A little hacking never hurt anyone...

Ever checked out IKEA Hackers?  If you haven't, it's a website with a cult following of creative and imaginative people who purchase IKEA products and update, totally transform them or use them for a purpose completely different for which they were designed. Check it out, some of the transformations are worth a look and get your DIY brain ticking. The image below is from IKEA Hackers. It is a LACK coffee table with some artistic additions.

On another note, whilst browsing around a fave blog marcusdesigninc.blogspot.com.au I discovered that the very talented Nancy Marcus had gone all DIY on a set of IKEA drawers. See below. They look amazing. Thanks Nancy you have me all inspired!

Looks a million bucks!



D.I.Y Inspiration

I love getting into a bit of DIY. It's a very satisfying creative process and the teeny handy-man inside me is a little bit addicted. You may have seen an older post I did on restoring an old set of drawers here. I will be posting more of my DIY projects soon.

My aspirations are growing and ideas are flowing ~ there are chairs to be recovered, floor mats to join together, wall hangings to make and vintage tables to sand and paint. But for now, below are some amazing pics of some recovered chairs. (not done my me!)



This stunning little chair is recovered in a vintage mink coat of all things and it looks damn good. Not sure how it would go getting wet in the bathroom!? But it looks amazing all the same and the use of vintage mink is a budget friendly option.
Looks quite decadent doesn't it?




A favourite from my latest fave book Design*Sponge. You can check out my post on Grace Bonney and Design*Sponge here. The fabric used is a vintage Suzani - love the colour choice.




Image courtesy of Apartment Therapy. I love the mis-matched use of colour and pattern creating a modern patchwork piece.




Image courtesy of Design*Sponge website. Cool fabric choice.




These are a set of IKEA dining chairs which have been given a cool make-over by their owner. They look tidy and fresh. Image courtesy of itsgreattobehome.net.




A set of recovered beach chairs good enough to have out all year long. Effective use of colour and pattern mixing. You'd need to use waterproof/weather-proof fabric (canvas??) and something strong enough to hold body weight when you sit on it.




Image courtesy of Pinterest. The white arms emphasise the pattern used to cover the seat and back of the arm chair. A very happy recover!



New Book Inventory : Design*Sponge

This is a cracker of a book including photo-spreads of some of the most beautiful homes around the world belonging to very talented designers, a super DIY section so you can get your craft on, and an inspirational before and after section. Founder and editor of Design*Sponge, Grace Bonney began her design journey 8 years ago and has not looked back. Her Brooklyn home which she shares with her husband also features in the book.

One of my faves is the home of Michelle Adams (below) editor of online magazine, Lonny.





Candles in the Fireplace

A cool alternative on these balmy summer nights is to place some lit candles in your fireplace to create a stunning Christmas glow without the heat! Happy Friday all!



I'm in the Cluster Zone

While I'm on the 'cluster wave', mirror clusters are also extremely effective. Same balance rules apply for this as frame clusters. Again, lay your mirror combination on the ground before banging your hooks into the wall to find your perfect balance. 
My favourite is the collective of antique mirrors in the fourth image below.

Frame Clusters

I am inspired by frame clusters at the moment.  They look so effective and they are very EASY to create. And there are no rules to this, except the basic rules of balance. You can use all the same colour (white, black) or type (silver, wooden, vintage) or size/shape (sml, med, lge, round, square) or mix it up to create an awesome eclectic feature.

Insert your favourite images or leave a few blank to create some interest. Try laying your frames on the ground to get the right balance combination before you begin banging hooks into the wall! Here is some 'cluster' inspiration for you.....