This is what we started with:

So two weeks ago I decided to tackle the dark, heavy bookcase which would, in the end, help lighten the room up a bit. First thing’s first, remove all the CRAP from the bookcase. Make sure you give it a good wipedown with a damp rag, just to get the dust off. Don’t use dusting spray or any chemicals, as it might make the primer not stick as well.

After I taped off the doors, I pulled out the supplies I needed. Mine included some paint brushes (both bristle and sponge), some mini rollers, a drop cloth for the floor (since I was doing it inside, but helpful none-the-less), my primer and my paint. Oh, and gloves! Since the primer is oil based, it will be a pain to get off your hands, so just grab some latex gloves when you pick up your supplies!

By now you should have your bookcase lying down and ready to paint. Luckily the boyfriend had some cinder blocks in the back yard, so I used those to prop the bookcase up so I could get all around it without worrying about getting the floor.

Then it’s time to start priming!! I think I did 2 coats of primer and a third for touch ups. Mine wasn’t mixed very well — had I known when I purchased it, I would have had the paint counter shake it up for me. It’s a good time to warn about the smell and fumes. I don’t recommend doing this inside if you don’t have to. I was desperate to get it done (and stubborn!) so I went through with it — but it stinks to high heaven, and I had to take a couple breaks due to lightheaded-ness. That’ll bode well for future-me!

The primer didn’t stick as well as I would have liked, and that could have been due to the humidity or my lack of patience in letting it cure long enough. Regardless, the end result turned out decent enough.

Let me tell you — those doors were a pain! I almost said screw it, because they are double sided and the paint and primer kept seeping into the holes and just filling it up. Thank goodness for screwdrivers to clean them out later! (Invest in a powerdrill, kiddies!)

So I had 5 shelves and 2 doors to prime and paint. Hm.. How’d I do it? Well, initially, like this:

Books come in handy, yanno! ;) After that, I just lined them all up on a cardboard box on top of our dining chairs.

Also, make sure to sand between coats! It’ll cut down on the bumps and brush strokes you’ll have in the end.

I’d suggest giving at least 30 minutes between primer coats, an hour before painting and a half hour between paint coats. I’m sure elsewhere you’ll hear wait longer, but, well, I’m impatient, and that timing seemed to work out just fine for me.

In the process of redoing the bookcase I decided I wanted it farther away from the window, so it didn’t crowd that area as much. That really helped! Later this week I’ll show you our living room as it is today.

From far away it looks like a white bookcase, but up close you can see that it was painted, especially around the doors where some of the paint peeled off when I removed the tape.

But it’s made better by the sweet knobs the boyfriend spotted at Ikea in the as-is section for 2 bucks!

So what do you think? Much better, right? I would have loved to purchase a new bookcase, probably something like the CB2 kickstand bookcase, but this is much more economical — and we have a couch to save up for!!

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Here is a breakdown of my costs:

Primer: $10 for a quart — it was just enough, so if you have a bigger piece, get two quarts!

Paint: Already had on hand.

Brushes/rollers/sponges: $8

Paint trays: $2

Gloves: On hand already.

Painter’s tape: On hand already.

So for about twenty bucks, I repainted this bookcase, gave it a new look and helped lighten up our dark living room in one weekend! Hoozah! Stay tuned for an overall shot of the room to see how much it helped me lighten up the space!

Yellow and pale blue work so well together. I love round mirrors hung by cords. Perhaps this would work? The curves of the lamp juxtaposed to the hard edges of the cabinet put a smile on my face. The ash-stained wood is amazing and unexpected; and the brass feet finish it off perfectly.

Love.

He is way too dark! In my old apartment he worked, but now that we have a lighter, airier feel to the space (not yet, that is), I want something lighter! So this weekend, I plan to tackle the bookcase with some primer, some paint, and git-r-done! I was inspired, and plan to follow Centsational Girl’s post on painting laminate furniture.

So Billy, get ready to meet your match! (Wish me luck, DC has been suffering some serious humidity so this’ll be an indoor project..)

Our movers were scheduled to arrive around 9:30-10, so we headed over to Caribou Coffee for one last treat and for me to grab some fuel (caffeine) — but we got called half way there and had to turn around — they were already there and it wasn’t even 9am!

So after a bit of rushing and figuring out the best way for them to access my apartment, they got to work and had my furniture moved just as quickly as they got there. They were off to the boyfriend’s apartment, and while I ran to Starbucks for my much needed Skinny Vanilla Latte (iced, of course, since it was already 85 degrees and only 10am) the movers got to work on his place. I got a call on my way home, 15 minutes later, from Chuck telling me they were almost done at his place!!

Once they had everything packed at both our places, we headed off to the new townhouse for them to wind things up the staircase. Everything went up smoothly except our queen box-springs, which prompted a Sunday morning trip to Ikea. And of course, the one piece of furniture I really wanted them to be careful with — my new dresser — was the one thing that got damaged. Just a small chip in the veneer on one side and a scuff of paint from the baseboards as they were trying to get it up the stairs, but still! It slipped out of their hands and dropped about 6 inches onto one of the guys legs (remember those skinny little legs? Ouch!) and I about had a heart-attack!

This was the scene Monday morning. We are still making progress, and we still have a lot of work to do — but we are getting there. Did you notice I am trying color coordinated books? I believe I wrote an old post on how much I hated it — but because we have such a small amount of reading material, I figured it would be worth a try!

Kira is also loving the stairs in the new place — she keeps running up and down them! Hopefully she’ll lose a bit of weight — she was getting a bit chubby! ;) In fact, it probably wouldn’t hurt any of us!

Hopefully we’ll be more organized in the next week and I can really start sharing some of the things we are doing and have planned for the space! :)

First up was the living room. I wanted to go with something that was fun, comfortable and modern. A space that evoked both leisure and style, the living room is the heart of our home. I know, I know — the kitchen is supposed to be the heart of the home, but I imagine we will spend countless hours watching TV, playing Wii, reading, listening to music (both iPod and the boyfriend’s guitar) and hosting a friend or two.

With that in mind, I present the rough moodboard for our space. Nothing has been purchased yet (except that lovely Wayne Pate print) so things may get altered slightly..

What do you think? I decided that since I’m really in love with the mid-century modern style, I wanted to reflect that in our home. Let’s break it down, shall we?

• Room and Board Jasper Couch in Dela Charcoal — This is the big purchase for the room. We have a Room and Board store opening up 2 days after we move in, and are planning to check it out and sit on this sofa to make sure it aces the comfort test. I wanted to go with a darker fabric color that grounded the space, but not black, as I thought that would be too dark. The charcoal grey is perfect. This particular fabric choice will be special order, but should be totally worth it.
• Koldby Rug from Ikea — Originally I had wanted to go with a shag rug, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. While both rugs will probably be hard to keep clean, I’ll feel better about the shorter “hair” length that the cowhide rug will have. Lord knows what would end up in the shag with two sloppies and a kitteh. The plan will be to get one that has some brown in it, some white, and a lot of black to really anchor the room. Plus, if we get it in a shade similar to this one, Kira (the kitteh) will blend right in. :)
• Conical Floor Lamp by CB2 — I have been in love with the Arne Jacobsen floor lamp for some time, but cannot bring myself to spend $800 on a lamp (much like a certain blanket..). So when I came across the Conical Floor Lamp from CB2, I knew it would be a good fit. And even better, there are two light sources, and they tilt to the side and all the way up!
• Accessories to Tie it All Together — These are just as important as the big ticket items! I am still not 100% on a ceiling lamp yet — you see, we don’t have a ceiling socket, so my originally intended George Nelson saucer lamp has been delegated to the dining room. In it’s place, I was thinking something simple and rounded, and I thought this black Ikea Brasa lamp would be perfect. We also have a Spike Clock in colorful hues that will be perfect for a variety of accessories to fit into the scheme and go along with the mid-century feel. And while the color is still debatable (I love it, the boyfriend does not) we have a throw pillow in a bright and bold color as well as one that adds a bit of texture to the couch.
• Color Palette — Our base color for the room, aka the walls, is Valspar’s Oatlands Subtle Taupe which will be a nice, neutral base for the bold and colorful accessories. Accessories will be in a range of grey, (hopefully) chartreuse and salmon/orange/red. We may even toss some turquoise in there to cool it off.

Altogether, I am excited to make this a reality. The last 10 months of living in my current space have been a bit of a disappointment because I knew it wasn’t going to last. Finally seeing a moodboard become reality will be extremely satisfying.

What do you think? Anything you’d change? Anything you love? I’d love to know what you think!

A couple weeks ago I met a guy named Doug who had a couple of storage units worth of mid-century modern furniture up in Bethesda for showing. If you search DC craigslist for mid-century, he comes up quite a bit (though now under a new alias). I’ve drooled over his stuff for awhile, and finally found a piece that I loved and could afford.

I was so drawn to it’s unusual nature — tapered legs, slatted drawers and awesome little pulls. It even has a little lip on top to keep all the stuff I store above from falling off.

Though it looks as though there are 6 little drawers, it’s actually one HUGE drawer that’s perfect for storing a ton of clothes. The handles are in great condition, brass with a black inlay that is perfectly graphic.

The legs are a nice little treat. From above they look like your typical mid-century modern tapered legs, but get down on the ground and you’ll notice the “W” detail that attaches the cross-beam to the body of the dresser, both for extra support and added style.

It was such a treat to drive up to Bethesda to check out Doug’s collection. And great news for him, he just opened a store on Georgia Ave called Modern Mobler! I’m hoping to go check it out this summer once the boyfriend and I get settled into our new place and start updating our furniture (with vintage pieces, no less). Doug’s site is still in the works, but bookmark it now and keep an eye out for new pieces! Good luck Doug, and thanks for a lovely find!

While I set up my new desk and reorganize my living space, I wanted to share with you some of their gorgeous work.

I would love to own that coffee table (the first one), but I’m sure their pieces are expensive! What do you think of their work? Do you think it’s gorgeous with it’s clean lines, or is it a little too sterile for you?

So I moseyed on over to their site, and low and behold there is a plethora of Mid-Century goodies to be had! Chairs, sideboards, tables, lighting — you name it, they have it. They have super high-quality photos that show off the wonderful upholstery and their refinishing jobs look astounding. Some of the lines of those tables are drool worthy!

Another great thing is that they have a store, located up in Baltimore for you to view the goods. So if you are in the area, stop on by! I may find myself making a detour on the way to visit family one weekend!

I realize that Mid-Century Modern is not everyone’s choice of furnishings. I am starting to get into it, but as you can tell from my apartment photos, I’m a long way from home! What is your style? Did you take one of the quizzes I’ve posted about? I’d love to know if you are a fellow Mid-Centurion, or if your style runs elsewhere! None-the-less, there is always love here for all styles! Have a fantastic weekend!