It’s summer and everyone is outdoors having fun. After cleaning up the ‘carnage’ left behind from a winter’s ice storm this spring, I took a look around at the rest of our outdoor decor to see what needed some extra lovin’. I bought this set at auction over the winter. The finish was in rough shape but it was solid, comfy and I picked it up for a song. For color inspiration I did some umbrella shopping and found an adorable red and white stripe one at Target. From there I selected a bright turquoise color to compliment the umbrella. The set came with two benches. I started painting those first. A quick tip for painting benches and chairs is to start with the bench upside down. […]
A Storage Cabinet – The Ultimate Makeover
Last year I shared that we had sold our house and downsized now that all of the kids were gone and married. We purchased a house that was built in 1956 from the original owners and in need of a lot of love. The last 12 months have been spent doing a major renovation, more projects then I was in the mood for, and the continual shift to try to fit all of our stuff efficiently (and stylishly) in the house. The past month I set my sights on finding the perfect storage cabinet for the dining room, which already has a hutch and sideboard that don’t offer much storage, so I needed something to house my milk glass collection. The search was on. As […]
Vintage Camper Project – Part One
Summer is finally here and once again it’s time to head up north and enjoy our PURE MICHIGAN! You’ve seen Jill’s adorable cottage, now it’s time to show you the Deimling’s summer home. The story of our vintage camper project began approximately 3 years ago when I went to a local auction to pick up furniture for the store and came home with this beauty. Brian and I have always been campers but our version of camping usually includes 5th wheel campers, diesel trucks and toy haulers. Now that our children have grown, we’ve decided to downsize into something a little cozier. With a family camping trip rapidly approaching, we realized we better get busy transforming it into something that would function for the two […]
Window Shopping – Top 10 Ideas for Projects
Attention all repurposers and craft enthusiasts! This week is the Bungalow 47 Expansion Sale! Beginning Tuesday, September 9 and going until Saturday, September 13, we will be having our (non) warehouse sale! This time it will be done slightly different and there will be lots of great deals, awesome furniture and cool items. In this sale, we have lots of old wood windows with the perfect amount of peely, chippy-ness for your next project. To get you inspired, I have compiled a top 10 list from Pinterest of projects you can do with old windows. 1. Jewelry Organizer 2. Memo Board 3. Cabinet Door Front 4. Shelf and Hooks 5. Picture Frame 6. Quotes and Pictures 7. Coffee Table 8. Memory Board 9. Calendar 10. […]
What Makes It a Dream House Anyway?
Lately, my dreams have become more ‘daydreams’ then nighttime ones. It’s probably because by the time I go to sleep I am more comatose and unable to remember anything. Almost everyday, when I come into work, Chantelle tells me the most bizarre stories about what she dreamed of the night before. I mean, I’m talking some weird stuff! My dreams are less exciting, consisting of choices for faucets, door knobs, window treatments, toilets, moulding, paint swatches, etc. Tis the mind through a renovation, but I got to thinking, what makes a house a dream anyway? Bobby Flay as the resident chef, Mark Wahlberg as the pool boy, maybe Hugh Jackman as the postman? Oops, wait, I got distracted. Frankly, these days, any house could be […]
3 Things That Make a House a Home
It’s a funny thing, being an empty nester. The house is quiet, there’s no sporting events to go to constantly, less people visit, the fridge has way less food, and (the saddest part) there are way less happy distractions from what you are doing. However, I have to admit, I pictured my life less chaotic than it currently is. With a growing business, marrying off the youngest child, moving to a smaller house and trying to live through a renovation, I have needed to focus on life’s essentials. When living amongst boxes with all of our “stuff” packed away, I don’t have any of that excess around to entertain me, so it was important to set up our current living space with what’s important. My […]
How to Create a Cozy Home
I recently made a big move. Not just any move, but the “official downsizing, all of our children are married” kind of move. I didn’t mean to do it, well I did, just not at this time. We had been actually trying to sell our house for about three years (the market here was D.O.A.), so when our youngest daughter got engaged last December we let the listing expire so we could plan and focus on the happy couple. Then just as I began to get knee deep in wedding plans (a destination wedding!), we got two offers in one week! WHAT? Exactly. My husband and I stared at each other, eyes glazed over and decided, excitedly yet reluctantly, we had to do it! I […]
10 Things Every Guest Room Should Have
Sometimes life gives you little surprises. This winter/early spring we are expecting our first two grandchildren, both granddaughters! The first decided to surprise her parents 3 weeks early! So what was originally planned as a weekend away out west, took me on a little journey for two weeks to see our beautiful granddaughter and help her parents decorate their new house they had just moved into two days before we got there. My plan was to actually go there to stare at and hold the baby for 10 days straight. My son had another plan for me. After several gallons of paint, too many trips to Home Depot and major muscle aches on my old body, their kitchen was transformed! At the end of each […]
Bringing Travel Inspiration to Your Home
I live in a ‘house of travel’. What I mean by that is, seriously, we are always talking about travel. My hubby travels excessively for his job, we travel for pleasure and to see our kids who are spread out all over the US and Chantelle and I get to travel occasionally for business. Somehow I am always in a conversation about flights, connections, rentals cars, hotels, etc. It’s ridiculous, I’m not gonna lie, but there are perks of travel. And I’m not just talking the ‘first class’ kind! Two benefits of traveling are 1) you get to be someplace else where there are new things to see, different styles to observe, and inspiration to soak up. And 2) you get to come home after […]
5 Ways to Making Big Changes
I don’t know if you’re like me, but I’m a ‘right now’ girl. If I get an idea, I want to do it right away. If I think I need something, I want to get in the car and go get it. In my defense, after raising three children, I am a very patient person but when the need for change strikes, I’m on it! So to me, the best decorating changes you can make need to be ones that I can do NOW and cheap! Here are my Top 5 Cheap Ways to Making Big Changes, quick! 1. Move it (free) – In the last post we talked about switching things up when they aren’t working. Sometimes, even when they are, you just need a […]
Tips for Better Room Function
Welcome back! Here we are just cruising along to Week 2 already! Hopefully by now, you’ve had a moment to stop and assess your rooms. I realize most of you may not be freaks who obsess about decorating all day like I do, but when the mood strikes, go with it! Sometimes it takes being fed up with it’s current situation and maybe a gentle little shove in the right direction (that’s what I am here for) to get things done! I have literally had nights that I could not sleep and laid in bed thinking and thinking about a specific room and how it could work better. I once even got up in the middle of the night and moved the furniture around in […]
47 Weeks of Inspiration
Welcome to “47 weeks of Inspiration”, week 1! This journey will take us (over the next 10 months or so) into a closer more in depth look at our homes. Each week we will focus on a different area, I will ask questions and you will have homework! Doesn’t that sound fun? Don’t worry, we will make it stress free and enjoyable. Our main goal is to get us really thinking about our spaces. Do they reflect who we are? Do they look and function how we need them to? Are they beautiful and personal? SO this week, let’s start at the beginning. Although I am all about the beauty of a room, FUNCTION is the most important thing to me in a home. Frankly, […]
New Year Inspiration
The new year is upon us. Has anyone else stopped to think, “How the heck is it 2013 already?” The new year always brings new resolutions (that we’ll forget about by February), a look to the future (how will our lives change this year?) and lots of guilt about what we can do better (I can’t help you with your guilt, blame your mother!). So I thought I’d share a few of my favorite home quotes (visuals courtesy of Pinterest) to inspire you to think about your home. We love the idea of home so much that when we started our business, we wanted to give it a name that was a synonym for HOME. We considered many, but Bungalow just sounded cozy (to hear […]
Tray Chic
I have a little ‘tray’ problem. Actually, you could say I am somewhat obsessed. But truth be told, you could say I’m obsessed with a lot. Hmmm, this explains some stuff. Anyhoo, what’s not to love about trays? By definition they are meant to carry, hold or exhibit articles and that makes them super useful! As always, it’s good to think outside the box, so here are some tips for finding and using trays. 1. To be truly tres chic, it doesn’t have to actually be a tray. Marble slabs, wood cutting boards and pedestals, wood remnants, small framed or unframed mirrors and open baskets all make excellent trays. My favorite I own is actually a vintage European cutting board. I don’t cut on it, […]
Please Don’t Say it’s Over!
It’s after Labor Day and all I have been thinking is, “where has the time gone?” How in the world is it September already? In an effort to extend summertime just a little longer, I thought I would share a little bit about our little summer cottage. It is located in Traverse City, Michigan on a private lake that must be one of the best kept secrets! We purchased it nine years ago and have slowly been transforming it into the darling little getaway I have always had in my head. Over the years, as we have moved across the country between California and Michigan, back and forth a few times, my husband has urged me to ‘get rid of stuff’. Ever the collector, my […]
What Are You Afraid Of?
In celebration of Mardi Gras, my husband and I traveled to New Orleans this past weekend. Since we are non-drinkers, it seemed to be a funny choice for those who know us, but I had always had it on my bucket list. My mother’s french ancestors settled parts of Louisiana back in the 1600’s, so I always thought it would be interesting to visit the state and what better time to do it than Mardi Gras? If you have never been, put it on your bucket list right now! But I have to warn you, it’s not for the delicate. Before I get to the craziness, let me just explain how much I now loooove NOLA (as it’s called). It is an incredible vibrant city, […]
At Bungalow 47 Furniture Paint, we are passionate about our products. We don't just sell paint, but we USE that paint every day. We know retail is hard, especially now in our "buy with one click" universe. We wanted to have a product that would help small businesses create a niche and an experience for their customer. We've created a high-quality chalk and clay paint that you can count on, in tried and true shades and on-trend colors. Follow us as we share ideas using our zero VOC, solvent-free, and American-made paint.