Trash? No, Treasure -- for DIY Decorating!
There's a fun and frugal weekend activity that can benefit your wallet, and your abode, says Lara Spencer, host of "The Insider."
She took "Early Show" viewers on a flea market adventure to see how many "diamonds in the rough" she could find to use in decorating.
Since decorating your home can be fun but is often expensive, you can spice up your living area according to your taste, your rules, and your budget, with tricks Spencer described.
Spencer found a piano bench, a set of dice lamps, a black and white photograph, and a set of chairs.
After she got home and gave these old pieces of furniture a much needed face-lift, she joined Harry Smith to give us the scoop on how she did it.
For most projects with old wood that will get repainted, Spencer suggests extra fine steel wool to polish off the wood with, make the texture even, and make it easier to paint over.
"Look for the four zeros in home depot. Then every designer's best friend, high-gloss paint, any color," said Spencer.
For the frame that she had bought at the flea market, she got a piece of mirror cut to fit and now has a beautiful pink mirror for under $100.
Spencer suggests getting inspired by "'Elle Décor.' You can use that as a blueprint and go to a flea market."
For benches and chairs similar to the small piano bench that Spencer picked up, just simply unscrew the seat and recover with a new fabric.
Spencer suggests using shower curtains as a fabric cover, especially if you have kids because the patterns are fun and spill proof. Then just take a staple gun and make sure the fabric is stretched in place, repaint the wood if you deem it necessary, and at the end, you come out with a brand new looking piece of furniture.
For more complicated pieces like the pair of chairs Spencer had found, she
suggest going to a professional to get them recovered, even if that means it's a little more pricey than doing it yourself, but hey, you saved money on the furniture off the bat.
"I had those done professionally but $100 each, no biggy," said Spencer.
With these simple little decorating tips, you can create a whole look in a room for just a few hundred dollars instead of a few thousand. So put your walking shoes on this weekend and get creative.
Lara Shopped at:
Elephant's Trunk Country Flea Market
Route 7
New Milford CT
(508) 265-9911
www.etflea.com
Shops we used to help restore our flea market finds:
Raphael's Furniture Restoration
655 Atlantic Street
Stamford, CT 06905
(203) 348-3079
http://raphaelsfurniture.com/
Tiger Lily's
241 East Putnam Avenue
Cos Cob, CT. 06807
(203) 629- 6510
www.tigerlilysgreenwich.com
More details:
Spencer on her background in design:
I moonlight as an interior designer and I recently remodeled my own Hollywood home and that of Kathy Griffin, which is being chronicled on this season of "My Life on the D-List." (In addition I recently secured a book deal for a project she is working on called "I Break For Yard Sales" (Abrams Publishing Group). I'm really a decorator in denial.
I went to one of my favorite places, which is really a designer's best kept secrets - the Elephant Trunk in New Milford, CT.
I spent a little over $500 dollars to get nearly 2 rooms of furniture - everything you see here. There's a lot of great stuff to be found at a flea market, but you really need to know what you're looking for.
About the mirror:
You saw me pick this up in the piece. I bought this bamboo frame for $40 bucks at the flea market. I sanded down the varnish and then painted a high gloss, hot pink and had a mirror piece cut for it. mirror cut to fit. $90). Total cost of transformation - $130 (not including paint).
About the bench:
I purchased this bench for $40 dollars. It had great lines - very Hollywood regency, but needed some updating. I painted this 40s bench with a high gloss white to make it look more modern. I'm using a remenant piece of fabric which I bought at the flea market, but you can also find at fabric or furniture stores. Great tip- ask your local fabric store if they sell remnants, they usually are dying to get rid of these odd sized leftovers and u can get designer fabric for significantly less than wholesale! To give this bench a whole new look, I simply replaced the batting / cushion and with a staple gun, I secure it into place.
About the pair of chairs:
These were an amazing find. These were a set of chairs from famed designer Herman Miller. He was known for imaginative design and pieces with a distinctive look. We took these chairs, which cost $120 total at the flea market, to a local uphosterer and had them re-covered for about $150 each. Remember these are designer chairs that were given a second stylish life. Similar chairs sell at stores like Design Within Reach for $350 - $500.
About the bar:
I got this wood and metal bar for $50 dollars and painted the top this great green color. It's the perfect size for an apartment or smaller room. I've dressed it up with all flea market fings.
Some other highlights to the bar:
* Dice Lamp:
These vintage lights are the perfect touch for a retro look. I simply re-wired this pair (which I was able to snag for $60) for great accent piece.
* Lucite & Silver Serving Tray - great little piece and at $10 bucks, it can't be beat.
* Brass Owl & Glass Ashtray - Smoking isn't in vogue anymore, but you can re-purpose the deep, stylish ashtray (which I picked up for just $2 bucks) into a small bowl. I'm using this one on the bar to hold my lemon slices. The owl bowl adds so much character. I just buffed the brass owl part with steel wool to give it new life without ruining it's patina.
* Tartan Map -
I bought this huge map of the tartans in Scotland for $20 dollars. It makes an interesting piece of wall art and is sure to start a conversation.
* Bamboo Chair -
This is a designer deal for just dollars. I picked up this bamboo chair for just $50. I painted pink and replaced the cushion. Best of all it looks just like designer Jonathan Adler's "Chippendale Arm Chair." Adler's chair costs between $595 and $650 (depending on grade of fabric) and our version costs less than $100 with paint and cushion!
* Rocker -
I used steel wool to rough up the surface of the rocker. Then I painted it with white and had it recovered with a white and orange damask print.