Smart Space Studio

DIY: More Dresses

2010-08-03T21:26:00.001-07:00

Mini Floral Tie Strap Summer Dress.

The inspiration from Topshop for $180.

Mine for $1.99 plus tax.

Asymmetrical Draped Neck Jersey Dress

The inspiration from Piperline for $152.

Mine was made from fabric I got for FREE.

Gathered Neckline with Pleats

The inspiration from Modcloth for $75.

Mine for $3.99 plus tax.

Maternity?

DIY: Mini Floral Dress

2010-07-19T21:52:00.001-07:00

When I was a little girl, I hated wearing dresses. I was a tomboy. I thought dresses were for girly girls and flower dresses were for super girly girls. Oh how things change as you grow older. Mini-floral dresses are everywhere this summer. The mini floral prints are the perfect in between boring solids and gaudy flower prints.

Every store I go into has their own version of the dress.

Urban Outfitters and Nordstrom have these dresses for $48.

Mine is $2.99 + tax. It's a pink/purple mini-floral dress with elastic waist and camouflage pockets!

DIY: Party Dress

2010-07-07T20:35:00.000-07:00

I've worn more dresses this year than ever before. They're so much fun and feminine.
It's a lot easier than coordinating the top and bottom too. I don't like strapless dresses, because it makes me feel too exposed. However, I'm a big fan of one shoulder dresses, and they are totally in this year. Combined that with bright and bold colors.

I found this pink woven fabric for $2.99/yrd. I bought 1 1/2 and I only used 3/4 yrd.
I can't wait to go out in this.

DIY: Maternity Dress

2010-06-30T21:27:00.000-07:00

After my first DIY dress, I was really motivated to make more. My friend's been looking for a cute maternity dress. I did some research and realized that most maternity dresses are either too "mom" looking or they're too expensive. Trying not to go over my head with a complete new design. I used the same elastic waist and sleeveless top as my first dress. Instead of the big flap collar. I did a more tailored pleated effect. The fabric is a heavy weight jersey. The jersey itself has elasticity, so it will adjust itself as my friend's belly grows. I'm pretty happy with the result.

This is a cute dress I found on Etsy for $250!!!. The jersey fabric was $4/yrd and I used only 1 yard. Can't wait for my friend to wear it!

DIY: Summer Dress from Scratch

2010-06-10T21:13:00.000-07:00

I was walking pass the fabric store on my way home from work today, so I went in. I love browsing through the different fabrics. I get excited about raw material, the possibilities are endless. Anyways, I found some fabric from the remnants pile. I bought 1 1/4 yard of light weight woven cotton for only $2.69.

For inspiration, I browsed the Urban Outfitters website. Their retro chic style is totally me. However, they hardly have sales. Here is a dress I tried to copy. It's $58.

Here is my version. This is my first dress I made from scratch. I'm pretty happy with the result.
Instead of using a belt, I sewed an elastic band. The $3 I spent would've paid for the tax on the Urban dress, so I saved $58!!!

DIY: Puffy Skirt

2010-05-01T15:29:00.000-07:00

I am this close to signing up the Wardrobe Refashion pledge. Given how the economy is now, I'm doing every bit I can to save and to recycle. However, pledging to not buy any new articles of clothing for 4 months is a little much for me. My sewing skills and time will not allow me to generate new items every month (or depends how often I shop and how much I buy). But I'm still making an effort. With the summer approaching, it'll be a motivator. Summer clothing are also easier to make.

Here is a skirt I made following Dacia's tutorial. I bought this fabulous fabric from a craft supply show. I got 4 yards for only $5! I could make 3 skirts with it!

DIY: Cornice

2010-05-01T15:01:00.000-07:00

This was a DIY project I did for client who was looking to update her bedroom window. We met with a EZ Blinds rep to look through options and pricing. We liked the idea of a cornice. It really brings warmth and traditional attributes to a room. The quote for two 9' wide windows was over $2k. That was definitely over the budget. I suggested that we make it. We liked the fabric from EZ Blinds sample book. I found the exact fabric on Interior Mall for $44/yrd. Then I found a DIY Cornice Kit from DIY Decorator for $99 each. It comes with complete instructions. The material for the two windows were less than $500, less than 1/4 of the EZ Blinds' price.

Step 1: Assemble the cornice kit as directed.

Step 2: Cut fabric and batting big enough to wrap around the entire cornice.

Step 3: Staple fabric to the backside of the cornice. Tug tightly as you go.

Step 4: Add hardware and hang!

Refashion: Hawaiian Shirt to Skirt

2010-04-12T19:45:00.000-07:00

My brother was cleaning out his closet and this Hawaiian shirt caught my eye. I love yellow and this print is so summery. This is a 15min refashion. All you need is a men's shirt and a 2" elastic band.

Step One:
Remove any pockets from the shirt.

Step Two:
Cut the top portion of the shirt, right under the arms or whatever length you want your skirt to be. (Remember to allow 1/2" for the seam.)
Step Three:
Sew the elastic band to the top of the skirt. Pull the elastic band while sewing, so the skirt will gather and it'll expand when you put the skirt on.
Tada!

This dress from Target is $20. I only paid $.39/yrd for the elastic band.

Amy Butler has rugs!

2010-03-01T20:10:00.000-08:00

I've been a big fan of Amy Butler's fabrics for a long time. The colors are so whimsical and joyful.

Amy Butler and Chandra rugs teamed up for this collection. I love it, but I don't love the price tag. Still nice to drool over. They're gorgeous!

Transformation of the Den

2010-01-31T11:23:00.000-08:00

It's almost been two years since we've moved in. It's still a process to transform the condo into a home that reflects our personality and fits our needs.

This is how it was when we first saw it.

The yellow wall had to go.

The bookcase served its purpose for a year and a half, but we outgrew it pretty fast. We finally commissioned a carpenter to do a built-in. It was quite the process.

To save money, we painted it ourselves. One coat of primer and two coats of paint.

We loved how it came out. It looks like it's been there forever.

DIY: Children's Tshirt Refashion

2010-01-31T11:00:00.001-08:00

Here is a refashion I did for my two nephews.

They look so handsome.

DIY: Jaden's Growth Chart

2010-01-21T17:17:00.003-08:00

My other nephew, Jaden, turned one today. For his birthday, I made a growth chart since he’s growing everyday. I’ve done a lot of research on the different types out there. There are many cute animal themed ones, but I was afraid he’ll “outgrown” them. I wanted something that’s durable and he can have as a keepsake. Maybe someday he can compare his height to his kids.

I saw this. It’s simple and neutral. The $60 price tag was a little much and I was afraid the vinyl might lose its grip over time.

To make my version, I bought a 6 feet long ½”x4” piece of pine for $13. I just used acrylic paint I already have.

To personalize the board, I added lemon picture frames made from felt that's attached by velcro.

It works better when he's standing up.

Dylan's Christmas Gifts

2010-01-09T18:03:00.000-08:00

This Christmas I decided to make as many handmade gifts as possible. For my 2 1/2 year nephew, I wanted to make something that's relevant. He's been to the zoo a few times this year, so I wanted to incorporate that. I wrote him a book featuring himself as the main character of course. My friend,Alice, helped me with the illustrations. I wish I have that kind of talent.

The book featured a monkey, so I made a sock monkey to accompany the story.

Another gift was a toy car carrier. Dyan's really into cars and he travels with a dozen of them in a plastic bag. I stole this idea from Homemade by Jill.

DIY: T-Shirt Refashion

2010-01-09T16:58:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time. The fall and holiday season flew by. Since getting my first sewing machine, I'm constantly thinking of new things to make. One thing is refashioning T-shirts. I love the knit tees collection from J Crew. It's casual and feminine.

As much as I love them, $19.50 to $29.50 for a tee is not really in my budget. The seamstress within me think I can probably make something similar.

I found plain tees from Forever 21 and H&M on sale for about five bucks. Here is the tutorial for one of them.

1. Plain tshirt was longer what I needed.
2. Cut 3 inches off the bottom of the shirt.
3. Cut the strip into 3 equal parts.
4. Make ruffles with the 3 strips. Sew one side and then pull the thread tight to make a half circle.

5. Arrange the ruffles on the tshirt and pin in place, then sew.

Final Product:Here's a few more:

DIY-Baby Bib

2009-09-12T08:18:00.001-07:00

1. Trace the bib size.

2. Cut the fabric, it's two layers, wrong sides facing each other.

3. Pin trim to the bib.

4. Sew

5. You may add valcro closure or leave the trim longer for tying.

Before & After

2009-05-14T20:28:00.000-07:00

This was a project I did last year. The client's bedroom was very 80's and drab. The color was grey and old. We replaced all furnishings, carpeting and paint. The earth tone color palette added depth and warmth to the room.

Monday Finds

2009-03-02T19:43:00.000-08:00

I love looking for deals on craigslist.com. It's one of my favorite pastimes. The site is very popular and some people are using it to make a big profit. I usually don't look for anything more than $500. Sometimes I will find a great chair or desk that I really want but don't have the space for. I would like to share these finds anyway. Hopefully you'll be able to take advantage of them.

Room and Board Sofa for $425

Saarinen Arm Chairs

Eggshell Chair for $30

Another bites the dust

2009-01-30T09:16:00.000-08:00

Seems like every other news report is about some company going out of business or laying off thousands of people. It's definitely a dark time of all of us. Home Depot's Expo Center announced today they're closing their doors. Sales starts Monday at 10% off and will increase till April 8. Expo offers higher quality materials ranging room toilets to tiles to throw pillows.

Well, it's good for those that's been wanting to redo their bathrooms or tiled a back splash.

YES WE CAN

2009-01-20T09:59:00.001-08:00

Change starts today. Get ready America.

Room and Board Sample Sale

2008-12-26T11:08:00.000-08:00

The end of the year is full of great deals. Even things that never go on sale will have some discounts. Room and Board offers high quality furniture. Their prices are fixed throughout the year, but every year after Christmas, they will have a sample sale for all the discontinued items. Sale goes up to 50%.

Here are the dates of the sale per location:
Chicago Downtown: December 26 to January 4
Skokie: December 26 to January 5
Oak Brook: December 26 to January 11

Enjoy!

Everyday Design

2008-11-18T07:04:00.000-08:00

The great thing about the design world is there's no limit. You can design and redesign anything. Even the most mundane stuff can be beautiful. Everything from a toilet brush to a paperclip can be beautified. Here're a few simple things that someone put a lot of thought into.

Placemat

Trash can and toilet paper storage combo

Toilet

The List Goes On

2008-10-23T20:29:00.000-07:00

Sorry for my lack of motivation in the last few months. My place is pretty much set but still lacks identity and pop. Most of the walls are still bare. I've been focusing on being domestic; cooking and cleaning A LOT. I never thought I'll be able to cook. I've always had other people cooking for me. Even now, my boyfriend, Matt, is a great cook, but he's hardly home early enough to make dinner. To my surprise, cooking is actually really fun. I love taking something out of the oven. It's like a science project.

Can't believe the leaves have turned, and the holiday season is around the corner. With the new mortgage and the economic downturn, we've decided to be more creative in our gift giving. There will be a lot of sewing and baking. My list of to do's are ever expanding. I promise I will be more consistent in my blogging. Stay tuned.

Bridal Decor

2008-09-15T20:19:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine is getting married, so I had the honor of planning her bridal shower. The card was a simple DIY project. A cut out of tree branches on top and daisy on the bottom. Her wedding will be outdoors with chinese lanterns. To carry on the theme, I had glued paper dots to look like they're hanging from the tree.

The shower was a casual tropical theme. I placed flowers in a simple vase (could use any glass jar)and then in a paper bag. I was inspired by Rachel Ray's Carmel Tower for the center piece. It's inexpensive, easy, but impressive looking.

Mygazines.com

2008-08-22T07:56:00.000-07:00

A friend just shared a very cool site with me.
Do you ever find yourself at a bookstore for hours trying to flip through all your favorite magazines? I have a few subscriptions to my favorites like Domino, Metropolitan Home and Elle Decor, but there's so much more.
Mygazines is a site that lets you read your favorite magazines cover to cover. They have hundreds of magazines on almost every genre. And it's FREE!!! It also lets you archive or forward articles. Enjoy!

Ceiling

2008-07-29T11:45:00.000-07:00

The ceiling is probably the most commonly over looked area in a home. It occupies a lot of square footage, but yet most people leave it untouched. I think people are afraid to mess with it because it might make a space smaller or it'll just not that important.

In the right application, the ceiling does not only add to the room, it might be the attention grabber. I found a few examples of what you can do with your ceiling.

Coffered ceilings add classic elegance and architectural detail.

Guilded ceilings gives a luxurous and vintage look.

Painted ceilings are playful and original. It's also a great way to bring a ceiling down if you live in a loft.

Suspended ceilings can add drama to any room.

Chicago Fests

2008-07-22T06:16:00.000-07:00

I apologize I've taken a month off from blogging to enjoy the summer. Summer is an awesome time to explore the city. There are festivals all over every weekend. Some of the great ones coming up are Black Thai International Arts, Bucktown Arts Fest and Renegade Craft Fair. You can find one of a kind pieces for very resonable prices. I also enjoy supporting independent artists.

On another note, I just found out Jayson Home & Garden is moving and they're closing their outlet location. Jayson offers a very unique selection of home furnishing, accessories and frames. Their style is a cross between shabby chic and classic modern. Now they're taking an extra 20% off their already 75% off items.

Before and Afters: 1 Bedroom Condo

2008-06-17T08:14:00.000-07:00

This was a project that was completed last year. It was a complete remodeling of a kitchen and living room. The client wanted to open up the kitchen on to the living room. We added a lot more cabinets and counter space enough for a few stools.
We elminated the dining table so the living space feels larger. We also changed the carpet to hardwood.

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Honorable Mention

2008-06-11T12:20:00.000-07:00

Few weeks ago, I talked about being involved in a charity competition.
CANstruction is a competition in which team members with architectural, engineering and contracting backgrounds join efforts to create artistic structures made entirely of canned foods. It was a lot of fun building the structure. Our structure took home honorable mention for the judges' favorite.
For more info, check out Canstruction.

This is ours!

Here's a few I liked.

Before and After Pics: Entrance

2008-06-03T19:44:00.000-07:00

Custom Furniture: Desk

2008-06-03T19:39:00.000-07:00

This is the desk from Overstock I copied for my custom desk.

Here is my desk.

Scavenger Hunt

2008-05-29T20:48:00.000-07:00

Like most women, I love to shop. I love all kinds of shopping; clothing shopping, shoe shopping, gift shopping, Christmas shopping, grocery shopping, furniture shopping, even window shopping. One of many reasons why I love my job. I get to shop for other people. I'm always on the lookout for great deals. It's like a scavenger hunt, looking at unexpected places. I can spend all day at garage sales, flea markets, estate sales, and liquidation sales.

I love a story behind a piece. Shopping is not just about buying something. Sometimes the journey to buying something could be the most interesting part. Like when you buy a hand crafted knick knack from a street vendor while you're on vacation or when you learn about the past life of your antique lamp. A house full of stories and memories can make a room rich and nostalgic.

As the summer or spring is approaching, there will be plenty of outdoor fairs. A popular one is the Chicago Antique Market. It's located in the west loop on Randolph Street. There's live music, great people, interesting things to see even if you're looking to buy.

Tonight, I picked up a brand new Room and Board chair used in a model home for fraction of the original price. She lives in the same neighborhood too!

DIY: Custom Drapery

2008-05-29T20:21:00.000-07:00

One of the best features of our condominium is the span of windows around. There are 12 windows! The unit came with blue blinds. I'm not crazy about them, but they do their job and it would cost a fortune to replace them. We have frameless windows, so it looks bare and cold without any window dressing. Drapery panels cost about $50 per panel. I need 12 panels + hardware. Total cost would be $800+. Frugal me would make them myself, or better yet, have my mother do it :). The color of the walls are a very pale grey. To warm up the place and provide some contrast, I'm using a dark grey cotton twill fabric, typically used for men's suits. I love that it's wrinkle free and it hangs very straight and tailored. I bought 37 yards of it at $3.50/per yard = $130 + $100 on basic hardware. The fabric comes in 54"W finished ends. That's the width of the panel anyways, so it didn't need to be hemmed. My mother sewed a 3" pocket with interfacing to reinforce the shape on the top of the panel. I used iron-on double sided adhesive for the bottom hem, so it doesn't have thread showing. I don't like putting the curtain rod through the pocket, because that would cause rouching. I want it to look clean, so I used clip on rings. That's it! It's a simple project and it saved me over $500! Some elbow grease and leg work goes a long way.

DIY: Picture Frame

2008-05-20T20:08:00.000-07:00

Framing art work can sometimes be more expensive than the art work itself.
Our place is slowly coming together. All the major pieces are in place. You can have all the furniture, but it can still feel unfinished. A house is not a home till it's filled with items that are familiar, treasured, and comforting. Our walls desperately need some attention.

I'm not a big fan of buying mass produced artwork. It's impersonal and generic. I don't want to see the same picture at somebody else's place. Original artwork can cost well up to the thousands. So, make your own! You don't have to be an artist to create your own artwork. An easy way to create a focal point on a wall is having multiples of one thing. Repetition is one of my favorite design principals.
"The whole is greater than the sum of its parts."

I'm not much of a painter, so I opted for photography. I walked around my neighborhood with a camera in hand and just take pictures of yellow things. I photoshopped the pictures to black and white, and allow only the yellow things to come through. They were printed at Kinko's for $1 each on regular paper.

The frames I made are 19"x18". This size frame will cost at least $40 at a store.
Four of them will cost me $160 plus tax. I bought a sheet of 4'x8' 1/2" MDF board from Home Depot for $20, seven 10'x2" moulding for $2.49 ea, and a quart of white paint for $9.89. Total is under $50. It will give me (1) 2.5'x6', (1) 2'x4', and (4) 1.5'x1.5' frames.

Custom Furniture: Just for the wealthy? Think again...

2008-05-15T11:28:00.000-07:00

As much as I love crafting my own picture frames and other small home accessories, some projects are definitely over my head. For my home office, I needed a nice desk that's functional and beautiful. That combination usually mean $$$. The inexpensive desks I've seen are unattractive and didn't have the qualities I wanted. The desks that I do like were over my budget. I've contemplated buying an antique desk and refinishing it, but it wouldn't fit into my time frame. The supplies needed to strip the paint, sand, paint, and gloss would've add up very quickly. On top of the time and effort, it just didn't justify the investment.

I came across an ad on craigslist, my all time favorite site, by a guy who did small scale carpentry work. He's not a full time carpenter, he doesn't work for a woodshop, he just builds furniture in his condo. Remember this people: There are always going to be people willing to give you a deal just so they can get your business. Negotiate Negotiate Negotiate!

Besides the desk (which I'll post later), I've also asked him to build two night stands to my specification. This is the picture I gave him as an inspiration.
This desk is being sold at Williams Sonoma (more expensive version of Pottery Barn) for $795.00.

I customized the size, height, depth of the drawer and the hardware. I got this table for a mere fraction of the price.

Little Houses

2008-05-15T09:07:00.000-07:00

Ever since I was young, I've been in love with different kinds of small scale homes. I wanted to live in the gingerbread house from Candyland, the treehouse from Punky Brewster, the tree caves that Winnie The Pool lived in, and it's still my dream to convert an old lighthouse into a retreat. I came across an article on this month's issue of Cottage Living about a converted bird house. Yes, a bird house. This small structure called a pigeonnier was built on the grounds of a Louisiana estate around 1750. Its original function was to house pigeons which, at that time, were considered haute cuisine. Isn't it the cutest?

DIY: Accent Pillow

2008-05-12T15:46:00.000-07:00

When furnishing a home, all the little items add up pretty quick. I'm always trying to think of ways to save as much as possible. Certain things you have to splurge on, like a good quality couch, a nice TV, or a comfortable bed. But there are things you can save on. A good way to save money is to make it yourself. Have you checked out the accent pillows and throws aisle lately? A 18"x18" pillow costs at least $19 at Target up to $89 at Room and Board.

Making of the pillow: First I bought a yard of decorative fabric from Needle Shop for $9. One yard of fabric at 54"W can make me FOUR one sided pillows. I'm using another yard of grey cotton twill fabric that was left over from the drapes I'm making (stay tuned!). I got those at a discounted price of $3.50/yard. For the infill of the pillow, Ikea sells 16"x16" infills for only $2.99. Together with some thread, you get this for about $6/ea.

Before Pictures

2008-05-04T21:29:00.000-07:00

This was what my condo looked like when we first saw it. It had ketchup and mustard walls. You never want to use two primary wall colors in the same room. The two colors were competing with each other. You cantone down one color and use that as a background so the hot color could take center stage. First thing we did was paint it before we moved in. The living space was one big room, so I wanted to keep it light. The design scheme for the place is urban chic, kinda Manhattan Uptown hotel feel. Color inspiration comes from water washing up to a shore lined with stones and pebbles. Main colors are whites, greys, black, and some browns and beige.

Accent color is YELLOW. Yes. Yellow. There won't be any yellow walls remaining but they will come back in the form of pillows, art work, accessories. Combining the styles of two people is never easy. One likes bright colors and graffiti and other one likes soft feminine silhouettes. It's like picking out colors for a baby room when you don't know the sex yet. Yellow is unisex and it's eye catching without being in your face.

Keeping Hunger In Check

2008-05-02T13:01:00.000-07:00

We've decided to build something related to the theme and Chicago. We originally wanted to do chess pieces but realized it's been done before, so we're adding a twist to it. We're going to be building a chess board with some famous Chicago buildings as the chess pieces. Here's a digital image of what it would look like. Can you tell which 3 building we're doing?

Merchandise Mart

2008-04-23T07:43:00.000-07:00

The Merchandise Mart is the place to go when you're looking for some inspiration. There's always something going on. If you enjoy browsing the rooms at Ikea, the Mart is like that but add 3 0's to the $. It's still fun to look. From April 25-July 12, they'll be featuring an even called Dreamrooms featuring 9 rooms by some famous designers.

The best event at the Mart is Neocon. It's the biggest event of the year. It's open to the public and you get a lot of free stuff! For those that are interested in attending, please keep a look out for a design/build competition, Canstruction. Teams of architects, engineers, and students mentored by these professionals, compete to design and build giant structures made entirely from full cans of food. Four ppl from my firm including me will be teaming up with Eckenhoff Saunders Architects to build one of the structures. We're still brainstorming for ideas now.

In The Beginning

2008-04-22T11:28:00.001-07:00

I've been saying it forever and now I'm finally doing it. My design blog.
Hello everyone. My name is Emily. I'm a full time lighting designer and freelance interior designer. I'm hoping to utilize this blog to document some of my design projects and also showcase some interesting finds.

First project I'm documenting is my most important project yet, a condo I share with my boyfriend. It's causing me great stress at the moment because I'm trying to have it 80% furnished in 1 1/2 months time and in a very tight budget. Hopefully by the time we're done, we still like each other. Stay tuned for pics...