When we fell in love with mid-century style, it meant giving our plain-jane, modern, split-level home a retro feel. I also quickly learned that reproduction modern items could be pricey, and (sometimes) we couldn't find or afford what we needed to make our vintage look complete.
After reading some other decorating blogs, I thought I'd share a few of our quirky, mid-century, do-it-on-the-cheap projects.
Project #1 - What do with a long, plain hallway?
Our hallway was basic beige and the major view out of our living room. We decided to paint it a soft aqua green, and panelled it halfway up with an inexpensive bamboo paneling. We trimmed it in a slightly darker molding to match the pre-existing molding in the home.
After reading some other decorating blogs, I thought I'd share a few of our quirky, mid-century, do-it-on-the-cheap projects.
Project #1 - What do with a long, plain hallway?
Our hallway was basic beige and the major view out of our living room. We decided to paint it a soft aqua green, and panelled it halfway up with an inexpensive bamboo paneling. We trimmed it in a slightly darker molding to match the pre-existing molding in the home.
Probably the biggest improvement was giving some detail to the far back closet door. While I loved the storage for sheets and blankets, the door way was dark and blank. I faux painted - with simple light ivory paint, measuring out a HUGE diamond ont he door. It took a very short time, but I think it gave the hallway some flair. We also replaced the 1990s big plain glass globes with some cute Ikea fixtures that were very affordable.
Project #2 - The glaring modern television in our living room.
We love the look of the fifties living rooms with the vintage sets, but we do like our modern conveniences. When we stumbled on this empty television cabinet, my husband decided to try to fit our modern tv in the empty slot. We had to remove a few extra pieces of wood, but it worked! When we shut the doors, we can play the Sirius music station and enjoy the music. I faux painted the doors in gold with a sponge to make it look a bit better when open.
Project #3: We wanted a modern, abstract rug.
Our lower-level family room is long and plain. It had new, industrial grade tan carpet...yards and yards of it. We knew that to break up the room and create a cozier sitting area, we needed an area rug. We wanted bold and modern. I soon found out that all of my choices were out of our budget.
We ended up buying a very large 9 X 12 carpet remnant in red. We cut it on a wavy line down the center and pulled the two halves about three inches apart from one another. We then used carpet tape to anchor it in place. It frayed a bit at the edges at the beginning, but it has held up very well. I think it is one of our best (and cheapest) projects!
What are your best mid-century home projects on the cheap? Share them with me - and maybe I can post a few more on a future blog.
Comments