category: DIY
Jun 23
Remember those wavy glass dishes I picked up at the Goodwill a few weeks ago? I’m loving the deep turquoise jewelry dish I created with one of them, so I decided to use the same paint-from-the-inside method on a second dish, this time for our vacation rental. We’d found the PERFECT welcome amenity for our guests, and I needed something to house it. Read more
It was a dark and stormy night…literally. We were on our way back from dinner and John was telling me about some curbside goodies he’d seen on his daily running route. Apparently one of the big houses up the hill had decided to get an early jump on the monthly bulk trash pickup, and had set out quite the display. “Oh, let’s just go up and look,” I said, and off we went to check it out. I spotted 3 full size metal file cabinets, a wood coffee table (with no glass on top, and a badly damaged upholstered bottom shelf) and some cheap office furniture and other random stuff. I briefly considered the coffee table, but it had been sitting out in the rain and seemed beyond repair. Plus, we had nowhere to put it. Then I spotted 2 metal card files…and before I knew it, I was darting out of the car like a weasel in the night! Read more
For months, something about our living room was nagging me…specifically, the empty corner in between the tv and the loveseat. We stuck an old end table there and attempted to style it, but all it did was call attention to the gaping space and lack of continuity in that area of the room. So we set our sights on this bar cabinet from Pottery Barn. Wine glass and bottle storage? Expandable serving space? Cool distressed finish? Yes please. I was seriously in love. Read more
Back when John and I had just started dating, his house was basically a bachelor pad begging for paint…and decor…and furniture. These two little particleboard and laminate tables had been left in the house by the previous tenants (they were probably bedside tables), and John was using them in his office as extra storage. One had an old printer on top, and I think the other one was used to store golf balls. When we revamped the office, we emptied them out and attempted to unload them on Craigslist…which didn’t work. No one wanted these sad tables! So, like the office bookcase we revamped, we decided to hang on to them and give them a spray paint makeover. Read more
I recently picked up some cheap-o glass goodies at our local Salvation Army, since in the midst of all this furniture restoration and yardwork, I was itching for some small, fun projects I could accomplish in an hour with minimal materials…think spray paint and tape. Among my thrifty shoppings were these three wavy-patterned glass dishes. Read more
Like several of the other pieces of furniture in the Hideaway vacation rental, this metal TV stand had been used and abused by the previous tenants and needed some TLC. While not necessarily something we’d choose on our own, the TV stand was functional enough, so we decided to keep it and spruce it up a bit. Read more
While one of the bedrooms at the Hideaway was all set with nightstands (two metal and glass ones; I spray painted the base oil-rubbed bronze for an updated look), we were still on the hunt for a matching set for the master bedroom. After scouring Craigslist and thrift stores for some rehab-able nightstands, we stumbled upon Inter-Island Hotel Furniture. When hotels renovate, the old stuff gets sent here, where you can buy it for pretty amazing prices. If you’re into DIY, it’s an awesome resource. Hotel furniture may not always be the most stylish, but for the most part, it’s built to last. So with a sander and some new hardware, paint, or stain, you can create some really interesting pieces for your home. Read more
Our property has a nicely-sized yard with an avocado tree, but let’s just say it wasn’t being utilized to its full potential. The owner of our house also owns another property that adjoins ours — and it’s been under construction. During that process, part of our yard was turned into a makeshift staging area for pallets, rebar, and other random building stuff. Not so great when you’re fixing the place up as a vacation rental. Who wants to eat a lovely alfresco dinner next to a pile of pipes? Read more
Taking a quick break from everything we’ve been working on for the vacation rental, here’s a recent weekend project from our own home. We moved this old bookcase out of John’s office when we revamped it and added new storage. While it sat in our entry hallway, waiting to be sold on Craigslist, it magically filled up with STUFF. (Seriously, how does that happen?? Sneakers, paint, a mandolin slicer…what a random collection of items.) Coming to terms with the fact that we probably *needed* that storage space, we decided to give the piece a facelift rather than sell it and lose the extra shelving. Read more
Another interesting find for the house! We scouted out this dining table, and although the finish of the tabletop was in bad shape and the legs were painted a questionable hunter green color, we knew it had potential. See that middle section? It’s a hidden built-in extension that pops up and folds out so the table can seat 6. Score! We actually have a similarly-designed table in our own house that I’ve been wanting to overhaul, so this one was good practice and an interesting experiment. Read more
Aloha! We're John and Kristen, two transplanted East Coasters loving life on Oahu. We're DIY enthusiasts, foodies, wine lovers, and the property managers for the Hillside Hideaway. Follow us for a glimpse into our island life!
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