Ikea – Francois et Moi

Repurpose An Old Piece: Brushstroke Statement Art (Video)

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Mon, 08 Feb 2016 14:03:27 +0000

So I think at one time or another all us Millennials had one of those large city skyline art pieces from Ikea hanging on our walls. New York, Chicago, London; they were $49 and so much bang for the post-grad’s limited budget. I had the London one as an homage to the six months I lived there when I was 20. It was front and center over my sofa for several years, but all good things must come to an end. Our new house didn’t have a good spot for a large horizontal piece of art, and truth be told, I was over it; ready for something new brushstroke-y and abstract. The canvas and frame were still in great shape, so I was excited to give this oldie a makeover. Here’s the hyperlapse of my creating the art. Materials: Large scale canvas art that you’d like to repurpose or a new canvas/frame. Black spray paint & primer White acrylic paint Gesso (optional) Blue acrylic paint. I used Golden Acrylic Paint, color: Phthalo Blue (Green Shade) 1-1/2″ – 2″ paint brush Here we go: Lay down a drop cloth and spray paint the frame black (about 2 coats). No […]

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Francois Renovates: Living & Dining Room Before & After

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Mon, 11 Jan 2016 16:54:45 +0000

This post is part of a larger series, Francois Renovates. Find the other posts in this series Here, Here & Here. With the Fall hullabaloo of DIY renovating, moving, and then the Holidays, it’s been quite a slow process getting our home set up and settled. To make insult to injury, I can’t just hang something on the wall or go out and buy a piece of furniture because we “need” something there. It has to be the right piece which definitely takes time to find (and drives my husband bonkers!). I’d like to start with the “Before” because who doesn’t love a good Before & After situation? Below are the photos from the listing when we purchased back in July. (Photos courtesy of Zillow.) As you can see, the space is in great shape, but a little gloomy and a few two many competing wood tones for my liking. Living & Dining Room Renovation Reveal: Before & After And now on to the “After.” I snapped all these shots on a whim in late December after I was approached about opening our home for a brand’s photo shoot. I struggle with sharing these just yet, because I don’t feel […]

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Nordic Inspired Paper Star Lantern for Homedit

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Mon, 29 Dec 2014 13:43:43 +0000

Growing up in Duluth, Minnesota, my parents had an ornately carved wooden star lantern that they’d hang in our big dining room window around the Holidays, as a nod to our Scandinavian heritage. Now that my husband and I are starting our own Holiday traditions, I’d been coveting a similar star for our home. The trouble is, hand-carved wooden star lanterns like the one my parents have run with a big price tag, so I re-created the look and general function of the star lantern out of paper. And I kind of love the way it turned out, so this little love might become more of a winter tradition at our home, rather than a strictly Holiday one. Head on over to Homedit for the full “how-to”.

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DIY Gilded Accordion Sconce

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Wed, 29 Oct 2014 12:38:53 +0000

Something I really wanted in our new place was a pair of sconces flanking our bed. Not only do I love their minimalist look, but they also don’t take up space on the nightstand. And when living in a small space every. inch. counts. There are several stunning options out there…and not a one of them fit our budget, so I took to Pinterest to figure out if there was a way I could make the sconces I was envisioning, but for less cash money. Finding inspiration in DIY sconces from Vintage Revival and Poppytalk, I used the accordion arm from Ikea’s Frack Mirror in combination with the lamp head from Target’s Wood Pole Scholar Desk Lamp (Just wait ’till you see what I have in mind for the base from this lamp–stay tuned!) And then I painted everything gold. Because, well, I heart gold. The best part? Each sconce came together for right around $20 bucks! Materials List: Ikea Frack Accordion Mirror – Use the accordion arm only. Target Stick Table Lamp – Loosen the screw on the lamp head to slide it off the wood pole base. Metallic gold spray paint Painter’s tape Plastic bag Drop cloth 5″ of elastic (1″ to 1-1/2″ thick) Gorilla Glue (Gorilla Glue expands as it dries, […]

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DIY Faux Hair Hide Swag

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Mon, 06 Oct 2014 16:33:20 +0000

I’ve been thinking about adding a fur hide to our new living space for awhile now, and with this weekend’s fall weather blowing in with determination, I decided to take an hour break from hauling moving boxes and make a faux fur swag to cozy up our space for winter. I love Ikea’s Rens sheepskins, but they’re freaking EVERYWHERE, so I took the general shape and scale of the sheepskin and created a different fur look using a particularly lovely faux fur from Joann’s. Faux fur doesn’t ravel, so there’s no sewing involved. Simply draw your shape, cut, and drape! Materials List: 1 yard of faux fur. Use discretion when selecting your fur! There are ALOT of bad faux’s out there. scissors permanent marker measuring tape Step 1. Lay 1 yard of faux fur face down on your work surface so that the short side of the rectangle is nearest to you. Measure a 40″ x 28″ rectangle. Mark corners with a permanent marker. Step 2. Find and mark the top and bottom center (20″) . Divide each long side into three by marking off at 14″ and 27″ from the bottom. Step 3. Pull up an image of the Ikea ‘Rens’ Sheepskin on your phone or […]

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Apartment Scheming

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Mon, 08 Sep 2014 12:59:24 +0000

Happy Monday! Ken and I are counting down the days until we move into our new place in the North Loop, and of course my mind is running wild placing furniture, brainstorming ideas on how to maximize the square footage (we’re downsizing slightly), and styling our new digs in a way that makes it feel like home. I’ve compiled a few ideas that have caught my eye: some are high end (dream on), others are surprisingly affordable, but all are swoon-worthy! a. Paper Message Center | b. Small Space Hallway Console | c. Metal Barstools | d. Wall-to-wall Bookshelves | e. Sheepskin | f. Mulberry Wall Art | g. Bedside Sconce | h. Mid-century Desk

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