This is just a quick post to document one of the many MANY things I need to do something about in my house. It’s the front door. I have to say it’s a pretty nifty looking door, and although the inspector I had in here when I was buying the house said I should replace it with a better door (in terms of being better insulated), I cannot bring myself to do that. You don’t find doors like this at Home Depot.

One thing I have to keep in mind is the fact that this door opens right into the living room. So whatever I do to it will have to work with the space. The little windows in the door are unfortunately not glass but plastic, and yellow. Not sure if I should work with that or replace them/cover them up somehow. I found a very inspirational photo here a while back, and can’t get it out of my head. How freaking cute is this door?!

I’d love to hear your ideas on what I could do with this blast from the past door.

I decided a little while ago that my living room sofa was not working for me. It was cute, I’ll give it that. But it was NOT loungey. Definitively not wide enough for my boyfriend and I to sprawl on and watch movies. I’m hoping to find it a new home since I have no other room to put it in. I knew I’d never find a sofa that would suit my needs and my budget so my boyfriend and I built one. Since our carpentry skills are limited, I am quite surprised it turned out as well as it did. We finished building it a few days ago, and I painted it Friday.

Since I wanted something low and loungey, I figured the easiest way to get what I wanted would be to get some cushions, and basically build boxes for them. Instead of buying foam for the cushions, I went to Ikea and bought cushions from one of their sofas where they were sold separately from the frame. There were 4 cushions – 2 for the base and 2 narrower ones for the back. So working with that we built one main base that houses the 2 larger cushions and an individual base for each of the narrower ones. This is the main base before I painted it.

We used rounded fence post toppers (?) for the feet of the main section (I have pieces of furniture pads underneath them in the photos because it weighs a ton and I’m worried it’s going to dent the floor), and casters for the feet of the 2 smaller sections. This way the smaller pieces could be wheeled around the living room to accommodate different seating arrangements. Because I wanted a pile of pillows along the back of the main section and I was concerned they would take up too much space, we built a ledge along the back (which you can see in the third photo) to house the majority of the pillows, leaving ample room for sprawling.

I’ve had a couple of chances to try out the new sofa (I’m on it as I type this) and it’s incredible. It’s so versatile and ridiculously comfortable. I need to make new covers for the seat cushions. I bought the covers from Ikea for them but they are a thick canvas and cat hair sticks to it in an obscene way so I need something more cat friendly. I also just threw on a bunch of pillows for the photos below, but I need to buy fabric for new pillows as well. I’m thinking of sticking with neutrals, with lots of texture, and maybe a couple pillows in jewel toned colours to work with the rest of the living room and kitchen. I’m also considering stenciling the frames, but I have to give that more thought.

Here are some photos I took of the sofa with different placement of the smaller pieces.

Jackie Caradonio wrote us yesterday with the following: “I’m always checking out Desire to Inspire for great images and great interiors as I am an interiors/architectural photographer. I love when you showcase great photographers as it gives me something to strive toward. =) Anyway, I photographed this little 14-room hotel in Austin, Texas, called the Hotel Saint Cecilia recently and thought the interiors were so fun that you guys might be interested in taking a look. Lots of original, vintage pieces mixed with new, hip décor. I’d be honored if you guys wanted to show them on the blog.” WOWZERS. This hotel is so chic, glamourous and fun, and the photos are fantastic. Thanks so much for sharing these with us Jackie! (Check out her website here).

The Paris-based firm of Laurent Bourgois consists of works in interior architecture and design. They have an impeccable grasp on classic and contemporary styles, and include many ethnic touches (and occasionally modern) in their designs. Below are works that wowed me…2 tiled kitchens with very different vibes, relaxing bedrooms, graphic artwork, it’s cultured yet comfortable.