/Apartment Therapy

Book Review + Giveaway | Furniture Makeovers

My favourite independent publisher – Chronicle Books – recently sent me a fabulous volume for the DIYers and the furniture obsessed, and the timing could not be better. Why, you ask? Because one of my very next steps for Project Debonaire Young Sir is to reinvent Noah’s existing dresser, upcycling the piece to fit into his much more sophisticated – dare I say debonaire – new room.

Furniture Makeovers is brimming with professional techniques and tried-and-true tips for transforming anything from those pieces you inherited from your grandmother to your latest and greatest flea market finds.

Beyond step-by-step techniques, author Barb Blair also shares plentiful inspiration with her own transformations, giving each project an endearing name as if naming children in her own little furniture family.

Barb is the founder of Knack Studios, and her work has been featured on Apartment Therapy, Decor8 and Design*Sponge among many! She has also been featured in design publications such as Southern Living, and Barb makes her own house a home in beautiful South Carolina.

I’m very excited to learn from Barb’s ways in the hopes that I can achieve the same kind of results I get when sending pieces out to be sprayed. This designer-mama’s on a budget with another one on the way and another room to design and furnish, so I’m very grateful for Barb’s love of details and thoughtful instructions to guide me through my own Furniture Makeover!

//  GIVEAWAY ALERT! //

{Image via Knack Studios}

You too can learn from Barb’s ways! Chronicle Books has generously offered to share a copy of Furniture Makeovers with one of you, of my lovely readers. Here’s how to enter:

1. Tweet this post out on Twitter, being sure to mention @CuratedHouse + @ChronicleBooks and of course Furniture Makeovers!

2. Post this blog post to Facebook and share the goodness with all of your friends!

3. Pin your favourite image from this post to Pinterest, being sure to tag #TheCuratedHouse and #ChronicleBooks in your description.

4. Don’t miss this last step! Come back to this blog post and share your social media frenzy with me by linking to it in the comments below. Each Tweet, Pin and FB Post is an entry! The winner will be announced in two weeks, so enter as many times as you’d like and keep checking back!

Happy pinning, posting and tweeting!

xo
s.

By |August 6th, 2013|2 Comments

The Ultimate In Upcycling: Sacred Spaces

If you check out the intro to my interior design website, you’ll learn a bit about my design philosophy. I believe our homes should speak to us; invite us to connect, unwind, relax and even dream. A haven where we can regroup and rebuild and recalibrate, our homes should be sacred spaces.

In writing yesterday’s post, I decided to just use Google as a quick way to find the link to my previous post titled “The Ultimate In Upcycling.” To my pleasant surprise, right below my post in Google’s search results was a post by the same name with the subtitle “Homes in Converted Churches” from the trailblazing design blog Apartment Therapy. I’ve promised to share any inspiration and found beauty I stumble upon in my everyday life, and this definitely counts!

The home above, originally a sandstone church built in 1877, was transformed into a modern residence in 1977 after 100 years of serving as a house of worship. Images via Desire to Inspire.
This next one is my favourite. An 1870 Gothic church in Utrecht was converted in 2009 by Zecc Architects into this modern minimalist’s dream.

And if like me, you are mesmerized by soaring windows that flood a interior with natural light, then you will fall in love with this next space – a real modern, eclectic mix. Images from HomedIt.

I love the punctuations of pink throughout the space that create a continuous, warm and decidedly feminine rhythm throughout this stunning home.
What kind of space makes you feel safe and able to unwind, relax and dream? Is it an interior space or perhaps an inspiring spot you’ve found in nature? Would love to hear about your own sacred spaces!
xo
s.
By |July 12th, 2012|2 Comments