DIY Archives • Page 3 of 5 • Maison Mass

Paint It Black: ORC Week 2

I see a red door and I want it painted black. OK maybe it wasn’t red, but it was white and now its black and I love it. The first thing on my list for the One Room Challenge was the interior of our front door. And all I can say is, if you want to create drama in a space, the Rolling Stones were right, take a door and paint it black.

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Fresh Foyer Update: ORC Week 1

Since entering the wonderful world of blogging, I’ve been inspired by some pretty incredible projects from design bloggers on the web. One post type I keep running across is the One Room Challenge (ORC) and I knew I had to find out what it was all about. The ORC is a semiannual design event started by the blogger at Calling It Home – taking place in April and October – that is in its twelfth year. Twice a year, 20 featured designers (and hundreds of other guest bloggers, like me) choose a room and redesign it in six weeks, documenting progress along the way. It seems like a fun way to have some accountability to get the job done – sort of like Weight Watchers for DIYers – so I decided to give it a try. I’ll be re imagining my entryway and sharing it here at the blog over the next six weeks. I hope you stay with me for my fresh foyer update! (more…)

Farmhouse Fireplace Decor

I love to ponder the history of our home: who lived here, what life was like through the decades, and how each family made its mark herein. We struggle to walk that fine line in this old farmhouse- what is reasonable to alter and what is not. This wall in our kitchen, in which there is an original fireplace (we think), serves no other purpose. It cuts the otherwise large kitchen in two, thereby extinguishing any designs on that extra-large center island, or any island at all for that matter. Still, we are committed to preserving it (for now). I like the stone veneer fireplace and have even warmed to the off-center firebox. A burning fireplace is beautiful to behold. Our non-working fireplace is anything but. When you enter into the kitchen from the dining or living room, this is your view. Meh. This farmhouse needs some fireplace love, and decor. (more…)

DIY IKEA Mudroom Hack

I have a huge case of mudroom envy. I live in a Colonial house built in the pre-mudroom era. It has one small hall closet that houses our family of five’s winter jackets and not much more. With three school age boys dropping coats, backpacks and shoes all over my kitchen every day, I’ve been desperate for a solution. This year I finally decided to solve my issue by creating a mudroom “area” in our front hallway – the main thoroughfare for entering and leaving our house. I appealed to my husband, showing him my ideas and inspiration. He was skeptical, knowing that building something would mean a new honey-do list for him, but reluctantly signed on for this DIY Ikea mudroom hack!

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Easy Mantel Makeover

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I’m not an interior designer – but for better or worse – I play one at home. So when my living room needed repainting, and I opted to go with a completely new color scheme, I took the opportunity to revamp my mantel as well. My thinking was – it’s basically a shelf with some wall space above it to fill – how hard could it be? Turns out there is a fine art to displaying “objets”, and creating an attractive vignette took more trial and error than I thought. I enlisted Lisa’s help during the process as she has an infinitely better eye than I do, and received some invaluable advice. Along the way, I did some painting to update a few existing pieces and got crafty customizing my lampshades. In the end, I am pleased with the result and would love to hear what you think. (more…)