Rustchic Living

DIY

DIY Rustic Hat Rack

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I’m a hat girl. John is a hat guy. Hats take up a lot of space! Long gone are the days of our walk-in closet the size of a bedroom to store all of our hats. When downsizing you need to let go of a lot of things. Apparently, we both think our hats are important enough to keep around.

When we first moved into our house, we were renters (you can read more about that here) and didn’t know we were going to end up buying our little house. I threw together this rustic hat rack as a temporary solution. Part storage and part just something to hang on the wall.

Now that we own the house, it has ended up being the inspiration piece for my upcoming bedroom renovation. I even plan to make a second one soon–because there are still more hats that to be hung!

Supplies:

  • 3 boards – I used a couple six-foot boards salvaged from an old fence
  • 12 2-inch wood screws
  • 6 coat hooks

Tools:

  • Measuring Tape
  • Saw – I used a chop saw
  • Drill with a screw bit
  • Screwdriver
  • Pencil or chalk

Wash

If you are using salvaged boards like I did, make sure you wash them really well. I scrubbed mine with a firm brush using dish soap and water. Allow them to completely dry. Note: my boards are not dry in the following pictures. Do as I say, not as I do.

 

Cut to Size

You can adjust the size to fit your space or around the size of the boards you use. If you need exact measurements, these are mine to copy.

2 boards at 45 inches long

3 boards at 24 inches long

Put Together

Lay the two longer boards parallel on a flat surface. Be sure to lay the side of the board that you want to be the front facing down. I chose the most beat upside to enhance the rustic look.

From the top measure 5.25 inches down.  Draw a line where you will attach the first board going across. Then from the top measure 21.25 down and draw your line for the middle board. For the bottom board, measure 5.25 inches from the bottom up.

Line your boards up to the chalk marks. Stand back and make sure everything looks even. Once, you’ve got all your boards where you want them, attach using screws.

Add the Coat Hooks

Flip the boards over. Using the measuring tape, find the center of your boards and mark where your coat hooks will go. Attach the hooks using a screwdriver. These hooks are a discontinued style from Ikea. So bummed–if you see them there again, let me know!

Hang on the Wall

I screwed my hat rack directly into the wall. Heavy-duty picture hangers on the back of the hat rack and molly screws in the wall will also do the job.

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Budget Bathroom Renovation

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When you have one bathroom, you need to maximize space and style. For now, a full renovation was not in the cards for us. I wanted to make a big impact with as little money as possible. I think you are really going to like our bathroom’s fresh new look and the much-needed storage I added.

Before Pictures + The Plan

The Problem: The paint color and the lack of any cohesive design.

The Plan: Paint the walls and ceiling light gray and the indented wall on the right a dark gray as an accent wall.

The Problem: An old yucky vanity with goopy painted hinges.

The Plan: Paint it the same dark gray as the accent wall and add all new hardware.

The Problem: Four different metal finishes. Oh, my!

The Plan: Accent with chrome and white hardware keeping with the era of a 1940’s home. Try and make it feel original even though the bathroom was updated in the 1980’s.

The Problem: Very little storage.

The Plan: Build a new shelf above the toilet and a shelf across the wall above the door to match. Build them to seem as if they have always been there. Paint them the same dark gray as the vanity and the accent wall.

The Problem: An outdated light fixture with yellow shades.

The Plan: Spray paint the light fixture dark gray to match the accent wall and the vanity. Add new glass shades that are white with a style that fits the era of a 1930’s bathroom.

The Problem: Medicine Cabinets. I really don’t like them and there we have two! However, I need to keep them for the storage.

The Plan: Add lots of trim to both of them. Try to make them look as much alike as possible.

The Renovation

Here is a peek at the new towel shelf above the toilet and the holes in the wall patched.

You can see the new gray color here and the beginning of trimming out the medicine cabinet mirrors. John used his router to make custom trim to match the existing medicine cabinet as close as possible. I think he did a darn good job!

Our little house only has three drawers in the hallway and no closets except for one in each bedroom. Here is a look at the shelf above the bathroom door. This will help with much-needed storage!

The Reveal

Welcome – come on in! About the little restroom sign. There are three doors in our hall. The left door is my room, the middle door is the restroom, and the right door is our daughter’s room. We throw lots of parties and I didn’t want our guests accidentally walking into our daughter’s room when she is hiding out in there. Thus, the need for the little restroom sign.

Here you can see the new wall color, the custom shelf above the toilet for our towels, and the new mirror trim.

The shelf was built using wood brackets from Lowe’s. I have a full “shop the look” section at the bottom of this article.

I think the chunky trim around the mirrors makes all the difference in here! It makes the two different medicine cabinets look the same and adds character.

The light fixture was spray painted dark gray similar to the vanity cabinet and the accent wall. New white globes were added. I can’t believe how much better it looks!

Painting an accent wall a darker gray gave this boring wall a little punch. It is the same color as the vanity and the shelves. I found the antique mirror at the Habitat Restore for $10 and gave it a little tender loving care.

The most practical part of the bathroom renovation was adding this shelf above the bathroom door. Just the same as the towel shelf, it was made with wooden brackets and painted the same color as the vanity. The boxes store things like extra bars of soap, the neti pot, band-aids, and other bathroom stuff.

I’m not kidding when I say my house is small. Here is a wide view of the renovation and you can see all the way to the front door.

 

 

 

How To Hack Ikea Magazine Boxes

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Living in a small house, I have to find storage wherever I can.  There is one built-in shelf in my hall that I use for storage. I have got all kinds of goodies hiding in those gray Ikea Kvarnvik boxes: wrapping paper, ribbon, the glue gun, essential oils and more.

But this is how I updated some Ikea Knuff magazine file boxes and I’m thrilled with how they turned out. Inside of them, I keep a few of my favorite magazines, a couple books on my reading list and a backup supply of an obsession of Leuchtturm 1917 notebooks.

Let’s dive into how I hacked these into cute shabby holders. Some of the supplies are affiliate links. I’m supposed to tell you that…just so you know, it doesn’t cost you any extra.

Supplies

Check Fit

Before you get going, make sure the Knuff magazine boxes are going to fit on your shelves. Whew–good thing I checked, mine barely fit.

Prep

Give the magazine boxes a little sanding with a fine sandpaper. They may be a tad rough here and there. Sand just enough to get the baby splinters and the rough edges off. You don’t need to go crazy.

Paint

Apply a couple coats of chalk paint. I picked this one up at my local Walmart. Make sure you let the paint dry between coats.

Sand

Allow the paint to dry completely. Using fine sandpaper, begin to sand off the paint exposing a little bit of the natural wood here and there. Be sure to sand around the edges. This helps give it a time worn look. Keep going until you find the look you like.

Paint the Numbers

Hop onto your computer and print out your numbers. How cute would it be to use alphabet letters in a nursery or initials in a shared children’s bedroom? Make them your own. Choose a font you like and play around with the size. Print the numbers, then cut them out. Did you spy that I also hacked an Ikea Skogsta box?

With a pencil, lightly trace around the numbers, then fill in with craft paint with using a small paintbrush. Allow paint to completely dry.

Add the handles

Here is the tricky part I didn’t take pictures of before I started. Because the file box has a finger hole, you will need to cover this up and give something for the drawer pull to grab onto.

I just happen to have some little cardboard gift tags that were already painted black on one side. A small piece of chipboard would work great here as well. Put a couple little dots of glue or adhesive around the outside of it and cover the finger hole from the inside. You don’t even need to let it dry because when you attach the handle, it will pull the chipboard against the file box.

 

Because the file boxes are fairly thin, I did not pre-drill holes for the handles. I just lightly traced where they would be so I could see where to begin the screw from the back of the box. I used these handles and you can see that they almost cover the finger hole.

 

 

4 Curtain Hanging Tips

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Don’t you love how custom curtains just seem to fall in those perfect little waves? Here is how you can get perfect curtain curves right off the shelf.

1. Use Curtain Rings with Clips

Use curtain rings with clips. Most curtains come ready-made with a pocket to push the rod through for hanging. Spend a few extra dollars for proper hanging hardware. This looks better and is a lot more functional. The rings make it so much easier to pull your curtain open and closed – gliding across the curtain rod as opposed to tugging it every time.

2. Pinch a Pleat

Pinch a Pleat. This is how you are going to get those perfect curvy curtain waves. The pleats will give your curtain symmetrical movement when they are both closed and open.

Most packs of curtain rings with clips come in a pack of 14. When hanging a pair of curtains, that will be seven clips for each curtain.

  • Lay your curtain out on a bed, table, or floor.
  • Fold the curtain in half to find the center and clip your first pleat here.

  • Clip and pleat your second and third pleat on each end of the curtain.

  • Measure where the remaining four pleats will need to go. Two between the left edge and middle and two between the right edge and middle.

3. Hang on the Outside of the Window

Hang the curtains on the outside of the window. In other words, you want to hang your curtain rod past the window frame on each side by 10 to 12 inches. This makes your window feel bigger and the room appear larger.

If you have a window that is a little off-center, you can make the window appear as if it were right in the middle of the wall by extending the curtain rod more on one side.

4. Hang Curtains Ceiling to Floor

Curtains hanging from the ceiling to the floor will make your room feel taller because it visually draws your eye up. This will make a small room feel bigger and add a little elegance.

DIY Stocking Holder

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No fireplace mantel? No problem. One of the wish list items for my new house was a fireplace. I like to seasonally decorate the mantel, use it as a candle ledge, and feel the warmth of a roaring fire on a raining day. But most of all, I love to hang the Christmas stockings on it.

My new living room is small and it doesn’t have a fireplace. Where in the heck am I suppose to hang the Christmas stockings? I like to hang stockings for each one of my children, their spouses, and my grandchildren. Plus, the three kitties share a stocking. So that is 11 stockings!

My solution was a temporary stocking holder. It is basically a coat rack, but it will only stay on the wall during the Christmas season.  After the holidays are over, it will be tucked away for safekeeping until the day after Thanksgiving next year.

Here is how you can make your own DIY stocking holder.

My new living room is small and it doesn’t have a fireplace. Where in the heck am I suppose to hang the Christmas stockings? I like to hang stockings for each one of my children, their spouses, and my grandchildren. Plus, the three kitties share a stocking. So that is 11 stockings!

My solution was a temporary stocking holder. It is basically a coat rack, but it will only stay on the wall during the Christmas season.  After the holidays are over, it will be tucked away for safekeeping until the day after Thanksgiving next year.

Here is how you can make your own DIY stocking holder.

Supplies

  • 6 feet of molding – I chose kind of an ornate piece so it (sort of) looks like a mantel
  • 12 coat hooks
  • 3 picture frame hooks
  • paint
  • paint brush
  • hammer
  • screwdriver or drill

Paint the Molding

I used my interior trim color. I always have a bucket handy for touch-ups. My trim color is Sherwin Williams Snowbound in semi-gloss. Allow drying then nail three picture frame hooks to the back of your board for hanging on the wall. Mount two toward each end and one in the middle.

Add the Hooks

Depending on how many hooks you want, do a little math and figure out how far apart you need them to be. For 12 hooks on a 6-foot board, your measurement will be to space them apart every 5 1/2 inches.

Mount to the Wall

Using a measuring tape and level, mark with a pencil where your mounting nails will need to go. Hammer in your nails and mount to the wall.

After Christmas

But what about the holes left in the wall from the nails used to hang the stocking holder after Christmas? Since I am not keeping my stocking holder up year around, my plan is for the holes left is pretty simple. I will fill the holes each year with a little bit of spackling and brush with a little bit of my wall touch-up paint.

What do you think of my no mantel stocking holder? Have you had to come up with a creative solution to hang stockings without a fireplace?

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