Furniture Building & Makeovers

Squared

Published on May 26, 2014May 26, 2014 by Our Humble Abode2 Comments

Very, very slowly our living room is taking shape. While I ponder different rugs, I’m adding elements I really want. Large meaningful art, a slim linen sofa, cozy pillows, and now an oversized coffee table. Taping off the measurements really helped get a feel for the size I wanted. Square seemed the best fit, so I went big at 44 inches. I’m happy to say, I made this mostly on my own (Ben cut the top on the table saw). It’s super affordable, too. Around thirty bucks because we had the screws and a half sheet of OSB at home. So, here’s how I made it.

I started with five eight foot long 2 by 2 boards. Get the straightest ones you can find because it matters. I couldn’t find good ones, so Ben cut 2 by 4 boards in half. I cut four at 16 inches to make the legs. Another seven at 41 inches to make the rails and leg supports. Easiest cut list ever. I marked the screw placement, then pre drilled holes in the leg pieces. For this design, I needed two screws per leg going opposite directions. With only 1.5 inches, I had to stagger the screws, making one slightly higher than center and another just below center. With the holes drilled, I joined one leg to a cross support with a 3 inch long screw, going directly in the end like so:

Another set of hands would have been really nice at this point to keep the pieces tight. I attached another leg to the other side of that to create an upside down U shape. That’s one side of the legs, so I made another. Following the same process, I attached a support to each to get this:

To stabilize the legs, I added another support 5 inches from the bottom of two sides. For those legs to stay tight I added a cross-piece to those rails. I didn’t have hands to take photos, but here it is finished:

For an iron look, I painted the base with two coats of leftover bathroom paint, Wrought Iron.

It’s a simple design but makes vacuuming under a breeze, which was one of my main goals. I hate having to move furniture just to get under.

To break up all the wood and fabric, I used a faux emu leather on the top. The vinyl is upholstery grade from Joann normally $30 per yard. It was on 60% off sale so I saved big.

The OSB top we used was 3/4 inch thick, so I beefed up the edges with 1 by 2 pine. Several 1 1/4 inch screws hold the strips on. Then we wrapped the top, stapling inside the 1 by 2 edge. Wrapping completely under the frame allowed the top to sit tightly against the base.

With a subtle bumpy texture and deep camel color, I think it has a lot of depth. Perfect size, filling the open space and is centered on all furniture in the room. Plenty big for drinks, games, Lego play, and accessories. Now I’ll have to get a tray to hold accessories to make it a snap to move when necessary.

Still enough walking space between, too.

With the light weight, we can move it out-of-the-way, but it’s sturdy enough to double as an ottoman. Or a very short fort for the boys. Who knew a coffee table could have so many purposes?

Hip to Be Square?

Published on May 15, 2014 by Our Humble Abode6 Comments

Lately, our living room is bugging me. The rug is too small and busy for the space.

The Earth First Natural Jute rug from Amazon is a possibility for a basic rug large enough for all furniture to rest on.

It looks thin, maybe layering a smaller rug like the Balta US Avanti Camel Rug to add cush?

That might look too formal and traditional, but I like how neutral it is. That exposed dining wall can get covered now that the rewiring is done. But this is about a coffee table. I moved an ottoman from our room into the living to see what size I’d want.

Initially, I pitched the idea of a reclaimed beam table after seeing the Emmerson at West Elm.

We still have chunks of beam left, so it would be free. It would also be extremely heavy, weighing around 150 pounds. Also, we’d be limited on the width as the beam is only 19.25 inches wide. It just seemed too heavy and small. Now I’m thinking a large, open frame square would work and look best.

The white ottoman is 4 feet wide, which feels right for the room. Substantial enough, but still plenty of room to get around. I taped out the proposed 44 inch square to get a better idea of size.

At this size, it could easily function as foot rest or a Lego/game table. I think it’s perfect, especially after seeing a large tufted leather ottoman in Lauren Liess‘ office.

The size would still allow at least 18 inches of walking room between other furniture (the couch and this little rolling ottoman).

Rather than a heavy ottoman, I’d love to find or build an open frame similar to this one:

Something metal would be ideal, but a dark wood frame could be nice, too. If I’m building it, that’s my only option really. I know I want four legs with supports at least five inches from the floor to make vacuuming as easy as possible.

As for the top, I’ve got two options in my head. Number one, reusing our old siding as a pieced together wooden top. Number two, I recently saw a camel colored 54 inch wide Emu vinyl at Joann for $29.99 per yard. Maybe stretching that over a piece of plywood could work? Add some warmth without putting more wood in the mix. What are your thoughts on the size, style, and top? I’d love to hear your suggestions!

Natural Linen and Special Walnut

Published on April 29, 2014April 29, 2014 by Our Humble Abode32 Comments

That ugly, dirty, orange thrifted sofa isn’t so ugly anymore. Over the past week, I’ve given it a makeover and new life.

I started by removing the cushioned section from the wooden frame. The back middle leg was loose, so I glued the plugs and clamped it overnight. Then I started pulling away the dated fabric.

When tackling an upholstery project, I like to take pictures of pieces as I go. If I get stuck or can’t remember how things went together, I have pictures to go by.

Back sections always go on last, so it’s the first to come off.

Followed up with the arms.

See all that nasty stuff that was stuck in the crack? Eeew. I also found old gum on the under side of the frame.

When I pulled the fabric off, I saw the arms were barely padded. Underneath matching solid oak arms. I opted to leave the arms open because I liked the look better. A few screws, accessible from the underside hold the arms to the main frame. I’ll skip the refinishing steps, because I didn’t really follow the rules. Also, my hands were busy, so I couldn’t take photos. Basically I sanded the entire frame with 220 grit paper until I was down to bare wood. To give a rich finish, I applied one coat of Minwax Special Walnut stain, followed up with two layers of Teak Oil.

As for fabric, I fell for a natural linen. I’ve never had linen upholstery, so I’m hoping this hold up. If it doesn’t, I’m only out the cost of fabric and my time. Because my fabric has a little more stretch than thicker upholstery fabrics, I decided not to sew box cushions for the back and seat. This way, if the fabric stretches or looks saggy, I can give it a stretch without it looking strange.

I also replaced the old worn out seat foam with a 3 inch high density foam for extra padding.

Leaving the arms open is my favorite change. With little padding, the arms weren’t soft and comfortable, so this is just a better looking version. That’s one of the super Western and manly leather pillows Ben made, too.

Simple lines on the back are my second favorite thing about this sofa.

To keep it simple, I stapled a strip along the top for the fabric to fold over.

On the sides, I had to improvise. I couldn’t find a tack strip to stuff the fabric into. And nail heads looked too cluttered. Instead I stapled along the top of the fabric, then made strips to hide the staples.

Sleek and simple with a slightly rustic look. The crazy oak grain is fun and the linen compliments it without drawing attention.

Also, I’m not sure what main couch will stay in this room so I want a go with anything neutral. Ben wants leather and I most like the look of the camel toned Foxtrot from Flexsteel.

Wouldn’t the camel and linen look great together? Problem is, local stores don’t have this in stock. We don’t know if it’s comfortable, if we like the look in person, or a price. Clearly we still have some research to do before we can make a solid decision.

Orange You Glad

Published on April 23, 2014April 23, 2014 by Our Humble Abode11 Comments

I bought an orange sofa? Seventies sofa, welcome to my 70’s home.

When paired with exposed studs and insulation, it makes for a really beautiful, somewhat industrial look. Ha, couldn’t keep a straight face for that ridiculous claim. However, the sofa does have good bone structure. That’s where the good qualities end. Also similar to our house when we bought it.

Both back legs have huge scuffs and scratches.

While ugly, the orange upholstery is seriously dirty – beyond a deep cleaning.

I’m not exactly sure what fabric and color I want. Just have to see what the fabric gods send me. I do know I’ll sand the frame to make repairs (tighten up the joints) and stain the wood.

Oh that open back. Hopefully it doesn’t turn into a giant headache to recover. For only $20, I couldn’t leave without this piece.

In other sofa news, the mid-century bench is living in our bedroom. In other, other sofa news, we returned the Rachael. Despite her good looks, she wasn’t comfortable, especially for six-foot tall Ben. Turns out what’s comfortable for a few minutes at the store isn’t the same as a few hours at home.

What good is an uncomfortable couch? We moved the Dana in and so far, she’s better. Perhaps a new leather sofa is in the cards.

The Fix Up

Published on March 27, 2014May 15, 2014 by Our Humble Abode12 Comments

Finding a diamond in the rough at a thrift shop or second-hand store is a thrill. Rescuing something that others consider trash is kind of fun. Taking something from ugly to beautiful while giving it a new life is an economical way to add to your house. By fixing up an old piece, you’re saving it from the landfill.

Which is Crucial Vacuum‘s goal. Crucial Vacuum supplies replacement parts for vacuüm cleaners and other small appliances. Too often, a vacuüm cleaner that just needs a little TLC gets thrown away. Crucial Vacuum wants to see how you are re-using, recycling, and repairing wherever possible. We’ve joined forces to host a fun little competition. Show us something you’ve fixed up/reused/recycled/upcycled and in one week Jess at Crucial Vacuum and I will choose one winner. That lucky winner wins a $100 Amazon Gift Card, courtesy of Crucial Vacuum.

We’re certainly no strangers to rescuing items from shops, Craigslist, or even the trash. Several years ago, I refinished a beat up bookshelf that originally belonged to my great grandparents. It happily lives in the boys’ room:

More recently, we pulled small marble remnants from a junk pile to top old end tables.

A thrifted dresser got a new lease on life after stripping down old layers to reveal a beautiful cherry wood Drexel dresser.

These five dollar chairs I scored didn’t look so hot before refinishing and upholstering.

To keep our couch usable, Ben fixed our broken couch support.

But the biggest saved from the trash project we’ve tackled is our reclaimed wood beam unique deck.

From that alone, we saved thousands of pounds of wood from the landfill. Even better, we have a sturdy, schmancy new deck. Now it’s your turn! Show us any projects you’ve tackled that have saved something from becoming trash. Anything goes. You can share a link in the comments section here OR post a photo on our Facebook page OR use the tag #OHAFixMeUp to share on Instagram.

This is not a sponsored post; we were not paid or compensated to share. Just love a fun, friendly competition with a $100 Amazon Gift Card winner prize provided by Crucial Vacuum.