A few years back, we were feeling the pumpkin love and made cement pumpkins in the fall. This year, we decided to go from plastic to fantastic! Just doing our part to making plastic pumpkins great again! We picked up a couple of dollar store pumpkins (one black and one orange) then got to work. The inspiration for painting them came from the old vintage paper mâché pumpkins from Halloween’s past (those things are scary lookin’). First, we cut the face out of the plastic pumpkin. We bought a black pumpkin thinking we could cut the face out so we could put a battery operated candle inside and thought the black background would be nice for that. Cutting the thin plastic wasn’t as easy as we’d hoped but […]
How Do Painted Cabinets Hold Up Over Years of Use?
The biggest hesitation we hear from people wanting to make a change and paint their kitchen cabinets is the concern of how will it wear? And we hear ya, the kitchen is the heart of your home, and for many people it’s more than just decorative (like people who actually cook and use their space). Let us share our ‘closest to home’ case study. This is Lizzy’s kitchen. Lizzy is a professional photographer, specializing in videography. You can see her work here. Lizzy makes videos and stop motions for many food and art bloggers, along with videos for brands featured at Michael’s, JoAnn’s, etc. She is also an avid cook, once making it through many audition rounds to get on a popular Food Network […]
Choosing the Right Paint Color For Kitchen Cabinets
Don’t you love a good redo? Now that you’ve made the decision that YES YOU CAN paint your kitchen cabinets, the obsessing can begin on which color to choose. Sometimes the choice is easy, like I have been consistent about white kitchens for the last 30 years. But what if you’re up for something new? Or you just aren’t confident about color? Let’s see if we can get there together. First, let’s talk about trends. If you have eyeballs, and have looked at Pinterest lately (or any decorating magazine for that matter) you’ll see that the hot color of the moment for cabinets is navy blue and a variety of shades of gray. What about two-tone? Speaking of trends, there is currently a big one […]
Tips and Tricks for Painting Your Kitchen Cabinets Using Bungalow 47 Chalk and Clay Paint
Are you mentally preparing yourself to paint those cabinets? YES! We know you can do it. It just takes a bit of time, but soon your kitchen can be looking brand new! We talked with Jill Lazarro, one of our paint retailers located in New Hampshire. Part of Jill’s business, Silly Jilly Designs, is offering her clients the service of painting kitchen cabinets. Jill uses Bungalow 47 Furniture Paint products exclusively on all her projects, and has completed many stunning before and afters. Check out these kitchens Jill has painted. Paint sure makes a difference and adds that personality the homeowner was looking for to make the space their own. Are you convinced yet that you can handle this […]
Whole House Renovation in a Weekend – Um, Well, Playhouse
I packed my tools, made a list of others for my daughter to borrow, wrote a supply list, and headed to the airport.
Faux Vintage Paper Mache Pumpkins
A few years back, we were feeling the pumpkin love and made cement pumpkins in the fall. This year, we decided to go from plastic to fantastic! Just doing our part to making plastic pumpkins great again! We picked up a couple of dollar store pumpkins (one black and one orange) then got to work. The inspiration for painting them came from the old vintage paper mâché pumpkins from Halloween’s past (those things are scary lookin’). First, we cut the face out of the plastic pumpkin. We bought a black pumpkin thinking we could cut the face out so we could put a battery operated candle inside and thought the black background would be nice for that. Cutting the thin plastic wasn’t as easy as we’d hoped but […]
Before A Whole House Renovation – Upstairs
There are always things that motivate people to take action. Whether it be the hope for a big pay day, love from another, food (my personal favorite), or attention, people sometimes make decisions on the payout. Call me crazy, but I saw the dream of an enormous closet, and I leapt. I’m one of those weirdos that gets excited at the thought of organizing stuff, and this house had the wasted space (or just plain ol’ extra space, as it were) that I’ve been missing. I’m a stuff person. I’m a collector. I think my daughter called me an “organized hoarder” once and I took it as a compliment, even though I’m not sure it was meant that way! Clearly not much derails me when […]
Before A Whole House Renovation – Downstairs
Some people read for entertainment, others play video games. When I get bored, I start looking at real estate. Actually I don’t even have to be bored, I just like creepin’ around zillow.com to see what new homes have hit the market in my area. If you’ve been following for awhile, you may know that over three years ago, we sold our larger family home to downsize to something appropriate for the empty nesters that we are. We purchased a home built in 1957 from it’s original owners, and did a top to bottom renovation, complete with new roof, windows, and outdoor living spaces. As much as I adore this lovely home we have created, I’ve been craving a new project, so I look at […]
Be Unique and Get Inspired
I recently watched a documentary on Netflix on the style icon Iris Apfel. You may have seen her around, with her large rimmed glasses and over-the-top accessories. She and her husband Carl, founded Old World Weavers back in 1950 and were a part of design projects for nine different Presidents. Yes, the actual Presidents of the United States. Nine. Currently at the age of 95, she continues to work and be an influence in fashion and design. In watching this, I was quite fascinated by her life and philosophy. But when she said something, I nearly leapt off the couch, because it was so much of what I have been feeling. She said, “I like individuality. Everything is so homogenized these days,” and I seriously wanted to cry […]
Weekly Instagram Inspiration #10
I have this great new project coming up that just sort of popped up out of nowhere, and I have had vintage finds on the brain. So when I scrolled past this beauty, I was like “whaaaaat?” First, any kitchen with open shelving AND artwork just gets me, but the combo of everything here is stellar! The blue cabinets, rustic wood, grain sack curtains, blue and green glass, and crocks are fabulous! Second, what the fox? I mean, adorable! I laughed out loud when I read this meme, and then it sunk in how much this is me. Is it you too? But hey, if you don’t believe in yourself in a crazy way, no one else will! Sometimes you just gotta do something cray. […]
Choosing the Right House For You
I have a few people in my life right now who are on the house hunt, which got me thinking about when we bought our current home two years ago. At the time, our youngest child was getting married, and we were drastically downsizing to start our life as empty nesters. We had been trying to sell our home at the time in a market that was dead for anything that was above the average price range, and all of the sudden we received two offers in one week, when our house wasn’t even on the market and we were planning a wedding! We had to move fast. I believe we all have our deal breakers of what makes the house right for us, like […]
Weekly Instagram Inspiration #9
This week I have been seeing so many posts featuring Jackie Kennedy Onassis due to the movie being released about her. When I saw this one, it touched me. Here she was not a First Lady, a style icon, or the wife of a billionaire tycoon. She was just a mother, with her precious children, enjoying the life that was lived in their home at Christmas. I love this. Speaking of Washington DC, this room (presumably at the new Trump Hotel) is so gorgeous I can’t even handle it! This regal blue, touches of gold, and just the right whites makes this a space I could live in. I love baskets, I actually have a few of these shown, but I really need that Jeep […]
A Little Christmas Decor
This year for Christmas, I decided to keep it simple since we would be leaving before the holiday to spend it with our married children. New this year, I added a tiny vintage car collection, but otherwise I’ve kept everything a bit traditional. There were years I had 3 or 4 big trees set up in the house, but those have found their way to our children’s homes. I kept this weird skinny tree for our empty nester house as it is the perfect size for our smaller place. It seems happy amongst the peely chippy salvage goodness. Even the bust of David got a little holiday cheer this year. We have a strong tradition of Christmas stockings filled with mystery gifts we make a […]
Weekly Instagram Inspiration #8
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, no matter where you are. But what stopped me at this picture was this truck! What I wouldn’t give for a vintage truck?!!! The Beekman Boys have built a wonderful life and business in this grand old 1802 house! Such winter beauty already! Vintage ornaments are the best! I love the ombre effect of this collection. I’ve been dreaming of a red barn my whole life. What things are speaking “Christmas” to you this week?
Weekly Instagram Inspiration #7
Thanksgiving is over, I’ve lost the few pounds I’ve gained, and I’m ready to be inspired. This photo grabbed me, as I love a good reupholstery project! Now if only I can find a settee like this, WOW! Oh Karl, this is soooo true! But in the world of reality that most of us live in, we’re living on a budget. But he’s right, you gotta know when to splurge! This oven would have been the most amazing thing this past week. This is indeed a dream stove! Oh how I love this! And you can totally get the look of this dresser using our amazing chalk and clay paint in Junk Gypsy Paint’s Gypsy Prom! Which one was your favorite this week?
An Old Cabinet Gets a Makeover
Two years ago we sold our house and downsized being that we are empty nesters. We purchased a house that was built in 1956 from the original owners and in need of a lot of love. We spent 12 months doing a major renovation, including a continual shift to try to fit all of our stuff efficiently (and stylishly) in the house. You know you have been renovating awhile when the contractor basically becomes part of your family! Anyway, I was in need of finding the perfect storage cabinet for the dining room, which already had a hutch and sideboard that didn’t offer much storage, so I needed something to house my milk glass collection. The search was on. As luck would have it, Chantelle […]
At Bungalow 47, we are passionate about personal style and making creative spaces. We love to inspire our clients to make their homes reflect who they really are. That's why we created a paint line, to give furniture and other items new life and a new look. Our high-quality chalk and clay paint is easy to use, dries quickly, and comes in tried and true shades and on-trend colors that can bring that "wow factor" to any room. Follow us as we design, inspire and paint using our zero VOC, solvent-free, and American-made furniture paint.