Perhaps unsurprisingly, one of my favorite television genres is the makeover show. While I tend to fall asleep somewhere around the 15-minute mark of an episode of Homeland, set me up with a remote and some Bath Crashers, and I’ll be there for a good 12 hours, hooked. Even if I think the “after” is ugly…
When I was in the midst of my second apartment hunt in Manhattan, I had a good idea of what to expect. I’d traipse through a couple dozen apartments, and in each I’d shed a little tear over some kind of obvious, aggressive renovation work that had rendered the unit short on prewar charm and…
Another week has passed, which means it’s time to talk furniture! Today’s Before & After Basics is all about using tape to create custom designs on furniture. I am super excited about how this piece turned out, and even though I used a very simple technique, there are many ways that you can add to…
Spray paint has long been considered a quick and easy way to spruce up forlorn pieces of furniture, but if you are like me, you can spot — literally — a bad spray job from a mile away. Uneven lines and a spotty appearance are tell-tale signs of “I just want to get this done…
When you hear the word decoupage, what do you think of? Um, yeah . . . about that! Let’s hold those thoughts because today on Before & After Basics, I hope to show you a fresh take on using paper to add character and fun to furniture design. We’ll start with a simple design plan…
I’ve been a Union Jack lover for a long time, and when I visited the markets this year, I saw it everywhere — from upholstered pieces to chairs and tableware. I knew I wanted to tackle it on a piece of furniture at some point, and while I am not the first one to paint…
We are looking to add a new section to our Before & After Basics series that covers — you guessed it — upholstery! Barb from Knack Studios has already given us an amazing collection of tutorials, and she’s got plenty more to come, but we realized that many Before & Afters involve textiles as well….
If you love wallpaper, raise your hand! I love the pure transformative power that wallpaper has, whether used for a whole room, an accent wall or a piece of furniture. Wallpaper has made a serious comeback, and my goodness, there are so many gorgeous patterns and prints available. Grace did a great wallpaper round up…
Today on Before & After Basics, it is all about good vibrations and power combinations. Think peanut butter and jelly, Batman and Robin, cookies and milk and Barbie and Ken. Each of these combinations is good on its own, but oh so great combined with the other half! This is exactly how I feel about…
I have always been a lover of rust, patina, character and charm when it comes to the things I surround myself with . . . and I don’t think that comes as a surprise to anyone here! I love the colors and textures that age gives to pieces of the past, but there are times…
I discovered glazes about ten years ago when I decided to tackle my first painting job ever: my kitchen cabinets! Yes, it was an ambitious move, but also a move that made me fall in love with paints/glazes and their transforming powers. This very project is what got everything moving toward Knack becoming what it…
Whenever I start a piece of furniture, I spend a good bit of time planning its design. I start with the exterior and work on paint colors and knobs, but the design is never complete until I have picked a paper to line the drawers. There is just something about opening up the drawer and…
Chalkboard paint is just plain fun in a can. I mean, who wouldn’t want a whole wall to write sassy notes on, a chest of drawers that can change on a whim or a little table that says “lovely” on top? My hand is raised, folks! I love the options that chalkboard paint offers, and…
A few months ago, I found the most perfect horse paint-by-number at one of my local thrift shops. However, no matter how perfect the paint-by-number, the frame was horrifying! I knew something would have to be done to it, and I’ve been contemplating my approach. Enter some gray paint and about four sheets of silver…
Crackle finishes always seem to elude me. I follow the directions explicitly, only to have a few tiny cracks show up for the party! Choosing to remain positive and lick this trick, I tried again and again to create the perfect crackle. Sadly, I was left with a piece of furniture whose finish rivaled that…
The first step to finishing any furniture project is sanding. Whether you choose to use a power sander or sand everything by hand, selecting the right type of sand paper is crucial to the outcome. Sanding with the wrong paper can damage your piece of furniture and cause lots of extra work for you. And…
In my line of work, I constantly deal with veneer issues. Some pieces have veneer bubbles, others have veneer cracks and then some are missing large patches of veneer altogether. I have a piece sitting around the studio that has all of these issues and I’ve been putting off working on it. Cleaning it up would…
Hello everyone! I can’t believe it’s already Thursday — this week just flew by. Thank you for all of the suggestions last week. I’m going to try and tackle them one at a time, starting today with polyurethane. Many of you have asked how to apply it, what tools work the best and whether you…
Hello, hello! It’s time for Before & After Basics again and today I want to teach you a little trick that I love to perform on furniture called dry brushing! It is a relatively simple technique that goes on quickly, but the results look like it took hours to create. Oh, and before I forget,…
Hello friends! I hope you’re all having a great week and enjoying the beauty that fall has to offer! This week on Before & After Basics, it’s all about the hardware. One of the first things I decide when I look at a new piece is whether I’m going to use the existing hardware, paint over…
