cabin progress: patio table

No. 256

Along with the lounge chairs, we got our dining table and dining chairs squared away. Since I was loving the Redsmith and the Tolix so much from my initial search, but neither of them were really in my budget, I dug a little further and came across these Tabouret chairs on Overstock. They were a perfect mix of the two and a lot friendlier on the wallet.

I wasn’t expecting to go with an Ikea dining table either but when I saw the Applaro option, with its pretty color finish, clean lines, and the fact that it is adjustable and extends to fit 10 people, I was sold. Next trip we’ll be all set to dine and lounge alfresco.

Product Guide: Applaro Table by Ikea // Taboulet Chairs from Overstock // Applaro Lounge Chairs by Ikea // Chaise Cushions from Home Decorators

Check here to see the patio “before” photos
To see more of the cabin renovation check here

Images by Sarah Sherman Samuel

cabin progress: open shelves

No. 237

Cabin Renovation

Here is a better look at the shelving we made in the kitchen. Yay for all the extra storage space!

If you remember from the before photos originally the kitchen only had open shelving as the above counter storage. We knew we wanted to bring some of that back into the kitchen so here is how we did it.

Basically, we just picked up some poplar boards from Menards, cut them down to size with an angle at both ends as to not interfere with the window and the cupboards on either side, painted all the pieces, put up the brackets (made sure to find the studs), and then secured the boards to the brackets. It was one of our easier projects and I’m not sure why I waited so long to get it done.

It makes a big difference in the kitchen, especially since I was getting quite used to the blank space that was there for a while. Of course the best part of having the open shelving is that what goes up there is always changing, giving the room a space for a revolving display and making the stylist in me a little giddy. Right now, aside for the enamel dishes that we picked up at a vintage shop, everything up there is fairly new and I look forward to adding in some things with age and seeing how the collection evolves over time.

To see the kitchen before photos check here.
To see all the cabin progress thus far check here.

Images by Sarah Sherman Samuel

Product Guide: Rug by West Elm // RTA cabinets by Customer Service Hardware // Countertops, sink, and faucet by Ikea // Photo frame from Target // Arthur Umanoff Dining Set – vintage

cabin progress: new rug and the plate rail goes white

No. 231

Cabin Renovation

I finally found a solution to my great rug debate. Remember when I had the floral one here and was trying to find a replacement? I received a lot of helpful tips on this one (thank you!) and even though some of you thought I was a little nuts to have a rug in the kitchen at all, I went with this simple blue option from West Elm.

I chose the rug for multiple reasons. One, the smaller size was perfect (the floral one I think took up too much of the space), two, the pretty pop of blue brought a bit of color and pattern into the room right where I wanted it, three, it’s reversible so when it gets dirty I can flip it over for double the use, and four, it was on sale so it was only $5.99! At that price, I don’t mind if doesn’t stay pristine for long.

You may also notice that I painted the plate rail white, which is working better for me then how it was before. The space between the countertop and the ceiling is no longer broken up visually by the darker line of the wooden plate rail, so the ceiling looks a little higher and the room lighter.

I also put together a quick & cheap piece of art for the room by framing a feather that I collected from outside. Buy the frame, stick a feather in it… done! Oh nature’s simple beauty.

The shelves on the back wall are another new addition that we made, but I will get into all of that on the next post. :)

So what do you think? Hit or miss on that rug?

To see how the kitchen looked before, check here.
To see all of the cabin progress so far, check here.

Images by Sarah Sherman Samuel

Product Guide: Rug by West Elm // RTA cabinets by Customer Service Hardware // Countertops, sink, and faucet by Ikea // Photo frame from Target // Arthur Umanoff Dining Set – vintage

Cabin progress: bedroom update & bunks

No. 170

Cabin Renovation

On the last trip to the cabin we got a lot accomplished in the bedroom. We worked late the night before leaving to finish the bunk beds, wallpaper, & install the lighting. So… sorry about the poor quality of the photos, I had to snap these on the way out the door for an early flight and it was still dark out! One of the down falls of trying to renovate and document a cabin from across the country.

To recap on everything we had previously done in the bedroom…
1. Removed the old walls, floor, ceiling, doors, and bunk beds. 2. Installed new flooring. 3. Put up the new ceiling. 4. Hung & finished the drywall. 5. Framed out the new closets and added doors. 6. Put in new entry doors. 7. Installed new overhead and sconce lighting 8. Re-built one set of bunk beds 9. Wallpapered

… and this is what we accomplished for this update:
1. Re-worked our new bunk bed a little and painted it white 2. Installed the curtain rods & curtains for the bunks (I used the same materials for the rods as I did for the living room curtains, just smaller) 3. Made the bunk ladder

… and still to do:
1. Install two small windows in the bunk bed wall. (I want a view of the lake while lying in bed, even if it is through a tiny window. :)

Almost done in here!

Product guide: Wall Mirror from Target // Bedding from Ikea // Cowhide & sheepskin rugs from Ikea // Edwardian Bed from Target // Lighting from Restoration Hardware

cabin progress: in the living room

No. 163

Cabin Renovation

aaand voilà! Here is how the curtains turned out in the space from the DIY project.

Also, to re-cap, here is what we have done so far in the living room:

1. Ripped out the walls, insulated, and drywalled
2. Trimmed out and painted the ceiling
3. Scraped up the old floor tiles and put in new wood laminate flooring
4. Cleaned up the fireplace and put in a new tiled hearth
5. Put in new patio doors and retrofitted the old screen doors to match
6. Put new window & door trim, base moulding, & crown moulding
7. Made and hung the curtains
8. Painted EVERYTHING

Still to do in the living room:
1. Reface the back wall of the fireplace.
2. Find a new spark guard and new air venty things for the fireplace
3. Find an occasional chair and more art

Phew! Almost done in the living room. You can also see a few more photos of the living room over on Design Sponge, and to see all of the progress on the cabin look here.

Images by Sarah
Product guide: Badger Pillow by Donna Wilson // B&W pillow: Ikea // Brass floor lamps: Ballard Designs // Brass bucket: local vintage find // Coffee Table: Home Decorators // Sisal rug: RugsUSA // Cowhide Rug: street vendor in LA // Brass candlesticks: antique shop in southern England // Side Table: my dad made

cabin progress: in the bedroom

No. 141

Cabin Renovation

We are heading back to the cabin this week and I can not wait! Last trip we were finally able to sleep in a real bed instead of on the floor… and better yet, the bedroom no longer functions as a storage room for all of the construction materials. So, here is the current status of the bedroom.

In order to fit a full sized bed in the room we tore out one set of bunk beds (the room previously had two sets of identical bunk beds as shown here) and a closet. We re-built a smaller linen sized closet on that side of the room to fit the new bed.

Picking up from where I left off on the last bedroom update (check back here), we have:
1. Mudded (is that a word?), sanded, and painted the drywall (with a little help from our neighbor!). 2. Hung the closet doors 3. Trimmed out the floor, ceiling, & window 4. Re-built one set of bunk beds. 5. Put together the new bed. (Yay!)

Things left to do:
1. Decide on bunk bed color (I am leaning towards painting it white the same as the walls). 2. Install curtain rods & curtains on the bunk beds (train car style). 3. Install the lights shown here and pray that they fit. 4. Wallpaper the wall behind the main bed. 5. Install two mini windows on the bunk bed wall. 6. Make this into a nightstand. 7. Make a ladder for the bunk beds. 8. Find or make art & style the room!

To see how the bedroom looked when we first started look here, and to see all the progress on the cabin so far look here.

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