The Desk - I got a solid piece of wood from Home Depot for $15 - I didn't even had to cut it down, it fit perfectly. I sanded down the top of the desk to receive the piece of wood, applied wood glue and clamped it overnight. 

The Stain - Minwax Classic Gray and Minwax Dark Walnut - about $6 each, I only needed the small cans. Instead of mixing the two together, I applied the Gray first, let it dry, then applied a thin layer of dark walnut and blended it into the wood. (I really scrubbed it in) Then let that dry. 

What I learned about Staining - when you are applying a stain - forget the brush! I used old rags to soak the stain and rub it into the wood to really bring out the grain. 

The Polyurethane Coat Finish - The polyurethane finish naturally causes the wood grain to rise out of the surface, causing it to feel sort of bumpy. I applied a 4 coats of polyurethane finish and then sanded with steel wool. The steel wool, as opposed to sand paper, lightly scratches off the bumpy-ness, leaving a perfectly smooth surface. Finish it with a wet rag and another coat of polyurethane!

The walls are Behr Wheat Bread. I did some serious research for the perfect paint color. I wanted a lighter "Griege" that would go with almost anything! Today, since "greige" is so popular, everyone has they're own 'perfect' color. I didn't want any pink or purple tones and I didn't want to spend the money on Sherwin Williams or Benjamin Moore. Behr paint/primer is an awesome paint, I would recommend it to anyone. Can you believe this entire space was done with one gallon? 

The couch was the most interesting part of the whole makeover! What do you do with a narrow living room where all the typical furniture layouts just don't work! I must have gone through 20 scenarios and floor plans trying to figure it out! I even considered tearing out the center wall and extending it into the our front room. Then I remembered that we have a budget! We found the perfect one at Macy's - Radley 4-piece sectional sofa in "mocha" We got it on sale for $1,600. I never thought to buy from Macy's but they have great customer service and the couch is AWESOME! Not to mention, if you buy the $300 protection plan, they will repair or replace any piece for free. It gives you a piece of mind when you spend so much on a couch! 

Unfortunately I don't have a step by step photography. I was in a hurry to see my results! I'll be doing another lamp soon....

The base is very simple: just paint. (two coats)

The shade: 

1.) carefully take apart the shade fabric. Start with the vertical pieces and then depending on how your shade is put together the outward facing fabric. You'll want to save the fabric on the interior of the lamp for the professional look, so be extra careful not to rip it. (hold up the fabric to the shade and you'll see what I mean. If you do, you can replace it, but it will cost you extra. 

2.) After you have chosen a fabric (very workable and light colors preferable) lay it out on the floor and and place the older outward fabric on top and carefully trace/cut it out. tip: I cut an extra 1/2 in to give myself some room to work. 

3.) Then cut 2- 2" strip the same length as the pattern. You will fold this fabric and iron in the fold so you have a piece you can put on the outside. 

4.) This is the messy part. (there may be a better way to do this, but I like fast results) Start with the fabric glue: place on the frame of the lamp, then place the edge of the fabric on the top of the glue and you'll feel the glue "soak" into the fabric. You'll do this about an 1" at a time until you get the hang of it! 

5.) Temporarily remove it from the frame, then apply the super glue directly to the frame, then place the "soaked" edge of the fabric and smooth it out along the curve. Careful not to glue your fingers, I recommend using a paper towel or a piece of parchment paper as a finger guard for this part. Also check to make sure that your fabric will do the same on the bottom side.  

FIY: I didn't follow the exact construction of the original lamp to make it easier as my first makeover. If  you do, let me know how it goes. 

6.) Follow step 5 until you have finished the whole drum.

7.) Follow step 5 for the interior fabric also. 

8.) Then apply your ironed fabric pieces to the top and bottom to finish it!

9) Enjoy your New shade!!! 

10.) If you have any trouble, I'll be posting picture photography of this to a different type of shade next week. Or if your curious, just check it out!

The plywood part is easy. I painted the underneath white and the sides with the same Rustoleum Painters Touch from Home Depot, I've mention before. (Its really smooth). Then I stained the raw wood 2 times and then sanded it to really smooth out the the color and the surface. (if you didn't know stain, pulls up the wood as it stains giving it a rough feel.) Then, polyurethane! I did 5 coats of a satin finish to really get a smooth cleanable workspace! 

I like this DIY  because, this allows the average 29" chair to fit underneath. Other DIY's add a 1x4 across and you'll have a hard time finding a chair to fit! The chair I got from Good Will and it was sturdy so I just replaced the fabric!
The chair cost $11 and the fabric I had in my collection. tip: Choose a thicker fabric to avoid "fuzziness" or holes if you use the chair a lot. When I took off the old stained fabric, the foam had no problems so I decided to reuse it to save some money. When you remove the seat with a screw driver, you'll see all the staples you'll have to remove and this can be a process. If you don't have a professional staple remover, then just use a thin flat head and some pliers. You'll definitely need a staple gun. The one above, I got from Home Depot for $30 dollars, but I use it a lot in the house, so if your husband/boyfriend/partner doesn't have one, I can say its worth the investment. Make sure you pull the fabric tight with the foam in place. If your not coordinated very well, you'll need a little help. Cut off any excess fabric, so it doesn't hang down when you screw the chair back in. Or you can get staple an inexpensive fabric on the bottom for more aesthetic purposes. tip: Also, make sure you are conscience of all the screw holes, so you don't staple over them. And done! Not bad for an $11 chair...

DIY Vintage Lamp:

LAMPS! the lamps were given to me by my Dad and his wife because they realized we just got a new home and wanted to give us a few things. However, they didn't look like they do now! I regrettably don't have a before picture, but they were typical lamp shade with a brushed black and gold bottom.

Where Old became New!

This lamp was free as I mentioned before and I "ripped" off the old lamp shade fabric, spray painted the bottom (Rustoleum of coarse) and LOVED what was underneath, so I put a "vintage style" light bulb in it and it seemed a little too scary, so I wrapped it in rope you get from Joanns and its amazing! It gives  the room a romantic lighting feature that is great for moving watching or just reading your ipad or kindle! (Its sitting on a custom pallet wood end-table, but not one of my favorite projects..)

First of all my professional background is Architecture, I love architecture and the opportunities it can create for communities and individuals. I graduated in May with a Bachelors of Architecture and currently work for a small firm. Since, I'm not spending every waking moment at school, I need a hobby. Since May, my boyfriend bought a new home and I've been designing the interior and its been incredible! I work on so many different projects a day, I quickly loose track of time! I love the DIY blogs on Pinterest, but then again who doesn't?!

This is a simple stool makeover from a couple of garage sale stools and who doesn't love garage sale finds, right! The biggest discovery here, is to use a small, very nice brush and sand sand sand. The paint is pretty thick, and they key is let it dry at least 6 hours before the second coat because red pigments can have streaks if its not completely dry before you put the second coat on.

Before

 I used Painters Touch Rustoleum. I really like this product because its smooth and fast drying. If its not the perfect red, the Home Depot Paint department can change that.

After