I’d had these pink box files for some years and they’re really handy, but the colour had faded a lot in the sun and was looking a little drab. Besides, it was the only remnant of pink in the now yellow, grey and aqua office.

They were perfectly functional so I didn’t want to ditch them, instead I covered them with grey fabric for a neutral, classy look.

I used this technique for turning thin cotton fabric into sturdy cloth stuitable for gluing. Getting the flaps to stay put is the only tricky bit but with help from some pegs and rubber bands you’ll be fine. It would work better on a cardboard rather than plastic surface like this, but since I use these files for seldom-accessed items they didn’t need to be super durable.

Cutting out the finger-pulls was going to be a real headache, so I simply stuck on some metal rim tags in the same shape and size. I actually threw out the previous contents of the files and haven’t decided what will go back in them hence the blank tags.

I had the tags, as well as the rest of the materials, already on hand so it was a lovely zero dollar project – and you gotta love that.

I mentioned recently that my new printer doesn’t fit neatly inside my desk drawers like the old printer did. Sigh.

With no printer to accommodate, there was now a huge amount of wasted space in the drawer unit. I went to Ikea to find extra drawers but you can’t buy extras in this size (you can only buy the whole set with the door front like we originally purchased). I do need pull-out drawers for some items like the scanner, but I figured shelves would suffice for most things (bonus: at 20 bucks it was waaay cheaper than drawers).

Before & After:

I picked up a pack of two shelves and they were installed within minutes. Add another couple of minutes to neaten things up and hey presto I have a much more efficient space to organise my paper reams.

Can you believe it’s only three days until Christmas?! Sheesh.

The fact that I have no idea where this entire year went is my excuse for not having given you an update on this project since, um, April. Oops.

So, at long last, here is the famous blue buffet in situ in my office. (Sorry for the odd cropping, it was impossible to get the whole thing in without the filing cabinet creeping in the foreground. Note to self: get wide-angle lens.)

For the first few months it was looking great (so much decorating potential!)… until my printer died. Yes, the one that was hidden oh-so-neatly inside the desk cupboard had to be replaced by this absolute monster. It’s an awesome printer, but see how it’s so enormous it hangs over the edges? And that’s not even fully extended. Here is the beast in all its glory:

Ack! Anyway, ugly techno-stuff aside, let’s talk decorating. I decided to reuse the clipboards that held our wedding menus to display new designs while I mull them over. Thing is, I haven’t really been using them in that way so now they just look boring. I could easily find some cute pieces to pin up, but this is a very hardworking room and I can’t justify a whole wall of impractical prettiness!

The type drawer is another piece reused from our wedding (kindly ignore the awkwardly high hanging – I just used the existing hooks). This time last year I used it as an advent calendar but apart from that I’ve been struggling to find a use for it.

I’m still in love with the awesome colour pop and much-needed storage and workspace that the sideboard offers, but I’m not loving the overall look of that area. I have a few ideas in mind that I need to consider and I’ll let you know how I go!

We recently ticked off a project that’s been on our to-do list for the last four years. Namely, the closet in the study.

From looking at this photo, you could be forgiven for thinking that the problem was with the interior fit-out but that the doors could be kept, but it was actually the other way around. Those doors look innocent enough: neutral and perhaps even nice and modern. In reality, it had a huge pelmet meaning the top 40cm was unusable, the temporary paint job that we applied during the office makeover to cover up the shoddy doors was easily chipped, each door was two-thirds of the width of the closet making the centre third inaccessible and the doors had dropped so that every attempt to open them required a fair amount of upper body strength and was accompanied by a high-pitched ‘SCCRRRRRWWWWWWOOOOOOAAAAAAR’ noise.

Time to get rid of the chipboard shelving, contact paper and scuffed walls.

Tip of the day: Demolition is always a good way to get your fella interested in helping you with a home renovation project.

Here you can see the cream paint that originally featured in the rest of this room, as well as the same light blue that was in the kitchen and laundry when we moved in.

The back of the pelmet was a tad overengineered…

…or perhaps not.

The new robe didn’t require the panels of wood either side so out they came. Unfortunately half the wall came with it and it was right back to the brick so that, plus all the holes and removing the corner round, meant we went through a serious amount of putty.

Ah, what a difference a bit of a tidy up and a fresh coat of paint can do.

The new interior fit-out and doors are done, but I have done zero organising so far, so I’ll be back with part 2 next time!

If you have a walk-in robe or dressing room, well screw you I mean lucky you.

Amp up the glamour and storage by picture rail or using cornice moulding as shoe racks.

From House to Home.

BHG

As we gear up to Christmas – and summer here too – chances are you’re doing more entertaining at home.

If you’re like me, you have your platters piled up precariously in a kitchen cupboard, your spare glasses in your office closet, your tablecloths in the upstairs linen closet and your table decorations in the living room cabinet. Having party supplies scattered all over the house is unsurprisingly not the most efficient or relaxing way to set up for a party. Unfortunately, however, we don’t really have any other options due to lack of space.

If you have the room though, consider setting up a party supplies closet so you have everything on hand to set up in record time with minimum stress. Don’t have room to dedicate a whole armoire or sideboard to the task? Even repurposing a spare laundry shelf or underutilised kitchen cupboard would do the trick.

I’d love to know: how do you store your entertaining accessories?

Doing what I do, I come across a ton of decorating ideas and after a while you feel like you’ve seen it all before.

Not so in this case. What an original (not to mention beautifully decorated, styled and photographed) idea this is for families who no longer need their cot. It looks like it would be a bit impractical for a desk (as there’s nowhere for your legs) but how handy would it be for an extra workbench with storage like in this photo?

Via Achados De Decoracao (if anyone knows the original source please let me know as I would love to credit them)

Gotta love storage that you can buy for two bucks at the local Asian grocer! What would you do to reuse a spare bamboo steamer?

Shelves by Shelterness

Shelves by The Happy Home

Stationery storage by Martha Stewart | Herb planters by Home Life

Martha Stewart

If you’re like me, every time you go to paint something you’ll have to dig through a plastic bag to find the right brush, only to find that the bristles have been bent in storage.

How about this clever idea? Use a magnetic knife strip to hang your paintbrushes so they can dry throroughly and be stored without being damaged.

I’ve already covered how you can turn old doors into headboards and wedding decorations, now let’s look at some ideas for all around the home.

Door decor via Design*Sponge

Bookshelves by Woodbird Design via Salvaged Grace

Chalkboard by Poetic Home

Coffee table by Green is Universal

Door decor by Easie Peasie

Door desk by & Unlimited

Photo frame by Row House

Pot rack by Do It Yourself

Potting bench by Viveka Gil via Compulsively Compiled | Hallstand by Reused Relics

Swing by PMD

Garden arbour by Confessions of a Curb Shopaholic

Dining table via Design*Sponge

Weekly planner by Donation 2 Decor

Now, who’s going scouring the neighbourhood kerbs for some great old doors to upcycle.