DIYs Archives - Neatly Living

Bold Design In A Small Space – How To Achieve It!

Creating a bold design in a small space may seem challenging, but it’s very possible my friends! I’m going to walk you through our recent stairs nook update, sharing exactly how we transformed this useless space into another functional area in our home. I’m beginning to believe that home builders include these wasted square footage to taunt us! Am I right? For years I’ve watched this little nook space. I’ve felt irritated that it existed and frustrated because I didn’t know what to do with it.

Inspiration

Those feelings are long gone because while repainting this little corner, inspiration struck in a big way! I decided to combine 2 design features we recently used in previous projects. When dark, moody shiplap meets the simplicity of a pocket desk, the end result is pure MAGIC!

Materials and Tools

We started out by building the middle section of the pocket desk/shelf using Pine Board. A 90- Degree Corner Clamp comes in handy for supporting the board pieces prior to securing them together. This section was installed first to help create a leveled foundation for the shiplap install. I couldn’t imagine completing the shiplap install, only to then find out all the pieces were slanted! Eek! If you’re looking to reduce your project time then I highly recommend Primed Shadow Gap Shiplap, simply because the spaces are already built-in and the primed feature makes painting a breeze.

Middle section of pocket desk:
2 – 17.5″ x 3.5″ || 1- 24.5″ x 3.5″

Attempting any wall treatment around the stairs can be tricky. I’m also convinced that we do not have a single straight wall in our home! Airing on the side of caution, we literally measured, cut, and installed each shiplap piece ONE at a time. The actual install was super easy with the help of our trusty nail gun! Another fantastic tool is our miter saw which allowed us to create all our beautiful, angled cuts! Lastly, we filled and sanded all the imperfect areas, leaving a lovely smooth surface that was ready for painting.

Painting

I can honestly say I didn’t think twice about choosing a paint color for this nook space. If you’re ever looking for a bold color to create a beautiful contrast, then Sherwin Williams Iron Ore will always be my FIRST pick! It was absolutely necessary for us in creating this bold design in a small space! We used a paintbrush to paint the corners and a mini roller to paint the rest of the shiplap which resulted in a smooth, even finish.

Staining

How do you find the perfect stain? I like to play mad scientist and mix several options until my dream color is birthed! My personal favorite is combining Varathane Early American Stain with Minwax Natural Stain. I think this combo produces the perfect, rich brown that really enhanced the natural wood texture and details of the Birch Plywood. We also tried something different and added a gloss protective coat on top of the pocket desk, to help eliminate stains and scratches. Fingers crossed it works out!

Birch Plywood for top and bottom of pocket desk: 2 – 18.25″ x 24.5″

Bold design shiplap wall with pocket deck reveal — Paint color: Sherwin Williams Iron Ore

The Reveal

I can’t tell you how many times I walk upstairs now and just admire this little corner! It is so striking against all the surrounding white! The final design is the perfect balance of beauty and functionality. I styled this space using minimal decor elements that enhance our design without overwhelming or compromising the overall look. I’d say mission accomplished on creating a bold design in a small space! Even the budget was small because our final cost for this project was less than $60!

I hope our transformation of this blank canvas into another gorgeous, functional space in our home, inspires you to look at these areas differently! See them for the potential they hold and rise to the challenge of creating more usable square footage in your home.

I did a quick little switch of the greenery to get you thinking about Fall. I’m quite partial to yellow and its contrast against the moody shiplap makes my heart happy! Never be afraid to take bold risks in your designs! The result just might surprise you in the best way!

Be sure to check out our DIY Pocket Desk and Master Bedroom Reveal to view this nook space design elements on a larger scale. Now tell me, do you have any odd nook spaces in your home? Have I convinced you to tackle them? Until next time my friends!

Aminah Chung

2 months ago2 months ago

How To Make A Simple And Affordable DIY Desk!

If there was ever a time for a super simple and affordable DIY desk, it’s NOW my friends! Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our 7-year-old daughter will be online learning for the first quarter of the new school year. We have the option to reevaluate our decision quarterly and switch to in-person learning when we feel more comfortable with her safety at school. We are now in WEEK 2 of at-home learning and let me tell you, please send help and/or WINE! I love my girl, obviously, but I’m certainly not qualified to be her educator. I’m also learning that my patience level could use some work! They say what doesn’t kill you, will make you stronger, so I guess I’ll be coming out of this situation a damn WARRIOR!

This post contains affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you make a purchase using any of included links. As always, your support is greatly appreciated!

Simple and Affordable DIY Desk layout and construction.

Hubby and I decided to make this a POCKET DESK for the added storage functionality! I laid out all the cut wood pieces to really envision the final result! The top portion of this DIY desk was built using Birch Plywood (desk top) and Sande Plywood (desk underside), while the legs were constructed from Pine Board. The plywood gave us the perfect desk depth, without having to join wood pieces, while the pine boards gave us great legs!

DIY Desk Construction

Desk top: 1 – 48″ x 20″ birch plywood
Desk underside: 1 – 48″ x 20″ sande plywood
Desk back: 1 – 48″ x 3.5″ pine board
Desk sides: 2 – 18.5″ x 3.5″ pine board

Each desk leg: 2 – 24″x 3.5″ pine board || 2 – *18.5″* x 3.5″ pine board

We used 2 different types of plywood to reduce our final cost. We also placed the back of the pocket desk about 0.75″ away from the edge. I love this little added detail, but it certainly isn’t something a 7-year-old would appreciate! We kept each piece of wood in place with wood glue and then further secured them with screws.

Stain and Paint

DIY desk stain is a natural finish. — Stain – Minwax Natural Oil-Based Interior Stain

I was drawn to the swirl patterns in the plywood. I chose to enhance this pretty detail by simply using a natural stain! I’m a huge fan of wood and white combo and so you’ll notice strategic inclusion of white paint throughout this desk design! I can never say this enough, frog tape is your best friend!

Simple and Affordable DIY Desk in 2 tone combo of wood and white paint.

We’ve been slowly repainting our interior walls in SW Pure White. This bright white color was so perfect for our DIY pocket desk! The contrast is very striking in all the right ways! As an alternate design to the pocket desk, you could create more of an open look as seen above. I really don’t think you can go wrong with either choice!

DIY Desk Reveal

Simple and Affordable DIY Desk fully built and styled.

I’m beyond OBSESSED with how this DIY pocket desk turned out! Hubby and I are all about subtle details and this desk definitely delivers that! It pairs beautifully with this 2-tone chair! I had to style our latest furniture piece at least once before it made its way into our daughter’s bedroom, never to be seen or heard from again! I’m happy to report that so far it’s still in excellent condition. No visible crayon or pencil marks … yet anyway!

Ready to learn how much this desk cost us?! Including taxes, we spent $88.38 on materials which was so worth it to create this modern piece! If you’re looking for a simple and affordable DIY desk to build, then I hope you consider this option! If you’re looking for something a little more adventurous, then be sure to check out our Modern DIY Slat Wall!

I’m more than happy to answer any questions you may have on this project. Comment below and let me know what form of schooling you chose for your kiddos. This was a very difficult decision for our family but we feel at peace with our choice. There’s no wrong answer here, only choices and solutions that best fit your own family! Until next time my friends!

Aminah Chung

3 months ago2 months ago

Modern DIY Slat Wall – Ready for a Weekend Project?!

I’m back with a simple but cool DIY slat wall project! Our inspiration for this accent wall came from Pinterest which shouldn’t be a surprise! Literally some of our greatest ideas have stemmed from an image discovered on Pinterest!

After our recent completion of the One Room Challenge, I was all blogged out. We took some time to really enjoy our freshly updated master bedroom and take in all the hard work that was put into our new space! If you have no idea what I’m talking about then check out our Master Bedroom Reveal blog post!

60″ total width || 12 pieces of 1″x 2.25″ wood boards || 3″ spacing between each piece of wood

DIY Slat Wall Design

Looking for a quick weekend project? Then this DIY slat wall is just what you need! I love instant gratification, so any project that can be completed in a couple of days is alright by me! We tackled this project a few weeks back, in the midst of the One Room Challenge because it gave us a quick sense of accomplishment. This wall is actually part of a spare bedroom update we’ve been working on for some time. It’s important to have a visual of the project you’re attempting so Hubby created our desired layout using Adobe Photoshop. This allowed us to select the perfect wood width and spacing ratio.

I’ve set this crazy goal to NEVER recreate the exact wall twice in our home. Now it’s always a fun challenge to find new ideas that are still consistent with the clean lines you all have come to know and expect from us! This DIY slat wall totally fits our style and it’s so darn simple!

The Preparation

DIY slat wall preparation. Measuring and spacing the wood boards.

Taping the space for the DIY slat wall in preparation for painting.

We chose 3″ Douglas Fir wood for this accent wall. However, be advised that the actual width of these wood boards can be as small as 2.25″ which was the width of the pieces we purchased. According to our calculations, we needed 12 wood boards, each 2.25″ wide and spaced 3″ apart. These measurements would completely fill the 5ft wall space we’d dedicated to this project. Some of the wood boards are cut at a 45° angle but you can get as CREATIVE as you want with the cuts! Have some fun and truly make this design your own!

Painting and Slat Wall Install

Painted the area for the DIY slat wall in a dark gray paint color.

12 Wood board are installed 3 inches apart to create the DIY slat wall.

If you’ve been following our Instagram journey for a while now or have read some of our previous blog posts, then you already know what paint color this is! YES, Sherwin Williams Iron Ore … AGAIN! It’s my equivalent of the perfect white paint! Once you find it and you love it, it’s so hard to use any other color! We decided to paint the wall first, then install the wood boards using a polyurethane adhesive and our trusty nail gun.

DIY Slat Wall Reveal

Paint wood boards to complete the DIY slat wall look.

DIY slat wall is complete. Both the wall and the wood boards are painted in dark gray.

After taping the necessary areas to protect the rest of the wall and ceiling, Hubby used a paintbrush and painted each wood board. Living in Arizona, most homes have textured walls which I’m not a big fan of. However, this DIY slat wall project is the FIRST accent wall completed, where the textured wall added another design layer to the finished look. There’s almost a leather-like quality to the wall which I’m LOVING so much!

Project Recommendations

If you’re attempting this project, you may want to consider painting the wall first, then painting the individual wood boards, all prior to the actual installation. Another option would be to install the wood boards first, then paint the wall and wood boards all at the same time. Choose the solution and order that works best for you. When painting, I highly recommend using a mini roller frame with mini rollers for a much cleaner finish. It’s also important to note that since we used the same color throughout this project, and particularly a dark color at that, we did not see the need to fill the nail holes or caulk the sides of the wood boards.

Please consider these additional steps based on the paint job you have planned for your DIY slat wall. Lighter paint colors may not be as forgiving as my SW Iron Ore! There you have it, friends! Such a SIMPLE and AFFORDABLE DIY slat wall. Did I mention this project was completed for under $75?! It’s also very possible to make this a 1-day project but with our 2 demanding girls, both weekend days were absolutely necessary!

You all loved this accent wall so much that it is currently our most LIKED photo on Instagram! Even more than our master bedroom makeover! It was, therefore, only fair that I share the details of this well-loved DIY project! Would you tackle a slat wall like this? Be sure to let me know if you ever do! What are some of your favorite accent walls? I’m quite partial to color blocks, shiplap, and other wood paneling! Until next time my friends!

Aminah Chung

4 months ago2 months ago

One Room Challenge Week 8 || Master Bedroom Makeover || REVEAL DAY FOLKS!

It’s the end of Week 8 and our Spring 2020 One Room Challenge participation is coming to an end. I’m so happy Linda Weinstein created this event! It gave us the encouragement and motivation we needed to buckle down and complete our master bedroom makeover!

This post contains affiliate links and I will earn a commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using any of them.

If you’re now joining us and you’re unfamiliar with this event, here’s what it’s all about. Each Spring and Fall, 20 Featured Designers are selected by Linda Weinstein and the ORC team for a 6-week challenge where they each take us along on their room transformation! Feeling inspired? Guest Participants, like yours truly, with a blog or Instagram account can register and join in on the action. This year, however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic the challenge included an additional 2 weeks of work time which was so helpful for newbies like me and Hubby!

Before

Let’s take a stroll down memory lane! I still can’t believe that just 8 weeks ago, this was OUR bedroom! Looking back at this photo, I have a true sense of appreciation for how far we’ve come and all we were able to accomplish as a TEAM! For more details on individual DIY projects we completed as part of our master bedroom makeover, check out the following One Room Challenge Weekly Updates :

Week 1 || Week 2 || Week 3 || Week 4 || Week 6 || Week 7

After

I’m experiencing many EMOTIONS right now my friends! I’m beyond EXCITED to share our master bedroom makeover with you all and I’m so incredibly PROUD of the time and work Hubby and I have put into this project! I hope you LOVE it as much as we do!

Master bedroom makeover reveal photo showing black shiplap, a photo ledge with framed prints, new bedding and nightstand decor.

I’m OBSESSED with how well our DIY shiplap wall turned out! I think the dark, moody vibe is absolutely perfect, and just what this space needed! Sherwin Williams Iron Ore has never let me down and it delivered once again!

Faux Window Trim

So believe it or not, our initial plan for this wall with the large window was just to add some shelving. We figured with all the other updates we were doing, this wall could be kept simple and minimal, however, our plans quickly evolved!

In addition to shelving, we repainted the wall in Sherwin Williams Pure White. Just to keep it interesting, we also created this faux window trim using Sherwin Williams Iron Ore. I’ve always loved the added dimension window trims create, but I knew that wasn’t a project we’d be embarking on … not now anyway! The painted trim was the next, best thing and I scoured Pinterest looking for inspiration but found none. So remember my friends, you saw this PAINTED (FAUX) WINDOW TRIM here FIRST!

Cozy Corner

My plan for this corner was to add warmth, layers, and coziness. I wanted to create a little area suitable for reading, working or just hanging out with a cocktail.

I think we achieved our goal for this space. They’re so many beautiful details I adore here and I look forward to many comfy moments! I actually shopped my home for these pillows because the ones I ordered from Crate&Barrel didn’t arrive in time. I’m living for them in this space so maybe I’ll just leave them be!

Color Block Mural

I know in the home decor world, displaying one’s TV is a hot topic! Personally, I have no qualms showcasing my 75″ TV, however, she needed to be dressed up first!

When we decided to paint a color block accent wall, our original plan did not include the space behind our TV. However, after painting the first half of this 19 ft wall, we soon saw how incomplete this space looked. Extending the color block wall behind our TV was a smart decision. Now our TV isn’t the only interesting thing in this view! And yes, that is a mini-fridge! I like to keep my ice cream close!

Color block accent wall as part of our master bedroom makeover

Night Stand Decor

I intentionally kept our nightstand decor minimal and yes, we have no lamps! Our bed has a built-in light that provides the perfect ambiance, so although we could have purchased lamps for aesthetic purposes, we chose practicality … this time! These little, ceramic trays are perfect for your TV remote, phone, and jewelry. We keep a couple of coasters in ours for those WINE down evenings!

Gallery Hallway

Hallway of framed art prints as part of our master bedroom makeover

I’m so glad Hubby suggested we create a hall of frames. As much as I enjoy looking at these white walls, the black and gold metallic frames break up the white and provide some ease on the eyes. I’m also digging the black and white, architectural prints we selected! It appears we’ve created our very own little art gallery!

Cube Shelving

I love collecting decor pieces of various textures and styles! Vases, books, and greenery are some of my go-to styling items that have never let me down. These cubes have so much styling potential and I look forward to playing around with them in the future!

West Elm Inspired Shelving

DIY horizontal shelf as part of our master bedroom makeover.

DIY vertical shelf as part of our master bedroom makeover.

One of my favorite DIY projects from our master bedroom makeover is the West Elm inspired framed shelving Hubby created! The frames are painted while the actual shelves are stained, creating an illusion of metal and wood. I’m seriously OBSESSED with these and I love their overall clean, modern look! I must have more of them in our home!

DIY Modern Blanket Ladder

Brown and white blanket ladder as part of our master bedroom makeover

Hubby felt this particular view of our master bedroom needed some contrast against the dark shiplap wall. He came up with the brilliant idea to create a blanket ladder, but of course, a traditional blanket ladder wouldn’t do. He angled the top and bottom rungs of the ladder which added so much more dimension and character! The half-dipped finish was the icing on the cake! A beautiful union of stain and paint!

Bedding

We can’t ignore one of the most important upgrades in our master bedroom – the BEDDING! I’ve been having some of the best sleep of my life on our new bedding set! I searched high and low for the perfect, affordable olive sheets, and would you believe they were on Amazon this whole time?! That’s not even the best part. I paid $34 for the king sheet set and no, a zero isn’t missing! Our Belgian Flax Linen duvet cover, in frost gray, pairs perfectly with the olive sheets. A little pop of brown leather was all that was needed to complete the look!

I cannot believe it’s a wrap my friends! It has been an honor being apart of the One Room Challenge community. I’m so GRATEFUL for the love, support, and encouragement we’ve received along the way! THANK YOU for following our journey and I hope our master bedroom makeover was worth the wait! Be sure to check out the reveals of the Featured Designers and other Guest Participants of this event! Until next time!

Aminah Chung

5 months ago2 months ago

One Room Challenge Week 6 || Master Bedroom Makeover || New Kid On The Block!

To say it has been a difficult couple of weeks would be a gross understatement. There is so much hurt and pain happening around us which has evoked many emotions. I was relieved when the One Room Challenge announced there would be no Week 5. I certainly did not have the mental capacity to write a blog post last week. Home decor and DIYs were too trivial next to the heavy events our nation was and still is experiencing. We are in dire need of change and I hope it’s on the horizon. We all need to do better and be better!

It’s the end of Week 6 of the Spring 2020 One Room Challenge and I’m so glad you joined us. If you’re unfamiliar with this event then you’re in for a treat. Each Spring and Fall, 20 Featured Designers are selected by Linda Weinstein and the ORC team for a 6-week challenge where they each take us along on their journey to an incredible room transformation! Feeling inspired? Guest Participants, like yours truly, with a blog or Instagram account can register and join in on the action. This year, however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic the challenge includes an additional 2 weeks of work time which has been so helpful for newbies like me and Hubby.

We’ve been working on our color block mural over the past 2 weeks and no surprise, my paint woes live on. At the end of our paint sampling process, our wall looked a lot like an artist’s paint board. While it may have appeared chaotic, I knew each and every color on that wall and why I liked or disliked it.

*Top – Behr Eider White || Middle – SW Agreeable Gray Bottom – SW Dromedary Camel*

My original color block design focused on utilizing soft, neutral colors to contrast the large, dark shiplap wall on the opposite side of our master bedroom. For that reason, I settled on Behr Eider White for the top, Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray for the middle and Sherwin Williams Dromedary Camel for the bottom. I love the rich, warm pop of color provided by the SW Dromedary Camel and the Agreeable Gray was the perfect transitional color to add enough contrast and interest between the top and bottom layers.

Here’s a painting tip that’s been working great for us. We strongly recommend using frog tape and properly adhering it to your wall with either a roller or decal/wallpaper applicator. This technique allows us to achieve clean, crisp lines every time. We rarely experience paint bleed and all our walls are textured!

Soooooo … remember when I said I was going for a soft, neutral look? Well … that went out the window! The more I looked at the wall and the rest of our room, the more I realized I wanted more drama in the space. I mean are you even surprised by this? I’m like a one-trick pony around here with this SW Iron Ore!

This color block mural actually spans 19 FEET so it’s quite a sight, but in a good way, I hope! Half of it is recessed and will be hidden by our 75″ TV, a dresser and a mini fridge. I think if we added a microwave, our room would officially be considered a studio apartment! Is that judgement I hear?!

*Top – SW Iron Ore || Middle – SW Agreeable Gray Bottom – SW Dromedary Camel*

It was definitely a bittersweet moment saying goodbye to our photo gallery wall of our firstborn, Neah, but I’m thrilled with how this turned out! There is so much potential from a styling perspective for this little corner. These were just 2 ideas that came to mind but I’m excited to play around more with this new space!

What You Missed Last Week

So in addition to completing our accent wall, I also reevaluated the curtains I’d hung up a few weeks back. The sheerness of the curtains did not photograph as well as I’d hoped and caused some distortion in my images. I purchased replacements from Target but came to the realization that curtains just weren’t as necessary as I’d initially thought. The space already feels so much lighter and lends more to the clean, minimal style you’ve come to expect from us!

This Week’s Agenda

As we’re quickly approaching reveal day, we have one more project to complete and that’s the wall cubbies we purchased from IKEA. I’m going to be a stinker and not say more than that! You’ll just have to stop by next week to see what I’m talking about!

It’s such a good feeling to check tasks off our list! Be sure to subscribe to our blog and follow us on Instagram to stay up to date on our personal journey in this event. You’ll also definitely want to follow along and see what the Featured Designers and other Guest Participants are working on! Anyone else a fan of color blocking?! Help settle a debate between Hubby and I, would you call this a color block wall or a mural?

Aminah Chung

5 months ago5 months ago

One Room Challenge Week 4 || Master Bedroom Makeover || Hall of Frames!

Welcome to Week 4 of the Spring 2020 One Room Challenge. So glad you joined us! If you’re unfamiliar with this event then you’re in for a treat. Each Spring and Fall, 20 Featured Designers are selected by Linda Weinstein and the ORC team for a 6-week challenge where they each take us along on their journey to an incredible room transformation! Feeling inspired? Guest Participants, like yours truly, with a blog or Instagram account can register and join in on the action. This year, however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic the challenge includes an additional 2 weeks of work time which is so helpful for newbies like me and Hubby!

The idea for this DIY shelving project came while sourcing home decor from West Elm. I saw these beautiful metal and wood shelving collection and it was instant LOVE at first sight! Do you know what I didn’t love? The price! These framed shelves cost $50 – $100 depending on the size.

Tall Vertical Framed Shelving || FRAME – 30″ x 12.5″ || SHELF – 12″ x 6.5″

Short Horizontal Framed Shelving || FRAME – 19.25″ x 14″ || SHELF – 18″ x 6.5″

Hubby managed to recreate 2 of these shelves, entirely out of WOOD, for a total of $30! Let’s hear it for handy Hubbies! We installed one on each side of the large window in our master bedroom. To simulate the metallic look of the West Elm version, we painted the framed section in, you guessed it, SW Iron Ore! I think it’s safe to assume that any dark color in my home is likely this paint. What can I say? It’s super versatile and so pretty!!

Pine wood stained in NATURAL AMERICAN – 95% NATURAL STAIN and 5% EARLY AMERICAN STAIN

Now let’s talk stain! I was not a fan of staining because the colors never turned out as I’d envisioned. After trying many brands and colors, I came to the realization that achieving what I want would require some MAD SCIENTIST action! So allow me to introduce you to our OWN CREATION and the ONLY BROWN stain I’ll ever use – NATURAL AMERICAN!! This gorgeous color was birthed from Minwax Natural stain and Varathane Early American stain. Through some trial and error, this color was created using 95% Natural and 5% Early American stain. If you’re like me and have been struggling to find the perfect brown stain, then I highly recommend trying this concoction! You’ll thank me!

So this little hallway update wasn’t a part of our initial mood board! Once the hallway got painted, Hubby came up with a brilliant idea to create a photo gallery aka Hall of Frames! The original frames we wanted, were wooden ones from Target but when they all arrived completely shattered, I was very disappointed. I guess the silver lining to that was we were able to see how easily those frames could be destroyed. I returned the broken, wooden frames and purchased METAL ones in black, silver, and gold. I also received all my prints from Shutterfly and I absolutely love them! The architectural theme is so our style and I couldn’t be happier with the entire look of this space. Of course, the impractical hallway styling was only for a photo opportunity, but gosh if only our bedroom hallway was wide enough to accommodate this staged set up! Oh, and do ignore the SW Swiss Coffee door. We plan on repainting all our interior doors but that’s a project for another time, outside of the one room challenge!

What You Missed Last Week

What I haven’t shown you is our repainted wall we tackled last week. I decided to switch from SW Pure White to SW Agreeable Gray which is a super light and warm gray! I will share a photo soon with our wall cubby install! I snagged a few home decor pieces from Target as well and received a CB2 delivery so this girl is in home decor heaven!

This Week’s Agenda

COLOR BLOCK is happening!! We’re grabbing samples to determine the colors we’d like to use. Selecting paint colors hasn’t been in my favor as of late, but I’m hoping inspiration strikes and we’ll have some success! Wish me luck!

Aminah Chung