The Dreamhouse Project

Live the dream. Enjoy the journey.

The Dreamhouse Project
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Contact

Blog

  • Home
  • Blog
  • DIY
  • SPRING FEVER with the PARA Blog Crew

SPRING FEVER with the PARA Blog Crew

  • April 8, 2014
  • DIYPaint
  • 36 Comments
SPRING FEVER with the PARA Blog Crew

Well it’s finally here! It’s Spring Fever Reveal day & I’m pretty excited to share what Kes & I’ve been slaving over working on!

When I think of spring projects for the home, the first things that tend to come to mind are storage and organization.  So when we were tasked with a ‘spring paint projects’ challenge, we wanted to find an area of the house where we could solve a problem while adding a bit of style.

The entryway in my mom’s house was the perfect candidate.  Home to a broken, non-functioning storage bench and constantly cluttered with shoes, we decided it was time for an upgrade.  It took us a weekend, some PARA paint & stain, a little fabric and lots of elbow grease, but we were able to take the entry way from this…

PARA Spring Fever – Entry & Bench before

To this!

After: Entry & DIY Storage bench

 

This was our first attempt at building a bench (and really our first at any real type of woodworking) and I honestly couldn’t be happier with how it turned out!

Building a DIY Storage Bench

We built the bench from 3/4″ pine veneer plywood & stained it using PARA TimberCare Solid Stain which we tinted in Runway (P5191-85D).  Because we were trying to achieve such a dark colour we had to use a solid stain – but we watered it down slightly to allow a little more of the wood grain to show through.  We then finished it off with PARA WoodCare urethane varnish to give it a nice glossy finish.  One of the best things about PARA’s TimberCare & WoodCare lines is that they’re water-based, which means no awful smell AND clean up is a breeze!

Staining & painting DIY Storage Bench with PARA TimberCare stain (Runway) & PARA paint (Too Hot to Handle)

The bench seat, we were able to up-cycle from a piece that Kes got from a coworker.  We decided the faux alligator skin had to go & instead covered it using the beautiful Landsmere fabric in Current from Tonic Living.

Covering bench seat with fabric from Tonic Living

For the storage boxes, we opted to paint them in a rich brick red (Too Hot To Handle – P5078-85)  to match the existing feature wall in the entry.

There were a few hiccups here and there, and a couple moments of panic, but we made it through. I must send a special thank you to Kim of The Paint Store Plus Inc. our local PARA dealer for talking me off the staining ledge; as well as Janine of Tonic Living for going above and beyond to help us choose the perfect fabric for our project!

I love how the fabric picks up the other colours in the house!

:)

So what do you think? Did we nail it??

Don’t forget – our PARA Blog Crew counterparts have been busy painting bees as well – so head on over to their blogs and check out their projects by clicking on the banners below!  And once you’ve got your full dose of inspiration – be sure to come back &  get in on the action by linking up a paint project of your own!

SPRING FEVER – Share your Spring paint projects!

A few simple rules:

  1. We ask that you only link projects that were created by you.
  2. You must link directly to a specific post.
  3. Do NOT link posts that are linked to your link party, shop or giveaway.
    If you do, YOUR LINK WILL BE DELETED

Be sure to follow each of your PARA Blog Crew hosts:

The Dreamhouse Project

Bloglovin’ ~ Twitter ~ Pinterest ~ Facebook ~ Instagram ~ Google+

Newberry Sykes

Bloglovin’ ~ Mere Twitter ~ Sue Twitter ~ Mere Pinterest ~ Sue Pinterest ~ Facebook

Pink Little Notebook

Bloglovin’ ~ Twitter ~ Pinterest ~ Facebook ~ Instagram ~ Google+

Saige Wisdom

Bloglovin’ ~ Twitter ~ Pinterest ~ Facebook ~ Instagram

Sweet Suite 10

Bloglovin’ ~ Twitter ~ Pinterest ~ Instagram

By linking up, you are giving us permission to feature your project on our blogs,
Facebook, Pinterest, Google+ and other social media platforms.

Lastly, PLEASE VISIT & COMMENT ON OTHER LINKS!

An InLinkz Link-up


Tagged

benchentrywaylink partypaint projectsPARA Blog CrewPARA Paintsspringstorage bench

Share

Related Posts

Behind the reveal: Creating a hex tile pattern floor

May 15, 2015

ORC Week 5: Master Bath Retreat – the final push

May 1, 2015

ORC Week 4 – Setbacks

April 23, 2015

ORC Week 3: Colours, fixtures & finishes

April 16, 2015

36 Responses

  1. Susan
    • April 8, 2014 - 8:12 am
    • Reply

    Wow, you guys were ambitious! It turned out great.

    • Tash @ thedreamhouseproject
      • April 10, 2014 - 12:33 pm
      • Post Author
      • Reply

      Thanks Susan! Yea…we tend to get carried away when there’s a challenge, lol! We’re really pleased with how it turned out though 🙂

  2. Meredith
    • April 8, 2014 - 8:17 am
    • Reply

    Totally nailed it! I can’t believe this is your first build. You even curved the sides. Amazing 🙂 I feel the need to organize my entry now. 🙂

    • Tash @ thedreamhouseproject
      • April 10, 2014 - 12:35 pm
      • Post Author
      • Reply

      Thanks Mere! I think we surprised even ourselves a bit with what we were able to accomplish. And you totally should! An organized entry makes all the difference. And there are so many little things you can do to make a big impact fairly easily.

  3. Sabrina @ Pink Little Notebook
    • April 8, 2014 - 8:28 am
    • Reply

    Wow I love that bench! Let me tell you that does not look like no amateur bench! You guys did an amazing job. And that fabric. . . to die for!

    • Tash @ thedreamhouseproject
      • April 10, 2014 - 12:38 pm
      • Post Author
      • Reply

      Thanks Sabrina! I know – I’m in love with the fabric too. Janine at Tonic Living is a godsend! I called her with our PARA swatch colour and she emailed me a few potentials to compliment it almost immediately. And I couldn’t be happier with it!

  4. Michelle @ Sweetsuite10
    • April 8, 2014 - 8:32 am
    • Reply

    Your first build and you knocked it out of the park? Kudos! The new bench looks great in the entry, and those cubbies will be so handy. Makes me wish I had space in my entry for a bench

    • Tash @ thedreamhouseproject
      • April 10, 2014 - 12:40 pm
      • Post Author
      • Reply

      Thanks Michelle! The cubbies are really coming in handy. The old bench has been broken for months & pretty useless. Plus having to flip it open to store things was annoying. It’s so nice to have useable storage at the front door again! 🙂

  5. epicimagestyle
    • April 8, 2014 - 8:38 am
    • Reply

    Looks great guys!

    • Tash @ thedreamhouseproject
      • April 10, 2014 - 12:40 pm
      • Post Author
      • Reply

      Thanks Ang!

  6. Antoinette
    • April 8, 2014 - 12:16 pm
    • Reply

    Thanks Tash and Kester, the bench is amazing and I love the colours. You all are the best., As Kashee said this a.m. Wow, I love the drawers!!! LOL. Thanks so much!
    Mum

    • Tash @ thedreamhouseproject
      • April 10, 2014 - 12:41 pm
      • Post Author
      • Reply

      You’re very welcome Mom. Glad you like it. 🙂

  7. Jen
    • April 8, 2014 - 3:04 pm
    • Reply

    Gorgeous! I love that they are pretty functional!

    • Tash @ thedreamhouseproject
      • April 10, 2014 - 12:42 pm
      • Post Author
      • Reply

      Thanks Jen! The function is probably my favourite part! Putting the storage boxes on casters just makes accessing the storage so easy!

  8. Katie Edwards
    • April 8, 2014 - 4:08 pm
    • Reply

    It looks great! You can never have too much storage – especially when it looks this good.

    • Tash @ thedreamhouseproject
      • April 10, 2014 - 12:43 pm
      • Post Author
      • Reply

      Thanks Katie! Never too much is right. Especially at my parents’ house…between the 5 of us living there right now the number of shoes is out of hand! Lol! It’s nice to have an easy place to store them right by the door that keeps them out of the way.

  9. Keisha
    • April 8, 2014 - 6:02 pm
    • Reply

    Love it – turned out great! Love that you made the drawers a different color!

    • Tash @ thedreamhouseproject
      • April 10, 2014 - 12:44 pm
      • Post Author
      • Reply

      Thanks Keish! 🙂

  10. Jen @ RamblingRenovators
    • April 8, 2014 - 11:35 pm
    • Reply

    Look at you, painting and staining! I’ve never been that good with stain. It is definitely a skill I don’t possess. The bench looks fab. Good choice on the fabric too!

    • Tash @ thedreamhouseproject
      • April 10, 2014 - 12:46 pm
      • Post Author
      • Reply

      Thanks Jen! It was my first attempt at staining & definitely something I was nervous about. I was pretty happy with the outcome though. 🙂

  11. Inspire Me Heather
    • April 9, 2014 - 7:21 am
    • Reply

    That bench turned out just beautiful and perfect for your entryway!

    • Tash @ thedreamhouseproject
      • April 10, 2014 - 12:46 pm
      • Post Author
      • Reply

      Thanks so much Heather!

  12. dani@lifeovereasy
    • April 10, 2014 - 1:42 am
    • Reply

    Gorgeous! And I’m sure you will really enjoy all that storage!

    • Tash @ thedreamhouseproject
      • April 10, 2014 - 12:47 pm
      • Post Author
      • Reply

      Thanks Dani! We definitely will. Having useable storage at the front door makes so much of a difference!

  13. Heather in Heels (@HeatherNHeels)
    • April 10, 2014 - 9:20 pm
    • Reply

    WOW! you really transformed it! quite incredible! and I love the fabric you picked:) so pretty!

    • Tash @ thedreamhouseproject
      • April 10, 2014 - 10:35 pm
      • Post Author
      • Reply

      Thanks Heather! It is amazing how something so seemingly simple can really transform a space! I love the fabric too. It really ties together all of the colours in the rest of the house even better than I thought it would. 🙂

  14. Tia
    • April 14, 2014 - 1:39 pm
    • Reply

    Great project! I love the fabric you chose and super smart to use the casters!

    • Tash @ thedreamhouseproject
      • April 28, 2014 - 6:26 pm
      • Post Author
      • Reply

      Thanks Tia! I think the casters is my favourite part. It makes keeping the storage tucked away so easy. 🙂

  15. Christine
    • April 15, 2014 - 9:21 am
    • Reply

    Since you have this project down just right, how about you make one for me? hehe LOVE IT!!

    • Tash @ thedreamhouseproject
      • April 28, 2014 - 6:25 pm
      • Post Author
      • Reply

      Haha! Thanks Christine. It really wasn’t as complicated as it looks. We’ll be sharing the plans & DIY soon! 🙂

  16. Heather (@HomeToHeather)
    • April 17, 2014 - 4:43 pm
    • Reply

    I love your new bench! You did a fab job on it.

    • Tash @ thedreamhouseproject
      • April 28, 2014 - 6:23 pm
      • Post Author
      • Reply

      Thanks Heather! And great job on your powder room. It’s so much more bright & inviting now. 🙂

  17. Lindsey
    • April 18, 2014 - 9:30 am
    • Reply

    Great idea and I love the colour-fabric combo! Excellent work!

    • Tash @ thedreamhouseproject
      • April 28, 2014 - 6:21 pm
      • Post Author
      • Reply

      Thanks Lindsey!

  18. Thalita @ The Learner Observer
    • April 22, 2014 - 5:47 am
    • Reply

    Ok, seriously? Start making more of these and selling them immediately because it looks amazing! I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t love one of these in their entryway. Way to go, you guys. You never fail to impress!!!!

    • Tash @ thedreamhouseproject
      • April 28, 2014 - 6:19 pm
      • Post Author
      • Reply

      Thanks Thalita! You’re so sweet! xo

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

About us

Connect with us

Recent Posts

  • Behind the reveal: Creating a hex tile pattern floor
    May 15, 2015 - 10:13 am
  • The big reveal: Our Master Bath Retreat
    May 7, 2015 - 10:36 am
  • ORC Week 5: Master Bath Retreat – the final push
    May 1, 2015 - 11:05 am
  • ORC Week 4 – Setbacks
    April 23, 2015 - 7:54 am
  • ORC Week 3: Colours, fixtures & finishes
    April 16, 2015 - 4:33 am

Search

Categories

Architectural Design Awards Before & After Construction Crafts Design Week DIY Events Financing Holidays Home Automation Home Renovation Ideas Injuries Interior Design Kids Milestones Moving Neighborhood One Room Challenge Fall 2014 One Room Challenge Spring 2015 Paint Random Acts of Paint Real Estate Shopping Technology Tools Uncategorized
  • Home
  • Blog
  • DIY
  • SPRING FEVER with the PARA Blog Crew

© 2016 The Dreamhouse Project

  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Google +
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Contact