Chic Shelf 2

Y'all, last week, major dreamzzz were fulfilled when I scored a lucite shelf to display my Dansk cast iron candleholder hoard on:

Now, this fabulousness needs to be hung, and hung well-- if y'all know what I'm talkin' about! OH SHIOT! Seriously, the candleholders are cast iron, so safety must be accomplished here, but I'm certainly not sacrificing chic-ery in the process either. I'm not THAT giving! I want the shelf to appear as if it's floating on the wall, like this:

I've seen those brackets for glass shelves-- surely there's something out there for an 8' long shelf? I mean, 8' is pretty standard in terms of shelf length, right? Here goes PJ down the diy rabbit hole...see folks, this shiot happens to me ALL THE TIME. Cool idea, then trying to find the pieces and parts to make said cool idea a reality-- isn't always cool. In fact hardly EVER. Many, many a day/week/month is spent searching all over for the right piece to make an idea work. And more oft than not, I have to end up making what I need. Guess that's how I got my DIY groove on in the first place. Custom IS next to Godliness. But for this, I really didn't sink too much time into finding a potential bracket, b/c we were already trolling Big Reuse when we found the shelf, it didn't take too long to uncover this baby, which, naturally, someone had put in a corner...the SHADE:

This is a chrome, glass door metal bracket of sorts (think it was originally intended for a shower door?)...it's almost as long as the shelf and has pre-existing mounting holes. It's almost a perfect fit on one side of the shelf. And it's only $8. This place is SERVING ME SERIOUS VALUE, y'all!

There's gonna need to be some hardcore safety mounting to my wall for this scenario-- but honestly, y'all, ALL mounting should be safe -- YES! I'll also have to secure the lucite shelf from below (note the pre-existing holes on underside of bracket) for even more OCD safety. In theory, this SHOULD work. I think. Dylan, cast here as 'hunky engineer', seems more confident about this method, but kindly reminds me that the SAFEST solution would be to use L brackets...how thoughtful. 'Cause y'all know looking at a narsty bracket holding up all my cast iron sculpture is the very definition of artful display. But what if my L brackets were pretty AND functional? Enter lucite L bracket from stage right, betch:

Are you kidding me with THIS? GORG! The problem here is these brackets are custom and run $15 EACH. I need at least 4. Kinda spendy for me, since the shelf was only $5. Then I started thinking about alternate L brackets made from metal that I wouldn't mind looking at and immediately I thought of brass! Holla! If y'all aren't aware, brass is baaaaaack! Way back. And the combo of brass and lucite is giving me a raging case of style chills. Taking to the interwebs like a brass bat outta hell, here's what I dug up:

Simple, straightforward and available in a few sassy finishes from Signature Hardware, but the polished brass shiot cost $32.95 EACH. How rude.

These antiqued brass babies from Liz's Antique Hardware are also kinda hawt:

But at $95 EACH they got real ugly, real quick. Damn! Why has brass gotta break a betch?! These kids from House of Antique Hardware are cute, and at $11.95/each, they're not cra cra, but I'm not convinced I could write home about them:

Then, I started searching for generic, simple brackets that I could potentially spray paint gold. Rabbit hole, right? SEE!!! Though, gotta say that the spray on metallics don't always melt in my mouth. But then shut the F&$K y'all, look what I found on Ebay! WHAT?!?!?!?:

2-set of vintage Baldwin brass shelf bracket babies for $10 value dollas!!! Betch got me 2 sets (total 4 brackets) for $20 + shipping!!!! Now, that's some good and tasty, DIY y'all...Yum!

I mean. #brassobsessed. Needless to say, I'm MORE THAN happy about these brackets and how amazing they're going to look paired with my lucite shelf! Be sure to check back for the big brass betch REVEAL soon!

The Shelf that Style-Slapped Me

Y'all, it's gettin' all DIY Dirrrrrty up in HERE! Uh huh! One of my collections needs a serious real estate upgrade in our salon/office. YES betch, we call the second living room/office our salon-- y'all don't? I mean. My vintage Dansk cast iron candleholders need a new perch-- There's at least 15 in the hoard, prob more. Here's what they look like now, more or less:

That's the LESS shot, b/c what y'all don't see is how they're all kinds of jimmy-jammed together so closely they're pretty much stacked atop one another across the entire length of that 6' long slate ledge. And there's some on an adjacent bookcase. And some tucked inside a drawer. And on the bar cart. Y'all get the point.

I've always been a big believer in making my walls WERK for me-- esp. in a NYC apt, where floorspace is limited and/or there's no furniture to properly display a 15+ collection-- say, a 20' dining table, or 15' wide china cabinet, for instance. Y'all feel me. Initially I was thinking a glass shelf b/c the candleholders are so sculptural, viewing them from below, as well as front view, seemed way cool to me. But that's a logistical nightmare beyond belief b/c y'all did see that part above wherein the words, CAST IRON were typed, yes? That wasn't just me trying to be all 'fancy descriptive writer'...this shiot is HEAVY. Then I thought of a reclaimed wood shelf, like everyone else on planet earth...and I do live in Brooklyn, where it seems to grow. But I can't get on board with that. Pun intended-- comedy GOLD! Same with metal, b/c y'all know, vintage industrial...blah blah...BLART yourselves! What to do? THIS!:

That fine hunk of man is holding a lucite shelf! WHAT?! Also known as plexi-glass or acrylic. This bad boy was found recently at a salvage surplus building materials store called, Big Reuse. And the shiot cost $5!!!!!! Shut the F&*K YOU, I'm not kidding! 8' long by 6.5" wide by 1/4" thick. $FIVE DOLLAS. Let's get another look at that value nonsense:

OK, so, y'all see my glass shelf dreamzzz are totally becoming fulfilled with this piece of plexi-glass perfection, yes? It's not quite as wide as I'd like, but for $5, baby can WERK with it. Now, how to hang it safely and chic-ly? Y'all are gonna have to check back into the 'dazzle a little later for that...trust that there's all kinds of hanging shelf realness that y'all don't want to miss...oh, and happy Friday-- time to rage 'til the break of dawn!

Another day, another Alchemy Eclectic interior...

Y'all are lookin' at a screen grab of one of the shots (by fab photog Kelly Marshall) from another one of my interior projects:

This is a detail pic of a bar, that I made from an old armoire from Salvation Army...

Check back soon for the hawt REVEAL shots of the rest of the space! HOLLA!

The Little Black...Nightstands!

A few weeks back I admitted, with gusto, that I painted wood...in copious amounts...all the time. And these Craigslist scores started like this:

Then were primed like so:

To turn out like THIS, Betch:

I mean...are y'all seeing this????:

WHAT?!?!

How insanely glossy gorgeous did this paint job make the old hardware look? WAY Gloss, WAY!

Show me those curves...sexy-time, oh!:

These gals just went from frau to mutha-f$%ckin' WOW! Class, how many of y'all are gonna start paintin' your wooden furniture now? Consider y'all-selves properly schooled!

The Alchemical Armoires

This luscious-ness is part of a pair that was scored off Craigslist for a clients office...Craigslist callback y'all!:

Like a lot of folks, she was desperado for extra storage...I'd say these gals fit the bill! Doors! Drawers! Cubbies & Shelves- OH MY!

Problem? Chicken wire door inserts w/polyester curtain-age and heinous finish...

I'm just sayin'...lets fix that, shall we? Starting by chicken wire poly curtain removal and a gloss white paint job.

We used one coat Zinsser BIN primer and this new Advance Benjamin Moore paint that absolutely fulfilled our painting dreams!

Next, chicken wire poly curtain replacement. Mirrors, y'all! I mean...tots obvi! I made a paper template for one door insert and had my glass guy cut four mirrors. Why? Symmetry, Dollbabies! So he cut two one way, then just flipped the template over to cut the other two mirror inserts the other way...make sense? Then I used Liquid Nails adhesive to secure the mirror panels in place. And then this happened:

And this:

The room has a way to go still, but I'd say Drama-glam has been had, y'all!! Happy Friday!

Sizzlin' Sectional

Disclaimer: I have little love for sectionals...they're usually ugly, cumbersome and all too common. I KNOW, y'all, way betch-y of me! But then this lady came into my life: Delight:

Indulge:

Pamper:

This was a major score at only $600 shut the F$CK YOU dollars!!! She was first being considered as a sofa option for one of my clients' apartments, but we'd already found an alternate option that was divine for that space, when babygirl presented herself for so cheap. But, rather than pass up extreme value, same client wanted her for his office!!! WHAT WHAT...Decorating kismet!!! All wheels were in motion until we got to see her up close and personal...she was a little more rough around the edges...janky upholstery accessorized with some questionable stains and uncomfy foam cushions that were actually disintegrating!!!! WHAT?! Those two problems aren't impossible to rectify, but they can be costly...considering what a bargain she was. Steam cleaning was a necessity! And new foam cushion inserts weren't that costly at around $350, thanks to the good folks at Economy Foam and Futon. But a total reupholstery job...not an option here. So how do you transform an upholstered piece of furniture WITHOUT reupholstering it? PAINT IT! So this:

Becomes this:

Can

y'all

fu%kin'

believe

this????

Consider y'all-selves STYLE SLAPPED BY WAY OF A SECTIONAL!!!! DAMN! Check back later for the yummy detailed how-to info...in the meantime, happy friday!

An artful equation...

YUMMY!