A Designer At Home

How I Made It: Rose Quartz Drawer Pulls

August 31, 2015 by CORINNA HENDERSON

Hey Guys!

These crystal drawer pulls are one of my all time favorite projects. I turned a basic IKEA Rast dresser into a West Elm Stria nightstand knock off but I wanted to add knobs to make the drawers easier to pull in and out (the Stria dresser has hidden pulls carved under each drawer, but I really wanted to make and use these so I skipped the carving out a handle part).

The knobs are a great way to add a bit of femininity to an otherwise “masculine” and “woody” dresser. I conjured up these rose quartz drawer pulls because they’re pretty and I love crystals. Rose quartz is touted for having love related benefits. So what better room to use them in than the bedroom, amiright? Let’s jump into how you can create your own:

Supplies:

*Crystal Allies Materials: 1lb Bulk Rough Pink Rose Quartz Crystals
*E6000®
*Flat Cap Nuts
*1/4-20 x 1.18 Joint Connector Bolt
(make sure your connector bolts are long enough to go through the drawer and into the cap nut)
*Power Drill with *1/4 inch drill bit

How I Made It: Rose Quartz Drawer Pulls

Ensure the crystals are free of loose debris. Because we’re working with unfinished quartz, there can be a bit of dust and dirt. Once they are clean, dab a dollop of glue onto the cap nut and place the crystal onto the cap nut. Find a place to rest the quartz while the glue dries.

I worked out odd spaces all over my work space to place them. You don’t want the glue to drip down into the cap nut otherwise it won’t screw onto the connector bolt, so make sure they are cap side up.

Once the glue dries, it’s all about assembling. I had to drill holes into the face of my drawers, but if you’re simply replacing knobs, you’re set to put them in!

And the result is an earthy, boho, feminine touch. It especially pairs well with wood grain but would look lovely on a painted piece, too! I hope you’ve found this little tutorial helpful and informative 🙂 See you next time!

Hey! Before you go, if you liked this post, please leave a comment and give it a share! It helps me out a lot!

Crushing On: Painted Interior Doors

August 28, 2015 by CORINNA HENDERSON

Hey Guys!

If you saw Monday’s post, “Boho Eclectic Bedroom Reveal,” you will have seen my colorful coral closet door. It’s a happy pop of color in the space and it got me thinking about painted doors in general. I love that they do their own thing and bring about a feeling to the space they’re in that wouldn’t happen otherwise. There are loads of great examples of ways to showcase the beauty a door can be. So, as usual, I had to share the inspiration with you.

Sondra felt like her home’s exterior was missing it’s “lipstick” and a bright red door turned out to be that perfect touch. I love that she thought of the door as the “lips” to her homes exterior. So the windows would be the eyes, right? via Sondra Lyn At Home

A sophisticated red and a cute vinyl greeting update this front door. Isn’t the “hello” greeting adorable? via Mom Home Guide

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A chic mint green front door ties in with the brick exterior of this home. It can be a struggle to use color with brick but this is the perfect example of how to make it work. via Runt Oradiance

I love old doors and this one got a modern facelift with a cranberry leaning red. Very pretty pairing with the lace curtains in the window. via Roots North and South

If your doors are wood, a rich new stain can bring new life to the door. This double door is beautiful and the wood grain really beams through the fresh finish. via Frug Elegance

A bright and striking red/coral color (the red is a popular choice, eh? in Feng Shui red doors are auspicious!) really brightens up this exterior. via Marty’s Musings

Swanky navy and nail head trim? It’s such a unique and sophisticated look. For real though, I LOVE. via Desert Domicile

I think I gravitate more towards the bright and colorful doors, like this pretty blue. via Dogs Don’t Eat Pizza

I really enjoy the darker paint colors and the “moodiness” they bring to a space. via Create and Babble

And if painting the entire door isn’t your cup of tea, adding a painted trim look really improves things. via Sandpaper and Glue

But, I really love the look of the grey for interior doors. I don’t think I could quite hack it with black doors (though they are gorgeous). via The Sweetest Digs

I’m so inspired after checking out all these beautifully painted/embellished/ and stained doors. Mine pale in comparison. But that’s kind of the reason I went on the hunt for painted doors in the first place, to find ideas for painting my own!

Come back next Friday, there’s going to be a Part dos for Crushing On: Painted doors!

How I Made It: IKEA Rast Hack to West Elm Stria Knock Off

August 26, 2015 by CORINNA HENDERSON

Hey Guys!

I love West Elm, but it’s not always in my budget to buy new furniture. Well actually, it’s never in the budget to buy new furniture, especially when it comes with the price tag that West Elm comes with. But it can be really easy to get “the look” without buying from the retailer you’re loving. Hacks are great! And I’ve got one of my own to share. The IKEA Rast is the perfect candidate for any hack. For my nightstands, I wanted to replicate the look of the West Elm Stria dresser. In the tutorial below I’ll share with you how I created them- I think you’ll like it!

The cost savings to create the dresser from scratch is insane! Though it is slightly smaller than the 3 drawer dresser from the Stria series, it is also significantly larger than the nightstand from the series. The nightstand is also only a 2 drawer (and $349). Call it what you want!

IKEA Rast Hack to West Elm Stria Knock Off

I started with a road trip to IKEA. Our nearest IKEA is 2.5 hours away. But, I’ve wanted to go for years now. And I needed a real wood 3 drawer dresser for cheap. I could’ve waited around for Craigslist to produce something, but I wanted to finish this project in a short period of time.

(Enter IKEA Rast dresser from stage left)

It took about an hour to put the two together that night. It was an easier process than any of the cheap Walmart and Target furniture I’ve bought.

The next morning was Saturday and it was BEAUTIFUL out. The little guy and I ate breakfast in the yard and played a while. A short while later, he lost interest in me and got to exploring the yard. I took the opportunity to stain the dressers (“Special Walnut”, I like that it has less red undertones unlike the Stria, but since it’s a DIY it could be any!).

Later that afternoon, Hubby volunteered to come with us to Lowe’s so I could get wood for the drawer fronts. I found what was called “craft wood” that came in perfect 24 inch length pieces. I also picked up a few of the 48 inch long pieces because they came in thicker pieces. I bought 3/8 x 2 x 24, 1/2 x 2 x 24, 3/8 x 3 x 24, 3/8 x 3 x 24, 1 x 3 x 48, and 1 x 4 x 48.

That night I laid wood glue on the drawer front, stained the pieces of wood (hubby cut the 48 inch long pieces in half), and pressed them into the wood glue. The middle drawer was covered with exactly 7 inches width worth of wood. The top drawer was cover with 8 inches width worth of wood leaving leftover to cover the dresser top that shows from the front. And the bottom drawer used 11 inches width worth of wood to cover most of the gap at the bottom of the dresser.

I didn’t use any nails or screws. The wood seems to be bonded pretty well. The extra weight also seems to have no negative effect on the function of the drawers. WIN!

They’re great for nightstands in our bedroom because our bedroom is very small and the closet is even smaller. We need loads of little places to store things.

If you’re wondering about the knobs, stay tuned! I’ll have the tutorial for those up next Monday!

If you enjoyed this knock off, I would sincerely appreciate a share, like, or pin! You may just save someone a couple hundred dollars! 😉

Tour: Boho Vintage Eclectic Bedroom

August 24, 2015 by CORINNA HENDERSON

Hey Guys!

Today I’m happy to be sharing the second space I’ve designed in my home- the “Master” Bedroom. It’s a pretty tiny space, but I’ve managed to fit a dresser, two nightstands, a queen bed and plant life. I’ve used some vintage pieces and I’ve used store bought pieces that I’ve DIYed a little magic into. I get so happy when I see pictures of this space because it came together so well. And while there’s things I could change, I’m actually really happy and feel “complete” with this room.

I like to call the style of the space “Bohemian with order.” Because I lean both way with my personality, this design appeases both the type A and type B in me. I love fun patterns with a clean pallet. A moroccan wedding blanket wall hanging structured by a square painted frame (but still messy with it’s paint technique). Whimsical cacti tapered candles paired with refined vintage brass candleware. Crystal drawer knobs with clean copper frames. There’s a strict and intentional balance to keep the room feeling fresh and playful.

As I like to do with a “room reveal” kind of post, I’m going to keep chit chat to a minimum. I’ll have several week’s worth of tutorials, “crushing on” posts for elements within the room, source list, and tips. If you’d like to catch any of those posts, become an email subscriber. It’s the easiest way for me to ensure you receive notification of a new post when it’s posted. You can sign up here.

Let’s dive into le tour:

And that’s the end of the tour! I’d be so appreciative if you’d give this room reveal a share. Thank you for being here and stay tuned for DIY’s, tutorial, helpful tips, and more!

11 Reasons to Buy an Older Home

August 21, 2015 by CORINNA HENDERSON

Hey Guys!

If you’re also a fan of Melissa Michaels of The Inspired Room, you have probably seen her “10 Reasons to Buy A New House” post on her blog. 10 very compelling arguments for why you should buy a new construction home. Naturally I can’t be sold on that concept. There are few things I think are better buying new versus old; Underwear and vegetables would fit in the new category. Homes fall into the “must buy old” category for me though. Which is why I’ve decided to put together not just 10 compelling arguments for buying an old home, but 11 good reasons why you ought to consider buying an older home.

I should preface this list with my own definition of an “older” home- not new construction. So even something that’s a mere 10 years old fully suffices as an older home.

1. “Necessary Repairs” Increase Home Value– Generally you can expect to see a rise in the value of your home when you do things like replace the air conditioning unit, furnace, or roof. You will get a higher offer on your house with these things than with out. So while the idea of buying a home with an old hot water heater that you’ll need to replace seems like a buzz kill, you’ll pay less than if they had upgraded it for you (always use this as negotiating power! either request they do it, or factor it in to what the house is worth). This combined with #4 can be a great way to buy a nice house for a great deal.

2. “No Regret” Design Changes– That parquet floor has been there long enough to push aside any regret for ripping it out and replacing it. Those 80’s tile, feel free to rip them out. Trends expire and it’s better to rip out tile that’s past it’s prime than brand new tile that’s hardly seen use. And you’re free to replace it with whatever you want, whereas builders normally have a selection you have to choose from.

3. “Old House” Charm– It’s more expensive to buy “charming” details new. Much like the old tile and parquet flooring, the crown molding and carved wood details you’ll oftentimes find in older homes has “paid it’s dues” and is cheaper to buy in that older home. You’ll find decorating with these details to be a treat as they’re visually interesting and beautiful.

4. Cheaper To Buy Upfront– Older homes can be cheaper to buy up front for the same square footage in the same area. This has a lot to do with the labor costs that go into a new construction. You’re paying people’s wages when you buy those homes whereas you’re just buying the value of the property from a seller of an older home.

5. Established Neighborhoods– Older homes are in older neighborhoods and this can mean beautiful shade providing mature trees, grass covered yards, parks and more. Drive through an older neighborhood and you’ll see the benefits with mature landscaping and variety of people living there.

6. Remodeling Potential– Because the homes are often cheaper, the lots normally bigger, and the homes not as close together, there’s normally a lot of room to remodel an older home. Go ahead and pair that with #2 and you’re in it to win it, right?

7. Energy Efficiency– Yes! Shockingly, I’m going to tell you that buying an older home can benefit your bank account. Smaller homes are less expensive to heat and cool. As long as you have or upgrade existing insulating features, the smaller rooms and lower ceilings are going to be noticeably cheaper to keep comfortable. And on the other end of things, older homes were not equipped with modern cooling and heating so they were built with features that kept it cooler (without electricity, yay lower electricity bills!)

8. Problems already Discovered & Addressed– Provided previous owners weren’t total D-bags, any problems that have risen from the homes construction will have already been addressed. Things like settling have likely already occurred (true story– my parent’s bought new construction and they have huge patches around the doorways of one side of their house from where they had cracks fixed from the new house settling).

9. Variety in Choices/Styles/Designs/Layouts– When you buy from a builder, you get options. These options are uniform in choice with all the other homes the builder is selling. When you buy in an older neighborhood, you get variety in styles, choices, and finishes to choose from.

10. Location– Older homes are normally located closer to desirable parts of the city. My older home is located near the beach, other older homes in our city are located in beautiful neighborhoods right next to downtown. The newer construction homes are normally built on old acreage full of trees and are pretty out of the way (and if you want to be out of the way, charming old farmhouses are normally out there!)

11. Quicker Move In– It makes sense that a house already built would be quicker to move into than one that doesn’t exist yet, right?

So there you have it! I’m not an expert outside of pure passion for this subject (and I own a “used” house). But, I think these reasons are pretty clear! If you’re house searching, you’ve got a lot to think about. I hope this list has helped.

What reason do you find to be the most appealing about buying an older home?

How To Paint A Hexagon Patterned Wall

August 19, 2015 by CORINNA HENDERSON

Hey Guys!

Today is a bit of a throwback post. I don’t actually have a hexagon painted wall in my Living Room. But it was one of the first big things I did in my home. I loved it and still love it. Hexagons will always be a trend within home decor. And if you love a loud accent wall, a honeycomb inspired accent wall is definitely a fabulous way to go. If I were to undertake this task again, I would choose easier to work with colors since that was ultimately what caused me to paint over it. Seriously though, you can’t get a cooler patterned painted wall!

If you’ve followed me since before the creation of A Designer At Home, you’ll have seen this on my old blog. I had a few friends ask for the details on how I created my Living Room Hexagon Wall and happily obliged with the tutorial. Since it’s been so popular, I wanted to make sure I brought the tutorial here. In this post I will show you everything from how I made the stencil (Yes! you can make the stencil!) to how I taped our the pattern to how I created and painted the custom ombre colors. I hope you’ll be forgiving of the not-so-forgiving stencil video!

For this project, you’ll need:

Cardboard (at least slightly larger than the size Hexagon you want)
Marker
Pointed object ( like a mechanical pencil)
String/Wire (something to hold the marker to the pointed object at an even distance)
Painter’s tape
Paint
Painting supplies (rollers, brushes,etc.- personal preference)
Box cutter
Level
Old Tupperware

To start, make sure your wall is ready for the stencil. Color preference is personal, but make sure that whatever color you want to be the outline to the hexagons, you will want to paint the whole wall this color. Also note that if you want a dark outline, you should prime the hexagons before painting them their final color. You will need to do this a few days before painting the hexagons, you’ll compromise the final product if you don’t give it the proper amount of time to dry.

To create the stencil, something inside me felt like I should make a video to show how it’s done. There’s technically math involved, but it doesn’t feel like it if you just watch-

So to explain what I wasn’t saying- Place a flat piece of cardboard, larger than the size hexagon you want, onto a surface that’s safe to be cut on. Take your pointed object and connect it to your marker. the distance between the two is your radius- the halfway distance between the widest width of your hexagon. Place your pointed object firmly near the center of your cardboard and draw a circle around the pointed object. Now here’s some math- the radius of your hexagon is also the length of each side of the hexagon. Cool, right? So you just need to keep the pointed object and marker at the same distance and just mark that distance around the circle. Connect those marks and those are your 6 sides! Because of the nature of the string/wire, marker, and cardboard, this will not be a “perfect” Hexagon but it will be very close. Cut out the marks with a box cutter and pop out!

Now that you have your stencil, eyeball the “center” of the wall you’re painting. Use a bit of painter’s tape to hold it up. Check to make sure it’s level with your level. Start taping! Honestly, it’s not necessary to be precise. Start by taping around the first hexagon, remove your stencil and line it up with the first. Then tape around the second.

Every so often you will need to check to make sure everything is still level, just do this every 4 or 5 hex’s. Repeat until your wall is covered. Hexagons are a very forgiving shape and it’s not noticeable if there are imperfections throughout. Because of this, you can eyeball around the walls and floors if a full hexagon doesn’t line up. You can also leave those Hexagons for last and cut your stencil to fit. I did a little bit of both.

If you have walls or a doorway, work your stencil around them, then worry about fitting pieces of hexagons tightly around the frame. If the majority of the Hexagons are even and level, the slightly wonky ones will not stand out.

Mixing paint can be a little daunting. But it’s seriously easy and seriously fun. Start with one color you absolutely LOVE. Then keep 1, 2 or 3 other colors that mix well with it. I used leftover grey and white. Mix little by little in plastic containers you wouldn’t mind ruining. The point is to be a little ombre with it, so if you don’t have enough to do as many hexagons as you want, mix in a little more of whatever you already have mixed. It will likely be a new color but it’ll be a variation of your main color and that’s what’s important! You have to be a little nonchalant with this project, it can really turn into a tedious task if you don’t!

Peel off the painters tape and let the paint dry. This is the perfect time to grab a cup of coffee/tea and bask in the awesomeness you’ve created.

At this point you can stop and be merry, but I like to spend some time trying out a few things in front of my new wall.

If a Hexagon wall speaks to you, I hope you find this tutorial useful. I’ve tried to include as much information as possible. If you do have any questions, please leave them in the comments so I can do my best to get them answered.