IKEA GOODIES: CREATIVITY WITH "TOLSBY" PICTURE FRAMES

IKEA of Sweden ( yes they had to re-instate that they are indeed IKEA of Sweden). IKEA is one of my all time favorite home shopping stores. They always have the most beautiful, stylish and trending items at a bargain which is great news for the bargain huntress in me. I love their fabrics section in particular, always have fresh fabrics every season. Every other IKEA item is beautiful yet simple. The IKEA story goes somewhat like this...."We are from Smaland...." Smaland is a very tiny part of Sweden wher the land is not productive or rich in resources hence the "Smalanders" had to find a way to maximise whatever products they made. A visit to an IKEA store is never complete without some of their yummy meatballs and their moist decadent chocolate cake, I will be doing a post on the typical IKEA visit the next time I get inside one.

Enough with the ranting, today the focus is on the "TOLSBY" picture frame, which was in IKEA about four seasons ago, but I still totally love it! The frame comes with a base and you can put it on your desk , don't have to have it on a wall. It also comes in 5 colors ; red, orange, green, blue and white but thanks to the magic of spray painting, you can have it in any color. We scoured the www (I know, again, a bit overwhelmed with work projects) to find creative DIY of what you can do with this cute frame.

 Here's what you can actually do with the frames, very creative and easy DIY with "Omg!" results.

Spray paint them in any color you want! These were sprayed in green, they look lovely!



Want to fill a long empty wall? How genius is this? Displaying a group of similar objects together has got to be one of the easiest ways to arrange art. We love the IKEA frames lined up against the wall.

 
These white frames, clustered around the white plate medallion gives a classic balance to the delicate floral print underneath. I would do this on a console table  for a dining area.

 

Another easy but genius DIY for the Tolsby frame, print on colored paper then fit it in the frame. Keep On Keepin' On , keep on scrolling on.

 

We don't love the print on the table or the background but these white frames with the pricing printed on colored paper are a great way to make DIY price points for a flea market sale, a yard sale or a car boot sale.

 Ever wanted to throw a fancy themed party and did not know what unique menu holders to use or seat placers?You might wanna try these.

 

This is the most unique wedding centerpiece idea I have seen this month. The white frames with some flowers on each table very elegant! The translucent film you see in the middle of the frame is removable, it acts as glass but for such a project you really won't need it.

 

 Other great ways to use the frames.

Whatever these three next are, they are cute for a girly person.

Tired of tangled earrings everywhere, here is an easy solution with kitchen shelving mesh liners slid in the middle and you can organize your jewelry and find them when you need them. I will try this soon.

 I hope you enjoyed the post. These frames are actually going on sale now (in Nairobi, independent distributors) Call  0711 643 630 or email dassabydesign@gmail.com to get one.

Sincerely,

Dassa by Design.

FOR THE LOVE OF CHEVRON

Chevron or what most of us would call zigzag....I prefer chevron, sounds sophisticated. The chevron pattern has been used in home decor for ages. I find it timeless, it was among last year's home decor trends. Today's post has snippets from the www showing how you can incorporate the chevron look into your home.


Some chevron accent chairs, we love the pastel muted grey and the white frame...perfect combination and very chic!

 Or these wingbacks in blue chevron,

Too scared to go all chevron with large furniture? How about you throw in a few scatter cushions on your couch or in the bedroom...

Totally in love with these blue pillows against the white couch!

 

This is one of those art pieces that are so genius!Who would ever think wooden panels arranged in a chevron pattern would make such a great piece? 

Chevron curtains would make your windows want to bring in more light...we love these Ikat print curtains, I think of the Ikat print as a sister to Chevron.

We also love this Chevron urn-looking accent vase.....statement piece and this look you can get from the pottery women on Ngong' road, I guess they can paint it in different colors too.

 

Chevron also finds it's way into the kitchen, we love the black and white back-splash... a way to bring some art into the kitchen.

Chevron counter-tops anyone? In the kitchen island or closet island (makes me want a walk-in closet).

 

Too scared to use Chevron around you?...you also have the option to use it underneath your feet, this chevron flooring is immaculate!

This Chevron nursery is A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E! We love how the grey and pumpkin yellow work together to create a calm space for the little person.

Tired of the look on your furniture? Chevron it up in different colors and Voila!

Now to look for our next Chevron lover and add some zzzazzz to their space. 
Till next post,
Dassa by Design.

Have a lovely weekend ahead!

THE MAKING OF A WORK ROOM: TIME TO GET THAT HOME OFFICE STARTED

Everybody is working from home in this era, my neighbor works from home, I work from home, 10 or more other people I know are slowly building sustainable businesses from home. But the balance between a home office and a ticket to laze around in PJ's, drinking coca cola and watching you tube videos is very elusive. Productively working from home requires discipline and setting up a separate work area is top on the list.

In order to keep your mind and work separate from other activities in the house, in order to concentrate on work and avoid other distractions like TV, noise, housemates (little people included for the work from home mommies a.k.a mompreneurs) you need a private space dedicated only for work. A space where you can get your creative juices flowing or do some serious logical and strategic thinking. It doesn't have to be a whole room, let's face it Kenyan developers do not build most houses with a work area or library in mind. You have to make do with what you have.

Here's a progressive blog post ( sophisticated word for "incomplete post that I keep procrastinating and I might as well get done about now" post)......it is a working progress, I will keep creating and owning my workspace bit by bit. I decided to use a spare room for my work space....for the sanity of this blog, and the sanity of the other designers I will give a DISCLAIMER: No amount of designing went into this room....think of it as organizing a room and then designing it later.

The Before: the room is painted a Corvette grey shade with soft hue of purple Rodeo drive which will not be visible to the human eye considering the lighting situation...it was disorganized.

First the "declutterization" ...

Then tidy up the work tables...

More tidying up. 

Then came the tools of trade sewing machines and our darling mannequin, Miss A.

Now we can get some work going on here as we aesthetically design the space and think of some interesting wall art, mood board, storage systems and a better chair (yes I hate the plastic white garden chair but rule number 1 is to make do with what you have...) 

Thanks for stopping by, keep you posted on the progress of the office. Need help decluttering your house and finding an ideal workspace? Email us at dassabydesign@gmail.com


Till Next Post,

Dassa by Design.

DIY PROJECT : JEWELRY WALL ORGANIZER TURNED ART

I decided to get my jewelry organized for once.  Here is DIY project of how it went down.

First there was a framed board...

 

Then some nails, 

 

 I recently added a hammer to my tools of trade....I desperately , always needed one......

After hitting the nails on the sides I painted my frame...the uneven painting was intentional to make it look aged....

Then I added my strings and hang up my earrings....mounted on my grey wall next to the colorful curtains that I once hated but am slowly beginning to love.... I have this weird love-hate relationship with color.

Artsy, Schmutzy......

I will post a daylight picture of what it looks like in the sun :)

Thanks for stopping by,

Till Next post,

Dassa by Design.

LIVING ROOMS: DESERT SAND

This was one of our projects end of last year. We came in an turned a living and family room into a stylish contemporary space. Here is some before and after shots.

 

 

We painted the wall a desert sand color with a bit of texture, TV got mounted and created a family gallery with the corner wall.

Notice how a new modern media cabinet takes care of the wire mess  we had in the initial picture.

 

The fishees in the aquarium also got a spot in the space.......so did the family's baby toys.

We went for a two-toned look, maintained the nice gold mustardy  color in the back wall....

the wall was later to be filled with 2 more tryptichs which had not been sourced by the time this shot was taken. 

And again, the front wall..... always paint over the cable casing to kinda camouflage it...

And again, the front wall..... always paint over the cable casing to kinda camouflage it...

LE DINING ROOM.. 

Very few times we meet a client with great taste, we totally love this  dining set....It fits the space perfectly. We added a console table to give the space character and the canvas painting.

End of project. Let us know what you think. Give us a call to help you create a beautiful space. 

Thanks for stopping by, till next post,

Dassa by Design