While I’m in the midst of renovating Jefe’s parents place, I’ve started to accumulate a list of future projects and a wish list of item’s for our place.  Busting out my paint clothes has really inspired me to tackle a few larger projects to really make this apartment feel like a home.  (Hopefully a nasty ear and sinus infection won’t plague me during any of these projects like it did during last weekend’s painting extravaganza…)

Although our current apartment is a vast improvement from our last place (excluding the loss of square footage), it still isn’t quite homey enough for me.  It still just feels like a cookie cutter apartment that we’re only temporarily biding our time in.  So Operation Home-ify has official begun.

First on the list was actually inspired by our recent trip to Rejuvenation.  I’ve been hiding a purchase from you all; I finally convinced Jefe to get a little chalkboard to hang above our island/bar in our dining area.

But our island is really starting to stand out– it’s the ever popular Forhoja from Ikea and is made of a light-colored wood.  It’s been sort of a catch-all for our spill-over kitchen stuff, such as serving utensils, our “bar” area, grilling paraphernalia, cloth napkins, tablecloths, etc.  I’ve been meaning to upgrade the baskets for some time too, but hadn’t really been inspired/found just the right thing.  I think it was partially due to the lighter wood; there was just nothing I found that would coordinate with it.

(Please excuse the boxes that we still haven’t found a place to unpack….)

But thanks to our new little chalkboard, I’ve been inspired to take the raw wood of the island and stain it to match.  It’s a darker stain with almost a hint of gray– very rustic, and much more traditional in style.  I think it will also tie in better to the rest of the black-brown furniture we have and the silver curtains of the dining room.  Not to mention that I’m just stoked to try my hand at staining again; the last time I actually stained anything was as a freshmen in college when I helped construct and stain a circular staircase for a booth in CMU’s annual spring Carnival.

And after the staining inspiration struck, on a recent trip to Target, I picked up this beauty that I’ve had my eye on for quite some time that I thought would tie the chalkboard and soon to be stained island together with the dining table and dresser.

Next up on the list is the de-modernization of a few other pieces we own.  A few weeks ago when Jefe and I took his parents to Ikea to look at my furniture choices for their new office, we discovered that a new line of drawer and door fronts for the BESTA line have been added.  They’re much more traditional and definitely more up my alley than our current drawers.  Thanks to the mix and match nature of the Besta furniture, we’ll easily be able to swap out our old drawers for these new ones.  We’re hoping to accomplish that task this weekend when we venture back to finally purchase everything for his parents’ place.

(our current Besta drawers)

(hopefully our replacement drawer fronts)

In addition to the drawer fronts, another easy fix I’m planning is to add new drawer pulls for Jefe’s dresser.  Due to the lack of space in our bedroom, it’s currently being used in our dining room as “credenza” of sorts.  But it’s lacking in style, particularly with the current black and dreary hardware.

What I’m really hoping to find are some of these cup pulls that only require one screw to secure them instead of requiring me to drill a second hole in each drawer.  I have yet to find them, but I have not given up hope.  They will be mine.

Last on the list is to find a replacement for our other DVD storage/catch-all dresser.  We picked this up when I spruced up Jefe’s studio when we started dating.  But thanks to Operation Homify, he’s graciously agreed to get rid of it if I can find an acceptable replacement.  I’ve been trolling Craigslist, World Market and the like for something cheap, solid wood, and will add a little more character to our place (and clearly isn’t off of Ikea’s best-seller list…)

(Out with the old, in with the *somewhat* new… and any suggestions for what to fill these vases with while I’m at it?!  Once I took the Christmas balls out back in early January, I haven’t found anything I think works.  I’ve got the equivalent of writer’s block when it comes to these vases…. is decorator’s block a thing?!)

That’s about it for the current to-do list at chez Sledge.  Later this week I’ll have an update on the office and bedroom paint job that Jefe and I tackled last weekend.  Let me just say that the painted paneled walls makes a WORLD of difference.  I can’t wait to finish it up, accessorize and show you the final results!