Home Tree Atlas: Home Decor Ideas and Mood Boards

DIY Remix: Koi Fish $5 Bucket Stool DIY

The simple bucket stool DIY, where you fill a bucket with cement and poke in some dowels, comes from Ben over on Homemade Modern. I wondered if there was any way to customize the face of the stool. So I ended up experimenting with debossing / inlaying an image into the cement – using cardboard.

You can check out my other experiments trying to emboss cement (again, with cardboard) here: DIY Experiment: Embossing Cement Challenge.

TOOLS

Saw

You’ll need a saw jigsaw/circ saw/hand saw to cut the dowels to length

MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES

Bucket

Ben uses a 5 gallon bucket from Home Depot, with a smooth bottom. I used what I could get my hands on. You basically need a bucket wide enough that you can sit on.

Dowels

1 1/4 inch dowels 48 inches long. For mine, again I used what was available – which was much thinner dowels – they are still sturdy stool legs.

x2 Concrete

I went ahead and mixed my own cement – buying concrete and sand. You can always get Quikrete 5000 concrete which is premixed for you, so you just need to add water.

You’ll also need another color of concrete to pour into the inlay. You can do this by buying a bag of white concrete such as Quikrete Countertop mix in white. Or just buy the white concrete and a concrete pigment dye (like red) – instead of buying 2 bags on concrete.

Illustration

I found my illustration by searching for ‘koi fish black and white illustration’ on google. You’ll need to print this out (in reverse) the size you’ll want it on your seat – I did this at home with on an A4 sheet of paper.

Cardboard, Packing Tape, Compass (or String and a Pencil)

You’ll need enough cardboard to make 2 templates of your design and to make a circle the size of your bucket. The packing tape is going to be used to cover the template to make it waterproof.

Fine Grit Sandpaper (around 100-grit)

INSTRUCTIONS

Step 1: The Design

So you’ll need to print out your design. Remember it needs to be in reverse since it will be a mirror image when you are done.

I ended up cutting two sheets of cardboard to create the mold shape for the cement pour. I did this so I could double up the cardboard to get a deep inlay in the seat. I saved the scrap piece of the template (the outside) to create the embossed cement plaques DIY (seen at the end of this post).

Step 2: The Mold

The next step is measure the size of your bucket and cut out a circle using the cardboard. A compass or a piece of string and a pencil can be used to mark out the circle.

Then glue the pieces of your design together and onto the circle.

Step 3: Waterproofing

Use the packing tape to cover the the mold to waterproof it. Then put the mold into the bucket. I went ahead and put taped up the sides where the cardboard disk meets the bucket.

Step 4: Cutting the Legs

I ended up cutting the legs to the right height I wanted them. Ben’s instructions are to cut them 16″ long.

Step 5: Pouring the Cement

Mark 3 inches from the bottom of the bucket upwards. This will let you know when to stop pouring the cement.

Mix up your concrete with water and start pouring. You want the mix to be a bit watery so that it covers the mold well. Shake the bucket gently and tap on the sides of it to bring up the air bubbles.

Step 6: Adding the Legs

Make a mark on the dowels 1 1/2 inches from one end. This is how far into the cement you’ll want to push the dowels in. Then place them equally around the bucket.

I used tape to hold down the dowels, since they kept wanting to float up.

Step 7: The Reveal

Wait for over a whole day (20 hours+) for the cement to dry. Now depending on the bucket you have, you might be able to pull out the stool by the legs by bending the bucket to loosen it. In my case, I had to break it apart.

And carefully peel off the cardboard. The cement is still not fully dry – so right now you can either use sandpaper to smooth it out, or what I did was to leave it with all the wavy marks and waited another day for it to fully dry.

Step 8: Pouring the Inlay

Here comes round two of pouring the cement. This time use the colored/white concrete, and carefully pour it into the inlay. You can use a tooth pick to push the cement into the corners and move it around.

Step 9: Going Fishing

Wait another day for the cement to dry. Then use the sandpaper to carefully sand the new cement to unmask the design.

That’s it. I’m curious to know if anyone else will try this with another design. Email me at jacob@hometreeatlas.com with photos if you make your own, or if you have any questions.

Check out my experiment in embossing cement here.

March 2, 2016 in DIY, Made By HtA

7 DIY Swimming Pool Ideas and Designs: From Big Builds to Weekend Projects

Some people can make building things look so easy. This is good, since it let’s the rest of us have the guts to try something like building a swimming.

But if you take a look at some of the DIY swimming pools people have made below, it does show you that anyone can build one in their own backyard oasis.

There are three types of DIY swimming pool designs to choose from:

There is the permanent swimming pool construction
The natural swimming pool
The temporary pool – which can be a weekend build

The Permanent Pool

1. The dumpster pool – DIY above ground swimming pool

Stefan Beese is one of those who makes building a own pool look easy. He took an old dumpster and used that as the main container. It was padded out with insulation, covered with a liner, and then cladded with pine slats – showcased here.

2. The shipping container swimming pool

Using a premade metal container seems to be a pretty straightforward and simple way of starting a swimming pool build – by Ian Starz.

3. A more traditional DIY concrete swimming pool build

Build Your Own DIY Natural Swimming Pool / Swimming Pond / Organic Pool

Not only do they look great and blend into natural surroundings, natural pools are chemical free and are lower maintenance than normal swimming pools. Also when the pool is not in use, it is still full of life.

4. A natural swimming pond

Build plans by David Pagan

5. Another natural inground swimming pool pond, this time in a more urban backyard

Built by VonBubenberg

Temporary Weekend Swimming Pool Ideas

For a temporary swimming pool all you really need is way to make a large box, and a way to hold in water (which is usually in the form of a large waterproof tarp – get one here). Some ideas to make the container include: shipping containers, hay bales, or a wooden frame.

6. 9 pallets were used to build the frame for the pool

Swimming pool DIY by Torben Jung

7. A DIY swimming pool using hay bales and a waterproof tarp

Built by Roy and Reagan

More fun DIY home builds:

March 1, 2016 in DIY, Outdoors

Simple Bathroom Decor Ideas To Transform and Style Your Space

It doesn’t take much to transform a bathroom space. You don’t need a huge budget or fancy interior design skills. A few simple ideas, focusing on the main areas in the bathroom, is all it takes to create a well designed space. Check out these simple bathroom decor ideas anyone can use in their own home.

Simple Decor Ideas and Accessories

Here are some simple and inexpensive decor ideas:

Get rid of any cheap looking branded plastic bottles you have around the sink. Hand soap, lotions, and other liquids can be pored into glass bottles, such as vintage ones (Home Decor Ideas: Using Vintage Glass Bottles). Now you have good looking bottles decorating your bathroom.
Etsy has a bunch of hand crafted tooth brush holders that look great. You could also go for a wooden tray or bowl to group together clutter (contact lenses, creams, razors) creating a cleaner space.
Bringing flowers or greenery into the bathroom adds color and makes the space feel fresh.
For a kids bathroom, you can get wall decals of animals, letters and numbers (Kids Bathroom Decor and Design Ideas)

The Big Pieces

The shower curtain is a big piece in the bathroom, and the style you choose for it can impact the look and feel of the room. Ruffled curtains will create a shabby chic look, while a hookless shower curtain can create a modern look. While using a colored shower curtain will add to the color scheme of the bathroom. For more ideas and a mood board have a look here: Bathroom Shower Curtain Ideas: From Space Saving to Decorative Extras.

On the Walls, Floors and Ceilings

For the Walls

On the walls you’ve got paint colors and textured looks to choose from:

You can easily update or restyle the bathroom by changing or reframing the mirror. For more wall decor ideas have a look at my mood board here: Style Guide: Bathroom Wall Decor Ideas.

Above I talked about how shower curtains take up a lot of visual space, and can help style the room. So can the curtains covering the windows. They take up a lot of the wall space and are a feature in the bathroom. There are all sorts of curtain designs you could go for, but there are also a range of blinds (bamboo ones look good), tie back ideas, and curtain rods – that all play a part in styling your bathroom. For ideas and a mood board have a look here: Light and Privacy: Ideas for Bathroom Window Treatments.

On the Floor

The material and design you use for your flooring will also play a major role in the style and feel of your bathroom. You’ve got the classic choices of tiles and hard wood floors. But you can also get decorative vinyl and laminate flooring – ones that mimic hardwood flooring and stone. My mood board here goes over all kinds of flooring designs and materials: Bathroom Flooring Ideas, Designs, and Materials Options.

Adding floor mats can also add to the decor in your bathroom. A colorful mat can add a dynamic pop in the bathroom. While a wooden bath mat creates a more spa like feeling.

Ceiling

Yes you can even style your ceiling if you wanted to. If you want to create a shabby chic styled bathroom, you could hang a canopy over the bath tub. You could also use textured Anagypta wallpaper to add some style to the ceiling. For more ideas and a mood board have a look here: Bathroom Ceiling Ideas: From Cove to Tiled Designs.

Setting the Mood

There are a few decor pieces that can help create a spa like mood in your bathroom. Spa lighting is one idea. These are waterproof lights that you can stick to the side of your bathtub or just have floating around in the water. Now you can turn off your ceiling lights and relax in a soft glow of lights.

Candles are also great for relaxing in the bathroom. If you are worried about the fire hazard, use floating candles in a bowl. Or go with battery powered candles. Aromatherpy candles or an oil burner is a little luxury item to add to your bathroom.

image credits: mood board / black and gold

Related bathroom posts:

March 1, 2016 in Bathroom

The Free Spirit: Bohemian Dorm Room Ideas

Most dorm rooms are small spaces. So you’ll want to make use of big items such as rugs, wall tapestries, and bedding – instead of focusing on small decor items to create the bohemian style. Below are the bohemian dorm room ideas that will really transform your space.

The Bohemian Color Scheme

From the pictures in the mood board above, you can get a pretty good idea of the color scheme in a bohemian styled room. You’ll see a lot of dark and earthly tones: like dark blues, purples, and red. Add some green into the mix with plants.

Because the colors are deep shades, almost dull in nature, this lets you have a lot of patterns and textures mixing and decorating the space without it being overwhelming – from patchwork quilt blankets to dream catchers and macrame.

For outside inspiration, look to Moroccan and Turkish interior design.

The Focal Point in a Dorm Room

#1 Focus The Bed Area

The focal point in a bedroom is the bed area. The bed is the biggest item in the room, it takes up the most space, and is the area the eye is drawn to first. The bed area is where you want to focus your decorating and styling efforts. If you create the bohemian style here, you pretty much create it for the whole room. You have a lot to play with – from the bedding and pillows, to the side table and wall hangings.

To really create that bohemian and hippie style in the dorm room, you’ll want to get the perfect bedding. A patchwork quilt would be the best way to go – one that has dark colors with lots of patterns mixing together, just like in picture (1) – and you can get one in the shopping section below. While the pillow cases can have an India/Moroccan style pattern to them.

Soften the walls around the bed by hanging up a tapestry, just like the one in picture (1). There is also the tapestry in the shopping section below. Or how about hanging fabric overhead (if you are allowed to) to create a canopy. Having lots of fabric around, really softens the space, making it feel cozy.

If you are allowed to, see if you can hang up string lights on the walls around the bed – creating a soft and cozy glow at night.

If you can add in a side table, a Turkish one – seen in picture (2), or a DIY log table (visit The Mill for a tutorial) would blend in well with bohemian theme decor.

From the ideas above you can see how there is so much that can be done just with the bed area alone. Make the bed area your focal point when hunting down bohemian decor pieces for your dorm room. For me, the bedding would be the most important part of the bed area. Get that right, and you’ll have a well styled space.

Around the Room

Here are a few more main ideas for creating the bohemian dorm room:

Dark hued and patterned Persian style rugs can really set the bohemian style in a room. Overlap a few together to create a informal and cozy vibe (3).

Plants, if you can find the time and patience to take care of them, will add some charm and warmth to a dorm room. Check out the DIY macrame plant hanger in picture (4), you can find the tutorial here. Or use vintage style bottles to house them, just like the bottle in the shopping section below.

If you can change up your windows, then get some dark hue patterned fabric (5), lace, or macrame curtains. You can also hang a dream catcher by the window and the sunlight will cast a soft shadow in the room.

Cozy Lighting

When the sun falls, you’ll want to have some cozy lighting to create that bohemian inspired vibe in your dorm room. To do this, you’ll want to avoid using the ceiling lights. Instead use table or floor lamps, string lights, or how about flameless battery powered candles (like the ones in the shopping section below).

These flameless battery powered candles can be put inside of Moroccan lanterns. When they light up, they will create shadows on the wall. There are also shadow lamps just like the one in picture (6).

Bohemian Decor and Accessory Ideas

If you need a mirror, try and get a frameless Middle Eastern shaped one – like the one in shopping section below.
For any furniture pieces you need and can put in the dorm room, like a dresser, chipped painted wooden pieces would work best.
Or you can store your things in a vintage trunk, or old vintage suitcases (Vintage Storage Ideas). For more storage ideas have a look at my post here: Make The Most of Your Space: Dorm Room Storage Ideas
An alternative to hanging up tapestries on the wall is to use a mix of vintage wooden photo frames just like in picture (7). Go out and thrift for some artwork. Mix it up to make it look worldly – hang up classical paintings, black and white photos, along with with frameless printed out photos of your own.
If you have bohemian or hippies chic style jewelry, see if you can hang them out in the open as they will double as decor elements in the room.

So that’s about it when it comes to bohemian decor ideas for a dorm room. If there were only three things you could get to style the room, I’d say get:

Awesome bohemian bedding (patchwork quilt)
A wall tapestry
And a persian rug

Just with these 3 items, you are 90%-98% of the way there.

Going Shopping

When out shopping, if you can thrift for old design items these will add more authentic charm to a room. But for now, here are some boho style items you can easily get online:

Remember: For safety, different dorm halls will have different rules for what you can and can do to decorate your room. From how you can hangs things up, to what sort of items your not allowed in the room (real candles). So check out the rules for your dorm room before buying anything.

image credits: 1/2/3/4/5/6/7

For more bohemian decor inspiration, check out these mood board posts: