Pepper Design Blog

Office Makeover: New DIY Curtains

On Wednesday I shared how the guestroom portion of the office is looking right about now. You might have noticed that I moved the curtains that used to be between the kitchen and office (covering the french doors) to the big window near the bed. But they might not stay.

I’ve been using Spoonflower to play with a few handmade designs for a new pair of curtains for this area and here’s where I’m at now:

Here’s a better look at what’s going on on the bed, or the ‘test swatch’ area:

The original inspiration came from this beautiful upholstery weight suzani print from Calico Corners, but the heavy woven fabric did not lend itself well to a soft, breezy curtain that would allow light in (the walls are brown so light, even with curtains, is a must).

Have you heard of Spoonflower? You can create your own design and they’ll print it up on a variety of different types of fabric. I love it! I’ve used it for curtains in the past and went to work to create a suzani print of my very own.

The first time I ordered I used their original color guide to pick my fabric shades, and you can see from the ‘really bad color swatches’ above that I was waaaaay off. Spoonflower was great though, they sent out their latest and greatest color guide (so you know exactly what colors to send your design in for printing), and even reimbursed me one round of bad swatches.

Soon I was left with the two swatches (on two different types of fabric) that were very close color-wise to my inspiration print:

Here they are up against the natural light of the window. The fabric on the left is a sheer fabric and the one on the right is a cotton. The jury is out on which looks better at the moment… I’m nervous the sheer is too sheer and the cotton might be too prone to wrinkles. But I’m hoping to have picked one by the end of today!

My over all experience with Spoonflower has been positive. There were a few frustrating moments (aka ordering swatch upon swatch – plus waiting for shipping – and then finding horrible coloring) but their customer service is awesome and they ship for $1, so you can order all day and it won’t really cost you much. Another bonus is that there are thousands of free designs that others have uploaded – so if you’re searching for the perfect print and you just can’t find it online or at your craft store, a Spoonflower artist might just have what you’re looking for.

Decisions, decisions. Hmmm… those original curtains do work pretty well, too!

For more Office Makeover posts, check out: new shell pendant, organizing the bookshelves, wall collage part 1, part 2, fabric bulletin board inspiration, (new) inspiration board, new lamps, wallpapering open shelves, finding the perfect credenza, new trim, dining table-to-desk, a new desk & bookshelves, installing remnant carpeting, grasscloth wallpaper, painting the office nook, finding carpet for the office, chocolate brown wall ideas, plastering progress,  inspiration for a diy desk, back in action!, desking hunting for under $300, bookcases under $300,inspirational rooms, room layout options, demo part 1 & demo part 2.

Inspiration: Fabric Bulletin Boards

We’ve all seen so many great examples of fabric bulletin boards, but here’s a roundup that I’m inspired by for the new office. Bulletin boards so practical! And they can be so pretty. I’m building two panels that will lay vertically up against the wall behind the desk – and they’re almost ready for their reveal.

Here are more great examples to fit just about every style:

How awesome is that gold framed bulletin board? It was likely an old mirror that they converted. I had an old dresser mirror that I turned into a map board, mirrors make great bulletin board frames.

A fabric lined bulletin board could be as simple as a classic burlap or tweed – or as ornate as a toile or suzani! Try lining a simpler bulletin board in nailhead trim or ribbon.

That little needlepoint ring is an interesting take on a fabric board (I’m assuming you’d cut your cork to fit the ring?) and here’s a tutorial for unframed fabric panels (like the lower bottom right).

Now back to work on mine!

Sources: DecorPad, Martha Stewart, Pottery Barn, Bella Dia, Houzz, and Houzz again.

Kitchen Update: A Sticky Situation + A Neat Feature

Hope you had a great Labor Day weekend! We spent Monday relaxing, having lunch with friends and visiting the park. Such a great way to spend the day off!

Here’s a quick fix that I finished up yesterday too – a solution to our slippery slidey kitchen cushions that may just swoop out from right under you when you sit down.

You may have noticed when we added the cushions (from this great fabric) that I decided not to add ties for around the barstool backs.

I don’t really love the look of ties (though they are so practical) and I wanted to keep the lines modern.

But… those darn seats slide up and off all the time. I didn’t think I would mind so much, but it’s kind of annoying.

So when I came across these picture frame velcro fasteners at a Joann’s, I thought I’d give it a whirl. These are built for securely fastening objects like frames to walls, and I figured if they’re strong enough to hold a picture, they should be strong enough to hold cushions on a chair (even with the weight of a person sliding forward or back).

Plus, when you’re ready to remove them from the wood of the chair, a little soap and suds is supposed to take them right off.

The seat of the barstool reieved a fastener on the top and each side, then the sticky end came off and the cushion was applied directly to the top of the sticky velcro. I pressed down on each cushion-to-velcro piece for at least 30 seconds to ensure a very tight stick.

So far so good! This velcro is strong! I attempted the above with just two pieces for a cushion and that wasn’t as secure, four may be even better.

In other news, these cushions made it to the Quadrille gallery! You can imagine my excitement when the marketing director asked me if they could post an image of our kitchen in their gallery (along side my favorite magazines and designers):

Woohoo! Made my day.

Have a great Tuesday!