May 5, 2008 4:19:51 PM
DIY
A New Use on a Larger Scale
One of the things that Real Simple is best known for is the feature "New Uses for Old Things." It's one of the hardest sections to brainstorm ideas for, as they're normally for small household goods--just things you have laying around. Well, I was forced into my own new use, due to the lack of outdoor space available with my small Harlem apartment
To keep myself busy during the New York winter, I decided to refinish a desk chair that I'd purchased at a prop sale. I stripped the chair down to bare wood and metal and then set about refinishing it. The problem: how to spray paint in a small apartment in the dead of winter, when the outside temperatures kept me from sneaking up to the roof. So I repurposed the one room in my apartment where I figured a little errant spray paint wouldn't be a big deal.
Yes, that's my shower stall--covered in newspapers with the chair seat upside-down inside. This was taken after the first coat of paint (with two layers of primer underneath). As questionable as this plan seems, it worked out very well. Although, I did have to shower at the gym for a couple of weekends. Here's how it turned out:
A lesson learned from this project: always take "before" pictures--you never know if you'll need them.
Do you have a home DIY project you're proud of?
Digg This! |
Stumble It! |
Add
to Sk*rt |
Save to del.icio.us |
Email this post |
Subscribe to
this feed
Posted on May 5, 2008 4:19:51 PM by Kristin Appenbrink | Link |
Comments
(4)
« Previous Post
| Simply Stated- Home & Organizing Main Page |
Next Post »
|
May 05, 2008 at 08:18 PM
|
May 06, 2008 at 08:41 AM
|
May 07, 2008 at 12:08 AM
|
May 07, 2008 at 09:42 AM
| 
Get the RSS feed
That chair looks fabulous! Totally professional. Alas, I'm not quite as crafty and haven't used any DIY to fix up something cute in my Brooklyn apartment. But you're inspiring me to check Craigslist for some old pieces I can turn into a new footstool, maybe some wooden storage boxes that I can line with fun fabrics. Thanks, Kristin! :) Do you plan on fixing up other old furniture finds? And how did you hear about the prop sale? Any suggestions where to look online for skeds?