Ways to Personalize your Purchases
Not everyone can afford to customize a piece of furniture or have a carpenter create a custom piece for them—it's quite a luxury. However, there are many ways we can add our personal touches to pre-made pieces. I was really tested in my own personalizing project when my husband and I combined our lives, and I had to figure out how to reuse and repurpose the furniture we already had. Renovating your home is one thing, but decorating it comes with its own price tag. So, I found little methods to tone down some of my husband's furniture (eek, let’s just say I’m not sure how happy he was during the process, but I hope the outcome surprised him a little—well, at least I hope so!).
Bed wrapped in cotton rope
I’ll start with our bed: my husband, Stephen, had this iron bed for years. As chunky and straight as it was, I wanted to figure out a way to lighten it up. At first, I thought I’d powder coat it. Then, I considered adding a baseboard or headboard, which I might still do! But what I ended up doing was wrapping it in rope! I bought cotton rope and spent the last two weeks wrapping the whole thing. It was annoying at times, but I absolutely love how it softened the heavy metal. It completely changed the feel of the room and allowed us to have more fun with the space.
I also wrapped the chandelier in complementary fabric and added matching fabric to some of my picture frames.
My next project is to make a headboard with rope. I’m very happy with the end result!
Fabric wrapped chandelier
Another money-saving tip for now is artwork. While I dream of eventually purchasing pieces from some of my favorite artists, I knew I needed a temporary solution for the moment. So, I painted something quick using some of my favorite colors. Design is like a domino effect—fix one thing, and suddenly you’re off to the races, sparking another idea. It’s quite the ADD playground!
I also used a window shade brand called TWOPAGES for my curtains! I love how easy it is to customize and they’re really fast and efficient. A few things I would mention if you’re doing it yourself I would get the triple tailor pleat in curtains and get the memory shape, I’ve ordered both and the last thing you want to do is steam these babies, it’s much easier to have them pressed into place. My photos show the Roman Shades and they're fabulous as well.
The two toned bedside table
Another change I made was to these side tables my husband had. They were looking a little yellow, so I, of course, had the bright idea to stain them. Note to self: BE CAREFUL. This ended up being quite a disaster—I didn’t sand them enough, and the stain turned out very spotty. However, this turned out to be a happy accident, and now it’s a two-toned piece of furniture! I actually giggle every time someone says how much they love it. If they only knew about the tears I shed when I thought it was ruined! But after a few days of letting it be, I realized, “Ugh, that actually looks really cool.”
Last but not least, if you’re tired of looking at the same chair you’ve had for years, try draping it in a large fabric or sherpa of any kind. I found this Icelandic orange sheepskin in a vintage store in Los Angeles years ago, and I’ve never seen a color like this since. Strangely, this burnt auburn shade has now taken over my life. My husband and stepson both have auburn hair, and even our soon to be puppy possibly will have auburn hair. So, I suppose I’ve inherited some sort of auburn streak of luck. Either way, I’m here for it.
Happy Designing! Jessica
