over-dye old carpets

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Over-Dye DIY

Like many bloggers out there, I loved the Color Reform rugs from ABC Carpet, but alas, I do not have $10,000 to spend on a rug. Anthropologie came out with their version of the over-dyed rug, but it paled in comparison with ABC Carpet’s version and still cost a pretty penny.



I did a little research on over dying wool and growing more confident in my rug dying abilities, I thought “how hard could it be?” I had an old, 5 x 7 wool rug lying around that had some stains…seemed the perfect test subject for this diy project. This is important to note: The rug is a medium piled rug…I tried over-dying a low-pile rug and it didn’t take very well.



Instructions:
1. If you are able to clean the rug first with a chemical called Synthrapol (to remove oils and dirt), it will help to give a more even dye job. My rug was too big so I just shook it out as best I could.
2. I turned up the temperature on my water heater to hot and waited for it to heat up (maybe an hour).
3. Next I took Dharma Trading Acid Dye in Deep Purple (I bought the 8oz jar) and added it to a pot of water on the stove top. The instructions tell you how much dye to use per lb of fabric being dyed. I brought the dye bath to a simmer and added a couple tablespoons of vinegar while I stirred the mixture.
4. I took my recycling trash can (good choice because it is thick) and placed the rug in it and began filling it with water with a shower extension hose (you could also fill up pots of water and bring them outside, but this would definitely be time consuming). Another option would be using the tub to dye the rug (I didn’t want to stain my tub) but it can get messy. IMPORTANT: Turn the water heater back down when you are done filling the bin. This is especially important, if you have little ones around.
5. After I had submerged the rug in water I added the dye bath to the water and using my gloved hands moved the rug around to evenly disperse the dye bath.
6. I left the rug soaking for 3 hours.
7. After I removed the rug from the bin (you may need two people because it is so heavy by this point), I laid it out over a couple of patio tables to dry for the day in the sun to allow the dye to set.
8. Next I took the hose and rinsed the rug until the water ran clear.
9. Lastly, I hung it up over my patio. It took about 2 days to completely dry. I did a test of the color-fastness of the rug by rubbing it with a white wash cloth. It may need to dry longer if any color comes off on the towel.













The rug turned a rich, purple shade that I absolutely love and it gives my living room a much-needed pop of color. (I couldn’t resist sneaking in a picture of my new puppy, Louie, who has made the rug his go-to nap spot.)

modern chandelier

Looking for something a little different for your dining room or a high entry space?

Check out Remodelista’s website for

10 Easy Pieces

fine concrete... wallpaper?

 

concrete blond

concrete takes on a new image:

concrete… “A material that is normally used in construction and hidden away from public view.” …has been given a new look. According to their website, the company combined “art, technology, design and manufacturing skills to create the new Concrete Blond collection of definitive concrete products,which can be utilised in interior or exterior environments.”

“Walled-Paper is a well mastered technique of fine-casting concrete that captures the same graphic detail and visual appeal of patterned wallpaper. Walled-Paper has all the advantages that traditional concrete offers: Durability, thermal and sound insulation, fire resistance, corrosion resistance and waterproofing.Walled-Paper can be fixed to existing walls i.e. plaster, brick or wood.Walled-Paper is an ideal solution when creating stand-alone partitioning walls… Walled-Paper has the added option for clients to create their own bespoke designs inspired by their love of graphics,or original art work. For brands bespoke designs can be created in concrete to express unique branding statements either on walls or floors in interiors,or on exterior cladding for the outside of buildings”.

room heights

Loos interior 1900

Interesting ceilings are a simple way to draw attention away from a negative feature… temporary solutions might include, thin plywood sheets—flat or arched, stamped tin ceiling, wood slats, masonite…

According to Loos, “every room needs a specific height”… well maybe not every room, but it is true that the vertical dimension has a direct impact on the experience of a space. As anyone who has visited a seventeenth century house with  six and a half foot ceilings knows, a foot vertically has a much greater impact on how a space feels, than does that same foot of space when stretched out in plan. At the same time an extra foot -a  nine foot ceiling versus an eight foot ceiling- can give a room an unexpected loftiness. 

Austrian architect Adolf Loos once declared: “I do not design plans, facades, sections, I design space. Actually there is neither a ground floor, an upper floor nor a basement, there are merely interconnected spaces, vestibules, terraces. Every room needs a specific height -the dining room a different one from the pantry- therefore the floors are on varying levels. After this one must connect the spaces with one another so that the transition is unnoticeable and natural, but also the most practical” *

More important even than actual heights are percieved heights and proportional relationships. The experience of moving from a “low” space of a 7’ 6” foyer into a “high” living space of 8’ 6”, gives a sense of breaking out of a confined area, or moving from a temporary space to a habited space. On the other hand,  when that same 8’ 6”  ceiling belongs to a room where the width is much larger than the height, say 30’ 0”, a  heavy or even opressive feeling can result where the ceiling feels too low for the space.

* Villa Müller, A work of Adolf Loos, Leslie van Duzer, Kent Kleinman, Princeton Architectural Press, 1994

fresh ideas in wallpaper

 
subtle wallpaper designs

Ferm Living offers both wallpaper and wall stickers that are not your traditional wallpaper. Berryblack from Collection 1 (shown above) costs $85 per roll. Wallpaper is designed and manufactured in Denmark.

Check them out at: 

 http://www.fermlivingshop.us/