KL, it is so interesting. An elephant is drinking water on one of the cameras right now. Thanks!

Paint the book shelves black.

Awesome creative space…so much fun! And unlike me, it looks like you actually finish your projects…🤣 I won’t tell you how many unfinished projects I have around here. Too many. As far as the chair and the cabinet go, I agree they aren’t in the same camp. I’ve painted a vintage chair like that and it’s a little bit of a pain to do. I’d be inclined to work with the cabinet first and maybe the fabric on the chair and see if that will pull things together a bit. I always regretted painting the wood on the vintage chair I had. You could make a duo out of the cabinet and chair by stencilling fabric and stencilling or stamping the cabinet with thematic colours and designs. I’m a big fan of stamping, it’s considerably easier and more Freeform than stenciling. Foamies in BC Canada is a great source for foam stamps.

I am sure you have no shortage of ideas! hoping you’ll post the final results.

I would keep the rug and work with it.

@mokotes

I love your wall hangings! You are so lucky to have a collection of African carvings.

I am assuming that you know your way around cement projects since you already have the tools. The table was my first attempt at working with cement. I couldn't get the hang of using the mesh. I ditched it and used rags dipped in a slurry and spread those over my beach ball as the initial layer.

Actually the more I look at this the first thing I would do would be to work with the fabric on the chair. I don’t know if you really need to paint the cabinet it works very well with the rug

@liasch- yes, def so many creative ideas! It will take me over 6 months to even get anything going lol!

oh, trust me - I have a giant pile of unfinished projects, Yes, I think I am going to look for fabric to change the chair and still contemplating the patterns on the cabinet!! Maybe the side walls ..? Half the fun is in the planning!

Can you put new fabric on your chair? I think this fabric will accentuate the caramel wood. And I think the blue in it will be enhanced by your blue walls.

Sorry, I meant this one!

Thanks for the tips, Friday!! I have only attempted small cement projects in the past so I appreciate tips!

I hope you get to go visit someplace in Africa sometime! I was also lucky that we couls spend months there!

What about this ardmore wallpaper for the cabinet or at least part of it?

I tried this ’fairly loud’ fabric on thw chair for now- just tucked around it. Is that just a bit too much?! Strangely enough, I got it in Zambia!

Thanks for pulling all those inspiring fabrics and wallpaper KL!

@mokotes it looks like the chair fabric is a color similar to the one side of the cabinet. Is that a favorite color? What would you call it?

@mokotes Just saw this new article on 2024 design trends and thought of your green in one of the pictures. https://www.houzz.com/magazine/7-color-trends-for-2024-at-maison-and-objet-stsetivw-vs~170772868

Thought of you too @ilikefriday with the bold orange-reds.

I had a little tingle with the ultraviolet but I doubt hubby would be thrilled with a sofa-full.

Mo...perfect! Love it. Could just paint the other side of cab green, and be done. Lol. Or stencil green on doors but let orangey varnished wood show.

Definitely a woman after my own heart. 😘

So, more is more, as they say...definitely not too much.

Liasch, thank you for steering me to this thread. What a bunch of wildly creative and talented people. yes yes, fun fun. LOVE everything in this room. Liasch said to me that the print on the chair just brings everything together. I agree. Actually any print vs solid would achieve that. Just depends upon where you want to be on the subdued vs wild spectrum.

I too really like that fabric on the chair. It ties a lot of the colors in the room together! 😊

Allright!!! I am going to sew up the fabric for cushions then! Its an energetic pattern, for sure and this kind of room is not for everyone - not even my own family lol.

KL- thats interrsting as I recently put a similar green poster in another room. The paint sample I tried on the cabinet is SW Envy(!!).

@liasch- 😃 I need more ppl like you in my life! I am going to wait on the cabinet for now but I do really like the geometric pattern in the one Jilly posted. Maybe over Thanksgiving!

@lolain- thanks! Now I just need some more green on my desk side!

@KL- gosh, on trend!!! How funny! The 2022- 2023 trend of playdoh furniture style- you know the short, low back, fully upholstered legs and full of boucle and curves makes me question the sanity of people defining these things!

But, the ’liberating creativity’ part in this article absolutely resonates with me! its also interesting how they are mixing color saturation in one space. If you ever get that ultraviolet, please send us a pic!!! Would love to see that!!

I thought since people are sharing things about their personal spaces I would post a few pictures of things I’ve done to the walls here. Fortunately I live alone so I don’t have anybody to please except myself…:). This is a combination of decoupage stencilling and stamping. I’ve never met a while I didn’t want to stamp on… Although I do have some solid painted walls in here.

Thanks for sharing liasch! Do what makes you happy should be the trend ! :)

Liasch, your decor is so charming!

We need the story about the pig. :D

Stop the presses. How did I not notice your cabinet has peacock handles, mokotes? Awesome.

I have this fantasy of finding a plain cabinet and turning it into a Brutalist piece.

Friday? I know you could do this.

Mokotes, I’m liking the chair cushion suggestions by everyone. What about changing the green on the cabinet sides to a deep teal, and leaving the front as is? I like the color of the wood in there. And then maybe doing something decorative to the backs of your shelves on the other wall?

Liasch your home is fabulous. Love the walls!

Jilly I think that cabinet would be super simple to recreate. You need to have a Houzz party so we can all help you with it. I'm free this weekend! Lol

Friday 😄

This is a table we redid, nothing wild, but we like it.

Found super cheap on FB Marketplace, in worse condition than pics show:

Mid stripping and sanding:

After:

Jilly fabulous! Is that the one you used oven cleaner on??

Thanks, Friday! It is. :D

Never again. Ugh, that was not a fun experience!

I can’t find my old threads with the other painted pieces we did years ago (sold all but the one above and a green, cream, and brown harlequin sofa table).

Oh, wow— Jilly! That table is amazing! I am always worried about thw sanding! More furniture makeovers, if you find the pics please!!

That cabinet could be done fairly easily- especially for somwone with your talents!! I am going to save that idea for the future!

I actually have one whole blank wall still- gasp! But I want to put mirrors on it.., event eventually. This is also my yoga room so it would be nice to see what needs fixing.

Thank you, mokotes!

I’m trying to find my furniture album. We used to paint pieces to sell, back when chalk painting was a big, trendy thing. If it was a fine piece, though, we’d restore or rejuvenate, not paint over.

I also make beaded jewelry and things, but that’s another thread. :)

I can’t wait to see how your room turns out!

Oh, just remembered Project Potting Bench. We used materials we found — mid-century metal porch columns, wood columns from an old house, etc. DH did such an amazing job on it. I use it regularly.

I’ll find it, just a sec …

ETA: Project Potting Bench

ETA 2: Found another game table we did 10 yrs ago. A furniture store in Dallas bought it. Still looking for my other furniture:

Thanks, all… I still have my bedroom wall left to do but I think that will be about it for walls. Oh and the hallway… We shall see.

Jilly I have recently gotten in to making wire jewelry and am loving it. I would love to see some of your pieces!

Friday, with your creativity, wow … I’ll bet your pieces are fabulous!

Jewelry:

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/5882429/ida-hobby-pictures

Snowflakes:

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/5827527/beaded-snowflake-ornaments#n=17

These are old threads, I never updated with more recent pieces.

DH made me an ornament tree:

For my beaded Valentine’s hearts:

Ok, mokotes, I promise to shut up now. I didn’t mean to take over your thread. 😬

Omg, Friday, those are stunning pieces! I knew they’d be fabulous.

I want to delete my posts here showing my silly jewelry after seeing yours.

I’m determined to make rings … I’ve tried and tried and all have been a big fail. I LOVE yours. Wow! And the watch! Everything! 😍

I love your sunglasses, too. :)

Thanks for sharing!

Thanks @Jilly. Rings were what I started off with. You are too kind. I am only at the baby stages. My goal right now is to focus on earrings. I love wearing fake gauge earrings. This was my attempt at fake gauge wire ones.

Deleting. That would be ridiculous!

The earrings are so fab. I’ll bet people stop you all the time. :)

Mokotes, thanks for starting a fun thread.

Jilly - please ! Take it over - I am having more fun looking at people's creations than with changing the furniture :) I love that dowel stand. And you can set it up for different themes. I like how understated the snowflakes and hearts are!

Okay, Friday! Thats sooo crazy gorgeous. You MUST go visit Zambia sometime! I got some wire jewelery from there which would be totally your style. But yours are actually even more interesting because of the asymmetry you have going on!! Those earrings are badass! I love them. Do you solder them? As much as I love that copper necklace, the thing keeps poking where the wire wasn't finished off properly - you will have to give me some tips on how I can get the pokes out.

Thanks @mokotes. No, they are not soldered. I really have no idea what I am doing when I make these. It is pure luck that they turn out resembling anything at all. I have looked at a couple of YT videos about how to solder but have not given it a try. I travel a ton and decided to try jewelry making because it gives me something to do to pass the time while staying in hotels and not much is required in terms of packing and space in the suitcase.

@mokotes could you please post a photo of the handles on your cabinet? I am unable to zoom in enough to see them, and @Jilly mentioned they are peacocks? Did the cabinet come with them or were they added?

@ilikefriday I used a Celtic wire weave to make a holder for a really nice arrowhead I found. And not having matching smaller arrowheads, I used the same weave to make the earrings. They are delicate though so I am afraid to wear them often, but when I do they get attention.

KL. These pieces are stunning.

It amazes me the talent and creativity that we all have. I really think all humans are capable of it but few tap into it. I am loving this thread and hope that more people will chime in and share their creations.

K L, beautiful pieces!

Artisan central, it is and I am loving it.

Looks like you have a booth going, liasch!! Very creative! I was doing pottery for a bit- I really enjoy it but lately been too busy with work!

Those earrings look so delicate! I had to google that kind of wire weaving!!

KL- yes, the cabin handles are brass peacocks. No, the cabinet itself is an old Ikea office furniture left behind by the previoua owners. This room has all the cast off furniiture and sentimental stuff lol.

I think the chair fabric would be stunning in a cobalt blue peacock color beautiful cabinet

Yes, I have a booth in a local railway museum craft store.

@Jilly I think a long narrow family/living room is the ideal place for a game table. Or a library. I haven't thought about where a person would put it in an open-plan home. What features would you look for in the open plan to decide where it would be "at home"?

K L, good question … my house is open, but there’s a small dining area separated from the living room by big arches on two sides (roundly despised on these boards, but I like them) … we turned it into a den of sorts. I have my beloved Uttermost zebra chair with live edge side table and floor lamp, my DH’s grandfather’s old Chippendale china cabinet/secretary, a tooled leather stool my late DH’s grandfather made, a ghost chair with a Dala horse pillow, a vintage Baker chair, and the game table in the middle. At Christmas, everything gets moved out for our big Christmas tree (room has a huge window facing the street).

When we do all that, I use the game table as a living room end table. :)

My house is very modest, not large, and I have way too much furniture! 😁

@mokotes what do you think of papering your cabinet with this? Maybe paint the difficult bits a dark green like SW Cascades or Jasper? 😍