Bed-linen revamp

I had a beige set of bed linen passed on to me from my Grandma, which was really good quality, but didn't quite go with our bedroom interior.

So I dyed the whole set navy, fairly cheaply...

...and used some spare striped fabric I had lying around to liven up the plain navy...

 

...et voila - stripes are the future!

Hallway transformation Part I

So the hallway in our flat has looked fairly bare and bland for a good year now... It really is a completely functional space used solely for traveling between the bedroom and bathroom, and the kitchen-living area, and nothing beyond that.

I thought it was about time to try and spruce it up to look a bit more attractive, and also see if there was a way to make the narrow space a bit more useful. However, at about 4m long by 1.5m wide with 5 doors (including one for a handy giant cupboard) coming off it, and a small radiator on one wall, it was limited in terms of being a canvas for creativity...

I found the below plant stand/table at a junk shop in Crystal Palace for £20. It was in a bit of a rickety condition and needed much TLC. Rather than sanding it down, enforcing the loose legs with nails and screws and repainting or waxing it, I decided to go completely the other way and literally take it apart...

 

 

In the meantime I had started measuring out and penciling in the lines of wide stripes on the inside of the external wall in the hallway. I found a selection of paint left in the handy giant cupboard by the previous owners, which I thought I'd make good, thrifty use of. I masking-taped the borders of where I wanted to paint, and cracked open a tin of Dulux "Mocha":

Halfway through (having temporarily run out of masking tape), I assembled the halved plant table and played around with different positions for it to work best in. The mirror below was already up in the hall, and with some Annie Sloane "Old White" chalk paint still left over, I thought that would be the best way to go with the table too.

The stripes are now finished in hallway, and manage to add a bit of depth and excitement already! Part II to follow...

Upcycled Ottoman

About a year ago, neighbours of ours over the road were getting rid of the table and mirror below:

I played it fairly safe with the rejuvination of the table, and just went for a neutral white paint look (for the full details click here):

However, as Jim fully knows, and I am beginning to accept a) I am messy and clumsy and nothing in the flat stays plain white for long, and b) I am a crafting project addict and nothing in the flat stays plain white for long!

In the meantime I also became addicted to Pinterest and saw several inspiring pins about how simple and easy it can be to transform a dull, basic coffee table into a lovely, comfortable and interesting ottoman.

I began by measuring the table for the amount of foam I would need to sit neatly on top:

I found a great seller on ebay who provides different thicknesses of foam in the exact dimensions you require. I went for three inches thick, and used a spray mount glue to fix it to the table top:



I then took a trip to the lovely Fabrics Galore on Wandsworth Road and got myself some cheapety-cheap wadding. I went for at least double the area than of the foam so that it would comfortably wrap around the edges and underneath the table:

Using a nifty staple gun (how I lived without one before now I'll never know) I pulled the wadding gently around the foam and stapled it to the underside of the table:

Next came the material. I picked this grey and white striped number up quite cheaply at an antiques stall in East Dulwich thinking I would use it for some cushion covers. But, to be frank, we already have too many cushions, and it was the perfect size for the ottoman - it found its calling! Pulling the material taught, but not too tightly so that the foam and wadding were squashed down, I evenly worked my way from the centre of each side, stapling the material to the underside of the table:

When it came to the corners I found it easier to neatly pin the fabric in place first making sure the folds were crisp, before stapling.

The final detail were some buttons I found on ebay that allow you to cover them in any fabric...

...which I sewed evenly onto the top of the ottoman, using a long needle so that they attached onto the foam to give it a dimpled effect:

Et voila! A super-easy ottoman from a sad, abandoned table!