Design Within Reach Inspired Light Fixtures

I need some new ceiling fixtures for the beach house. For reasons that are unclear to me, the former owners hung pendant lights in both the downstairs and upstairs halls. At 5'5" I just miss the bottom of the pendants when I walk by. Not very practical. Did I also mention they are hideous?

Browsing around the internet, I found this fixture at Design Within Reach. I love the style of the fixture, but I'd prefer chrome to brass. It's flush so no one will smack their head walking by. Much more practical.

DWR Large Bulkhead Light $395

So I need three fixtures--two for the upstairs hall and one for the downstairs hall. Now let's see...the fixture is $395. So for three fixtures I'm looking at $1200. Not happening.

Then I ran across this fixture at Home Depot. Similar lines and size--and under $15! Now we're talking, but with its plain white metal finish, it's not quite what I had in mind. So I picked up three of these babies and then headed over to the paint aisle where I grabbed a can of Rustoleum Metallic spray paint in silver.

Hampton Bay Outdoor Bulkhead Light $14.97

When I got home, I took the fixture apart. There are three main parts: the grid, the glass globe, and the base. First, I removed the two screws on the rim of the grid using a small Phillips screwdriver. The grid then lifts off and the globe can be separated from the base. There are two rubber gaskets to remove. One is at the base of the glass globe, the other is around the bottom. Unless you're going to use the fixture outside, you don't need these.

I put the globe to one side and laid out the base and the grid. I took the screws (because they need to be painted, too) and replaced them loosely in the holes in the grid. I took a piece of cardboard and stuffed it into the socket to prevent paint from getting in there. Then I sprayed on two coats of paint.

When everything was dry, I put it all back together. It's a good idea to put a light bulb in before you put it back together, since the only way to access the socket is to unscrew the grid.

Now, obviously, these don't approximate the quality of the DWR fixture, but I ended up with three ceiling fixtures that have the look I want for less than $50. I'm good with that.

© Salt Marsh Cottage 2014

Coastal Finds at Ikea

I stopped in at Ikea the other day to pick up some sheets, so of course I had to browse around a little...And I'm glad I did! Ikea is full of fun coastal-themed products right now--and at such great prices. Here are some things I picked up.

First, I found this canvas table runner with a fish print. So cute! $9.99. It's 79" x 16".

And paper napkins to match. I bought four packs of these. I think they were $1.69 each.

I also found these laminated trays for $6.99 each. They are 19.5" x 6.25". They would be great for serving crackers and cheese.

How about an apron for $9.99?

Although less obviously "fishy", I also picked up this duvet and sham set for one of the guest rooms. The duvet cover and two shams in queen size was $49.99.

So lots of great beachy items at Ikea right now. It's certainly worth a look.

© Salt Marsh Cottage 2014

Starting Over

If you've been following this blog, you know that it was named after our cottage on the Connecticut shore that was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy.I started the blog to document my progress in restoring or rebuilding this place that meant so much to us.

After spending more than a year and lots of money, first trying to repair and then trying to rebuild, we realized we were at a dead end. As hard as it was to admit it, we needed to move on. So we started looking for a new beach house.

We ended up finding a place in Rhode Island. We love the beaches there and it's centrally located to friends and family. We closed on our new house last Friday.

Everyone who has seen it says it's got "potential" and "good bones". These are euphemisms for "Holy cow! You've got your work cut out for you!" Which is true. But...it's on a beautiful piece of property, with lots of privacy, close to a fabulous beach. It has three decks (including one off the master bedroom) and a screen porch. It's just the right size for us--3 bedrooms and 2 full bathrooms. The layout is great and the work that needs to be done is cosmetic, not structural. Over the next few posts, I'll be showing you the "befores" of the interior and discussing my plans for each room. Stay tuned. This promises to be a wild ride!

© Salt Marsh Cottage 2014

Ballard Messina Table Knock Off Revealed

 In my last post, I told you about my plans to knock off the Ballard Designs Messina table using a $100 dining set I bought on Craigslist. Today I'm ready to show you the finished product. The tutorial follows.

To recap, here is my inspiration:

Here's the $100 Craigslist table I started with:

And here is the finished product:

  

I couldn't resist setting the table with my collection of Johnson Brothers Fish dinnerware which fortunately was one of the few things that survived the hurricane. 

If you're interested in trying to recreate this, here's the tutorial:

1. I removed the legs so I could work on the tabletop and leaf more easily. I applied a faux zinc painted finish to mimic the top of the Messsina table. I gave you the detailed tutorial in yesterday's post. Click here to find it.

2. After the top was finished, I put the table back together. For the legs and apron, I mixed up a batch of DIY chalk paint using 1/3 cup plaster of Paris stirred into 1/3 cup water. I stirred that mixture into 1 1/2 cups of light gray paint and blended well (I used Benjamin Moore Sleigh Bells). You can use white, but I thought the light gray was softer and fit better with the look I was trying to create.

3. I applied two coats of paint to the legs and apron, distressing immediately with a damp rag and a sanding sponge.

4. When the paint was dry, I finished it with a coat of paste wax.

The whole project was pretty straight forward and went pretty quickly. I hope you like it. Stay tuned for the final piece of this project--the make over of the chairs. Thanks for stopping by!

© Salt Marsh Cottage 2014

Faux Zinc Tabletop--Super Easy Tutorial

 I've always loved the Messina Dining Table from Ballard Designs. Love. It.

Messina Dining Table--Ballard Designs

I just have two issues: one, I need an oval table and the Messina is rectangular; and two, I don't have $900 to spend. As I've mentioned before, I'm a big fan of Craigslist, so I started looking around for a table I could use to create my own version of the Messina table. Last week I found a good possibility. It was the right size and shape and it came with 6 chairs and an extra leaf. It had been languishing on Craigslist for a few weeks, so when I contacted the seller, she offered to sell me the table and chairs for a total of $100.  Yeah, it needed work. A lot of work...

Before

I'll be sharing the progress over the course of several posts. Today, I'm starting off with a tutorial on how to create the look of the zinc tabletop.

Messina Table

My version

The Messina tabletop is covered with acid-washed zinc sheeting. Metal work isn't my thing, so I decided to mimic the look of zinc with a painted finish. I looked at a lot of tutorials on line, but many of them were quite complicated and none of them had the exact look I was going for. I decided to experiment with some different techniques and ended up coming with a method that I was quite happy with.  Here's the step-by-step tutorial:

Materials:

• Chalk paint (commercial or homemade) in dark gray (alternatively you can use regular flat latex paint, but you'll need to sand and prime before applying)
• Tube of silver acrylic paint
• Small container of glazing medium
• Small amount of light gray paint (acrylic, latex, or chalk) (optional)
• Paste wax
• Paper towels

Directions:

Start with two coats of dark gray paint. I used my homemade chalk paint that I mixed with some leftover paint I had on hand. The color was very close to Benjamin Moore Evening Dove. You do need two coats. I thought I could get away with one coat. I was wrong. Give it two coats and let dry thoroughly.

Next, mix about a tablespoon of glazing medium with about a tablespoon of water. Dip your brush into this mixture and then put a small glob of silver paint on the brush.

Now you have to work quickly for the next couple of steps. Do just a small area at a time because this stuff dries fast. Take the brush and using random cross-hatch strokes, apply the paint to a small section of the table top. You want to vary the direction of the brush strokes. Cover the entire area, but don't worry about getting even coverage. It should look like this when you're done. By the way, I apologize for the fuzzy photos. I was trying to paint and take pictures at the same time. Not a good idea...

Without wasting any time, take a slightly damp paper towel wadded into a pad and pounce over the area you just painted. This is important. DO NOT wipe, blend, or smear. Pounce straight up and down. Keep moving over the entire area you just painted until all your brush strokes are obliterated.

Now move on to the next area, overlapping back into the area you just painted. When you're done with this step, it will look like this:

If you're happy with the way it looks, you can stop here.  I wanted to add additional patina to mimic the acid washing of the Messina table. If you'd like to do the same, take a small amount of light gray paint and thin it with water. Dip a brush into this mixture and hold it about 2 feet above the table surface, letting some of the mixture drip onto the surface randomly. Wait about 5 minutes and then gently blot the drops. Then do the same with some of the dark gray paint you used for the base coat.

When everything is dry, finish off with a coat or two of paste wax.
And that's it! I hope you found this tutorial helpful. Please stop by again. To see the rest of this makeover click here.

Visit the Tutorials & Tips Link Party at Home Stories A to Z for more great tutorials!

© Salt Marsh Cottage 2014