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DIY Buffet Rehab Inspiration

14 Feb

dining-room-buffet-ideasvia Phonenix Restoration

Ages and ages ago my husband and I inherited an old dining room set from my husband’s grandmother that I’ve been dying to to rework with some new paint and hardware ever since. Inspiration struck recently when I stumbled across the above image via Phoenix Restoration (based in Seattle) of this hot pink lacquer buffet and now I’m itching to get going. Isn’t the above just gorg? I’m drooling over the styling too. Love those preppy navy and white striped shades. Hubba hubba.

As much as I adore a shot of hot pink, I’m thinking a more toned down palette that reworks the hot pink/navy blue/white/metallic gold accent will work beautifully with the overall decor scheme I’ve been working through in my head so I landed on a navy blue or blue gray tone for the piece.

After a quick Google Image Search for “navy blue buffet” followed quickly by a Pinterest search for the same, here we have my favorite inspiration photos for this project:

navy-dresser-4via Vintage Refined Decor on Etsy

navy-dresser-2
navy-dresser-diy

navy-dresser-3
choosing-navy-paint-colors-text2
Interestingly, I’d always had it in my mind that Benjamin Moore’s Hale Navy would be the right choice for this project after seeing so many examples of it in rooms as we decided on paint colors for our own home, but after viewing a number of refinished wood furniture, I decided I liked a more blue-gray shade for less severity. In the photo above, the Newburyport Blue is another contenter I was really impressed with after a lot of image searching through Google. In fact, the first of the batch of the blue buffet inspo photos is actually painted with that same color. What a difference a white balanced camera setting makes and good lighting, right?

This actually brings up a really important tip to remember when you approach any painting project and that is to carefully consider (and test out) how your paint selection will look in all kinds of light situations. Luckily, our dining room where this buffet will live has two enormous windows along and the room opens to the living room which has near-all-day sunshine, so I’m not worried about the color appearing too navy.

Hooray for selecting a paint color! Now to purchase a respirator so I can paint while I’m pregnant and decide if I want to chance not sanding the piece. Oh — and hardware selection. That’s a fun part I’m excited about.

I’ll keep you posted as it rolls along.

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Dollhouse Update: Decor Direction

6 Feb

dollhouse-decor
It’s kind of ironic that I’ve thrown myself into this dollhouse rehab project as I struggle to commit to an interior decor and style direction for our own home. We’ve been moved in 6 months now, but most days it feels like we’re still living out of boxes. I’ve only recently allowed myself to hang up a few pieces of art but don’t want to commit to purchasing anything as substantial as an appropriately sized living room rug or a bookcase until I’m certain of the style I want for our new home.

Weirdly, wanting to get the dollhouse done quickly so I have time to prepare for Emilia’s birthday party and all the decor I’m thinking for that has been liberating and inspiring. As I’ve been throwing white paint on the interior walls of the dollhouse and imagining the wallpaper I’ll add soon, I’ve been telling myself: it doesn’t need to be like this forever. It can always be refinished whenever Emilia tires of it which has reminded me that I just need to get our house done so we can enjoy living in it already.

mint-to-be-fab-scrapbooking-paperscored this at JoAnne’s on clearance to make some art for the interior

It’s exactly the lesson I needed at this moment and reminded me that every day for the past six months has almost been wasted, tormenting myself in the hope of achieving the most perfect execution of our home decor. The truth is, it’s not going to ever be perfect and that’s the fun of interior design. I need to remember the advice I blogged about from Nate Berkus a while back — to just make one big decision (post here) and then continue from there. Our house won’t come together overnight, but in small increments, it will become the home I envision in my mind. A cozy reflection of our family and a place to entertain family and friends for years to come.

That said, I culled favorite room images from my “Inside” Pinterest board into a single collage of dollhouse decor inspiration (top photo) and cannot wait to start pulling it all together now that I’ve got the exterior and interior paint primed.

Next up, I need to purchase a front door and windows for the exterior and some flooring and furniture for the interior. I already mentioned that I purchased a brass bed and a furniture lot from eBay with a bunch of goodies so we’re pretty set as far as the basics for the house, but I know they’ll need some love (re: paint and some faux gold leafing) if they’re going to reflect the vision I have detailed in the photo above. I also need to decide on a kitchen set, but there is some time.

I can’t wait to get started on this fun part!

 

 

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New Project: Dollhouse Rehab

2 Feb



In addition to the exciting news that I launched my Etsy art print shop, Miss Modern Studio, I’ve decided now is the perfect time to restore my childhood dollhouse to give to my daughter for her second birthday. My sister and I logged so much time playing with this thing — can you tell??— that I know it will be a hit with Emilia too.

It’s seen better days obviously so I’m excited to dive into the world of “miniatures” as they say in the dollhouse world and bring it back to its former glory. In my excitement to start I gave the exterior two coats of some leftover Benjamin Moore interior paint we’d tried on our front door before I turned online to look for inspiration and information about finishing, restoring, furnishing and decorating dollhouses. (In case you’re wondering, it’s called Spirit in the Sky and it’s part of Benjamin Moore’s Classic Color Collection.)

houseGorgeous dollhouse design via this amazing blogger

It was really difficult to find well-maintained, updated web resources for dollhouse stuff; there is definitely a gap in the market as far as online inspiration for the more modern decor style that I have in mind for this refurb, so I’ll share the resources I did land on that have been really helpful.

Best Dollhouse Miniature Website Resources

miniature-dollhouse-kitchen
Miniatures.com |  Hands down, this has been my go-to for everything including learning about “miniature scale.” If I had to name a standard scale for dollhouses, it’s the 1-inch, or “1/12.” This is important so you buy the correct scale furniture depending on your dollhouse. Learn more on about scale of this page of their site. This is also one of the best resources I’ve found for miniatures (AKA: dollhouse furniture for newbies like me who just learned the lingo). I’m drooling over this stainless steel kitchen set and accessories like this copper pot rack. Prices seem reasonable based on what I’ve seen online.

transom-door
RealGoodToys.com |  I’ve relied on this site for dollhouse parts like replacement windows, doors and shingles and general education about miniatures. They’re a Vermont-based shop that produces heirloom quality dollhouses and components for true miniature aficionados which is obvious from the artistry and quality of everything featured. How gorgeous is their  traditional door with transom, pictured above? Hubba hubba.

girls-room-8
Craftiness is Not Optional | This blog served up a massive dose of inspiration for me as I began my dollhouse refurb project. A lot of dollhouse decor styles are very dated with mahogany furniture pieces and chintz couches but this resourceful, creative, DIY-focused mom of four has an incredible eye for color and pattern. I especially love how she created her own DIY art throughout that reflected her own home’s style. The color scheme alone is giving me all the heart eyes.

west-elm-inspired-dollhouse-miniatures
#MaddiesDollHouseReno | After vintage-lover and all around creative, Linzi MacDonald renovated her daughter Maddie’s dollhouse, furnishing it with miniature versions of local designer pieces and sharing the journey on her Instagram account here, she amassed a cult following on Instagram that eventually led to a collaboration with West Elm. You know. As one does. While this minimalist, Scandinavian style isn’t quite to my own taste, I do appreciate it and often find myself drooling over all the bare white rooms with wall hangings and horse art because it just looks so dang clean and flow-y.

ebay-lot
Ebay Dollhouse Furniture “Lots” | Thanks to years of thrifting, yard sales and estate sales, I know that “lots” of goodies can be had on Ebay if you do your homework and research. My mom kept quite a bit of the dollhouse furniture we had as kids, but a few casual searches over the past week for miniature “furniture lots” revealed incredible deals. I actually just won a bid for an individually listed brass bed frame and an entire “lot” which included the same 3-piece nursery set I’d been eyeing on Miniatures.com. For the same price of that set, my lot (pictured above) included about 20 other miniature pieces I’ll rework to suit my needs as I trick out my daughter’s dollhouse for years of play. I can’t wait to get going!

I’ll share my progress as I work and post about this project here and on Instagram if you want to keep up. I’ll probably borrow the hashtag idea and use #EmiliasDollHouseReno to keep posts organized. With 8 weeks until her birthday, I’ve got some time, but want to wrap up as much as I can soon since this pregnant belly isn’t going to get any more manageable or comfortable as I near my final trimester.

 

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