ago but then reconsidered just this past weekend and I can’t believe I didn’t figure it out sooner.
This means that the current laundry room, above, becomes a small mudroom kind of space but also an extension of the kitchen. On this wall, I see doing a nice big built-in, with shallow cabinets below and open shelves above. Hey, new pantry! At some point I had to stop obsessing over SketchUp and just put up this dumb post, so use your imagination. It’ll look great.
I’m toying with the idea of widening and heightening the doorway into the current laundry room and adding a transom window above. YES THIS IS THE SAME DOORWAY THAT I NARROWED AND SHORTENED A FEW YEARS AGO TO FIT A DOOR I NEVER INSTALLED. Oy vey.
I can’t stand me either.
New exterior door goes essentially where the window is and that’s how we’ll get to the backyard. Washer and dryer move on up to their new glamorous second floor life. The wall behind the machines gets demo’d. I steal about 3′ of space from the downstairs bathroom.
And that makes enough space for the fridge and a closet! I haven’t really sorted out quite how this build-out will go, so the drawing shows a location but nothing else really.
And yes, I know as a blogger that putting the fridge here might actually get me murdered because people are SUPER INTO their working triangles and stuff, but…well, find me a better spot where I don’t lose countertop, storage, or a window, and I’ll eat all my words and do that. In all seriousness, though, refrigerators are hideous and counter-depth panel-ready ones are WAY out of my price range. THIS WAY, I feel like I can have the huge honker of a fridge (switching to a cute designer-y fridge or under-counter both seem super impractical), but it’s out of sight while still being right there.
You don’t seem convinced. Please calm down it’s going to be OK.
Anyway, the original plan was to stack the washer and dryer and put them in the space next to the fridge, but now that the laundry is going upstairs I have a nice big closet! I usually want to rip closets out much more than I want to put them in, but in this case I’m really excited to have a space to actually store the vacuum cleaner, the mop bucket, I guess even winter coats and boots and stuff, conceivably! The options feel endless.
LASTLY. Downstairs bathroom becomes a powder room.
Toilet and sink locations swap, window moves over and down a little, and that’s basically it. Ain’t no thing but a chicken wing.
For those of you who were horrified at my plans to reuse that tub-turned-temporary-human-grave, YOU WIN. FOR NOW. I still have the tub and I’d still like to find a home for it, but not here. I decided having a full bath on the main floor kind of felt like a carry-over from the house’s past as a two-family (in fact, this bathroom was installed when the house was split up originally in the 30s), and the whole fridge/closet thing just made so much more sense.
So that’s where I’m at! I know this is not the kitchen that everyone would install, but I’m feeling really good about it! We’ll talk all about specific materials and fixtures and stuff soon, but I just wanted to put the basic strokes out there.
Let’s do this thing, kitchen!
