kojodesigns

luxe DIY

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a built in nook under the stairs

Put that awkward space under the stairs to good use- add built in book shelves, a bench and a small closet

So, we closed on our house last week. Honestly, that was a sad, sad day for me. Not only did we love that house, we poured so much of ourselves into the remodeling. Since moving overseas wasn’t even a thought until, well, until Adam interviewed for a job overseas mid-March, we picked details we loved for each and every project we took on.

Now, I have to say, it IS fun to have someone else fall in love with all of the details of your house. However, it was still difficult to hand over the keys for our labor of love to someone else.

Since closing, I’ve been sifting through our before and after pictures (and some of the in-between ones as well). And even though we don’t live there right now, I still thought I’d share the pictures of the projects I haven’t put on here yet.

First up- the under the stairs nook.

The perfect use for the space under the stairs- book shelves, a bench, drawers and even a little closetWhen we bought the house, we figured we’d have to do something with the space under the stairs- it was one of those quirky, not-quite-sure-what-to-do-with-it spots. It occupied prime real estate near the entrance to our house, but wasn’t functional for anything. under the stair nook- before and afterAfter some brainstorming (and an assessment of what the house was most needing), adding a built in book shelf, bench and mini closet seemed the best way to use that space. One added bonus- we could configure the tall shelves to accommodate my hard-won card catalog. under the stair nookIt was the best surprise ever when Adam and one of his friends, Justin, hammered out the majority of the built-in making while I was in Idaho meeting my newest niece! I wasn’t around for the tedious assembly (turns out that square-ness was not a strength of our house builders… though, since we keep buying old houses, we’ve come to expect as much), but the finished product totally exceeded my hopes. globe collectionThis little under-the-stairs nook ended up being not only the perfect space for my collection of globes (ok, honestly, that’s just part of the collection), but also a great spot to cozy up to read or to snuggle. I just love this space! Even better- there are several more room tours from the not-ours-anymore house in the works- can’t wait to share them!

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dipped herb pots with free teacher appreciation tags

Even though teacher appreciation week was last week (and, seriously, teachers deserve all of the appreciation in the whole world- have you read this? I couldn’t say it better myself!), the end of the school year still looms ahead. So I thought I’d share a twoforone today- these darling dipped herb pots PLUS the free “Thank […]

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DIY picnic organizer

We’re so thrilled to have Leanne from Organize and Decorate Everything here today sharing a perfectly summer-y (and fabulously blue) Color Your Summer project- Hi there! It’s Leanne from Organize and Decorate Everything. I can’t even tell you how excited I am to be a part of Color Your Summer this year. I love this […]

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make a giant summer bucket list for $3

This week is Burke’s last week of school (can that be right?). And, since summer is my favorite of all seasons, I can’t wait to dive right into all that summer has to offer! I’m sure you’ve seen ‘summer bucket lists’ floating around- the idea is that your family makes a summer to do list […]

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how to make a wreath in half an hour (for free!)

This post could also be titled, “What to do with your extra Christmas tree sprigs/branches.” I love things that are easy, and I love things that are free, so these oh-so-Christmas-y wreaths (that usher your guests in with a waft of evergreen deliciousness!) are my kind of project. Just gather the bottom branches of your […]