An old upcycled fireplace mantel is the star of this $100 room makeover!

The post Emerald Green Guest Room Makeover appeared first on Vintage Revivals.

Hey guys!! Did you have a chance to catch Studio 5 last week? In case you missed it, here is the link to the video…the good (the room reveal), the bad (the process it took to get there x3), and the ugly (where I talk about a stripper.)

If you’ve watched it then you know just how easy this project is.

We started with our antique Mantle. First things first we gave it a good scrub (because paint doesn’t stick very well to dust…)

One thing that you MUST remember when you are working with old old pieces is that there is pretty much a 100% chance that at least 1 of the 67 layers of paint on it is lead based. You need to lock that into the piece by painting or sealing it. Now I know what you are thinking…but even if you love the chippy worn out finish you need to protect yourself and your family by putting a polycrylic sealer over the top of it (if you use polycrylic it wont yellow, if you use polyurethane it can!!)  In the case of Sierra’s mantle we primed and repainted. (a few times…but that’s another post for another day.)

Once the final design was hatched it was simple.

Head to your fave local hardware store and buy a piece of 1/8” underlayment. It is a type of plywood that is thin and lightweight but has a good wood grain on it. (it will cost you $12.00 for a 4×8 sheet.)  And while you are there have them cut it down to size (its free!!)  I put a quick coat of Golden Oak Restore a Finish on it to bring the wood to life. (Its my go to sort of stain!!)

Because of the shape of Sierra’s mantle I had to build up  a few spots so that the sheet of ply was flat on its surface. See in the picture below how surrounding the hole for the fireplace the trim is about an inch lower than the spot that has the cubes? That is where it needed to be built up.

Luckily for me the difference was EXACTLY 1” so I just used scrap wood from my garage, LOVE it when that happens! If the bed wasn’t so high on the mantle I would have used a sheet of 1” wood to cover the entire space. (also don’t mind the awful picture quality, I had to screenshot a video to get it!)

Then attach your ply with finishing nails. There are really about a million awesome things you could to do this,  I mean, how cool would it look if you used upholstery nail heads all along the edges?!

As you can see in the pic above I used painters tape to mark where the support piece that I nailed on ended. That way I didn’t get to nail gun happy, which is something that TOTALLY happens. Don’t act like you haven’t shot a few extra nails off for effect. I nailed all along the edges every 4” or so (just push on the wood, if it moves then nail it down.)

Now comes the fun part. The arrows!!

When I free hand things I tend to start pretty straight and then everything takes a giant curve to the north. A handwriting analysis told me its because I am optimistic. And as fun as that is, I wanted these arrows to be straight and evenly spaced.

I used painters tape to mark each home so that I had a clear guide to not screw it up.

I loved this image that I found on Pinterest from Pocket Tiger (she has an AMAZING etsy shop!!) I used it as inspiration for my arrows. I love how they are all different, and hand drawn and imperfect.

Fun Fact:  Did you know that I am a southpaw? Well now you do! Drawing with markers always ends up with giant smears unless I do it strategically. I know you other lefties TOTALLY know what I am going through!

I used my favorite new tool Sharpie Paint Pens (remember I did an entire wall in my living room with them?!)  And I just started drawing.

Are they perfect? Heck no. Do they look awesome anyway? Absolutely. Channel your inner doodler and go to town.

And that’s it!!

The post Mantle To Headboard Tutorial appeared first on Vintage Revivals.

As I have been chatting about the last week or so, I have been working on a really fun segment for Studio 5 called “What Would Mandi Do?” where viewers submitted pieces that have them stumped. I needed a local girl who was ready and willing to let me do what needed to be done to make her piece of furniture out of this world amazing.

Sierra sent me an email that explained that she found an old fireplace mantle at an antique store and was IMMEDIATLEY in love with it. After talking to the shop owner about it and then relaying the info to her Grandpa she found out that the mantle came from an old house in Washington UT that was midwife headquarters. And it gets better. It was the house that her Grandpa himself was born in 80 years ago. How cool is that?! Rarely do we actually know the full story behind a great find.

So she bought it. And it sat in her garage. For 2 years. (don’t judge her, you know you can relate!)  The problem? She had no idea what to do with it.

Because it was such a special piece, it needed more than just an update. It needed an entire room designed around it. I decided that we were going to turn it into a headboard for her beige box guest room.

First things first the beige just HAD to go. Sierra’s house is very neutral, and if I am going to push someone I am going to PUSH them.

(ps. This is what pushing looks like)

(This picture is coat 1 while it was still wet so its a little lighter and splotchier than the final coat.)

The color that I used was a custom mix called Modified Envy. Here is the mixture formula:

Originally when I ordered my paint at my local Sherwin Williams store the color I ordered was Envy. Its a really bright true Kelly green. When I stopped in to pick it up, though I LOVED the vibrancy of it,  it needed to be a little bit deeper. As I was explaining what I wanted to the guys they were doing what can only be described as color math. And let me tell you,  they are GENIUSES at color math. They magically deepened it without losing the vibrancy that I was so in love with. THAT is why I shop there, those guys are freaking experts. I was also feeling a little concerned about painting in Sierra’s house because she is currently with child. Instead of using my fave Super Paint,  I used their new line called Emerald (fitting right?!)  Emerald is THE BEST technology paint has to offer. It is a Zero VOC formula (even after the colorants are added) which basically means that the airborne toxins that can be found in paint are gone. Hooray for Sierra’s fetus! The washability is FANTASTIC and it has a lifetime warranty. Totally worth it.

Working on this project I immediately came up with a few ideas for the mantle (a few of which I tried and then changed my mind about, but that is another post for next week.)  After working though the ideas I realized that what I was missing out on was a main element that was wood. Everything was just feeling so painted.

I love that this room has all of my favorite things. Color, brass, wood, faux bois, a quirky animal,  a hand drawn element, old books, and killer art.

Isn’t it so exciting?!

The mantle is totally updated, the green is so vibrant, and all of the thrift store elements make my heart sing!!

The mirror above the bed is from Target (I am dying over their new Threshold collection, its SO good)  All of the decorative books and junk are from my local thrift store. The faux bois pillow and lamp are from Homegoods (naturally). The mustardy chartreuse pillows are simple envelope pillows with fabric from Joann’s.

The vintage inspired plumes print ties all of the colors from the room together in one pretty package. Instead of putting it in a frame, I hung it poster style with command strips. I found it at a local store called Urban Renewal for $9.00.

I love that the headboard is so happily highlighted in this room with the green wall and accent colors.

Doesn’t every room need a coral Pomeranian?

Not too shabby for a couple days of work eh?

What is your favorite element?

ps. The tutorial for the headboard is coming on Monday, so stay tuned!!

The post A Perfect Emerald Green Guest Room Overhaul (and what to do with an old fireplace mantle!) appeared first on Vintage Revivals.