Top 3 Best DIY / Before-After 2012

Dear blogfriends,

Today, I'm sharing with you what I consider as the three 2012's best DIY/before-after.

For me, a good DIY/before-after as to be creative, cheap, easy (by this I don't mean it's not asking a lot of work, I rather mean it's asking easy to find materials and no particular skills) and, of course, beautiful!

1. Little Green Notebook kitchen makeover :

No surprise that Jenny Komenda won the first place! She is a genius at transforming things. She has an incredible taste and if I just could follow one blog, it would be hers.

This is her kitchen redo. Believe it or not, it cost less than 100 $.

(I love the persimmon drawers)

This is how the kitchen looked before :

Credit : Little Green Notebook


Her landlord should bless her!

2. Weekday Carnival's Dinning Room

Another talented blogger is Riikka Kantinkoski, behing the finnish blog Weekday Carnival. This year she redid her dinning room with a DIY concrete table and geometric wall.

Credit : Weekday Carnival

The table is originally from Ikea. I know, this is insane!

(She also sells beautiful prints).

3. Tête d'Ange's concrete floor

I recently discovered Tête d'Ange's blog. It is a very resourceful blog for DIY and origami's.

I have a crush for her living room concrete-ish floor. She found an affordable alternative to concrete and I think the result is stunning. The total cost for 40m² is 500 euros.

For technical details, check her post here.

This is the livingroom before.

She created a stencil rug. I love that detail!

Credit : Tête d'Ange

Reader's Question : Home Office

Dear readers,

Yesterday, my great friend and supporter Stefania submitted a request : Hello Marie, I recall you wrote about the solution you created for a desk/ printer in your living room...I was wondering, would you publish something inspired about solutions for home office?

Via : Mes caprices belges

I want this blog to be interactive so I was very pleased with Stefania's request! And, of course, I'll be happy to help you.

Credit : Home Goods

Jenny Komenda, the blogger behind the amazing blog Little Green Notebook, shared some thoughts some times ago about what you need and do not need in a home office :

****

YOU NEED

- A pretty desk, with a place to put away your computer
- A cool-looking filing cabinet or other storage piece with large drawers

- An armoire or cupboard for storing your printer/scanner

- A comfortable chair that provides good support (if you must have an "office chair", invest in something good with a name like Miller/Eames)
- At least one lovely and interesting table lamp

- A rug to keep things soft underfoot
- Inspiring art

YOU DO NOT NEED

- A boxy, cubicle feeling computer desk unit with a million drawers and cubbies
- A cheesy, gooseneck "desk lamp"
- A rolling office chair
- A rolling chair plastic mat thing
- An inspiration board.

***

I think this list is GOLD! I especially LOVE the "not needed" list (the first three where my boyfriend's prerequisites...).

Of course, life is easier if you have a laptop (I don't) and even easier if you have a Mac (what I don't, obvi).

I my opinion, if you want to be functional, you can choose a quite inexpensive and modulable solution for the table. Let say... Ikea?

But the problem with their desk are is the usually massive legs.

The best is to work with trestles (if you have a laptop) or a combination of trestles and the vika drawers. I also kind of like this one.

Look, those are all Ikea tables :

Credit : La Maison d'Anna G.

Credit : A Merry Mishap

Credit : Stylizimo

What makes the difference?

A fancy lamp and a gorgeous chair.

1. Chairs

For the chair, you can go for design classics like above : Eames or Starck. But if you want big impact for a few pennies, I recommend to look on 2ememain.be

You will find amazing pieces that just need to be reupholstered (or not) to get a new life.

2. Lamps

If you want a desk lamp, you will find many cool items on ebay. I recommend also the vintage shop Mouche. in Brussels.

Credit : Mouche.

Personally, I'd like something less industrial. Santa almost went for that one on Monday...

Credit : Westwing

.... but it can't be delivered in Belgium...

So I am still looking...

I think I saw something nice in Habitat. I'll have to check again...

Well, Stefania. I hope this will inspire you!

I have a few more ideas to share but this post is long enough, so stay tuned!

Mushroom Lamps!

Hello!

Look at the pretty pretty lamp Jenny bought for her girls lately!

Credit : Little Green Notebook

Mushroom lamps are such a design classic. I think it's a very easy and cheap way to add quirk, uniqueness and vintage style to a room.

I spotted some very pretty mushroom lamps in some of my favorite stylists/bloggers.

Emily Henderson loves them :

Credit : Emily Henderson

Credit : Emily Henderson

Credit : Emily Henderson

Also does Irene from Bloesem. She had two awesome specimens in her old house. The orange one is my fave among all!

Credit : Bloesem

Credit : Bloesem

Victoria just published this example last week from the Ikea book Beloved Homes.

From Beloved Homes, Ikea via : sfgirlbybay

And I discovered this blog today, looking for more examples. The author did a very nice Hollywood Regency's selection of mushroom lamps. I you'd like to check it here.

I am always happy to find new sources of inspiration.

Via : Sadie + Stella