idea notebook
The $100 Makeover
How old shutters and leftover paint added drama to a drab dining room
bright idea!
Extend the length of storebought drapes, and avoid dirty hems, by sewing dark borders to the bottoms of white curtains.
Table, $1,499; potterybarn.com. Runner, $99; canvashomestore.com. Vases, from $38 each; Lostine, 215-825-7270. Pendant lights, $179 each; shadesoflight .com. Rug, $699; crateandbarrel.com.
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PHOTOGRAPHS BY BJÖRN WALLANDER
Laura Durrer’s mantra: Throw something against the wall and see if it sticks. Her latest medium: shutters, which now span from floor to ceiling in the blogger’s Reno, Nevada, dining room (follow her at olive andlove.com). Inspired by a display she spotted in an Anthropologie store, Laura (below) began scouring area thrift shops, Craigslist, and her local branch of Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore in search of cast-off wooden window coverings—never paying more than $5 apiece. Then she cleaned and painted the shutters while her husband, Dan, installed a series of wooden rails to support the arrangement on the wall. Making the pieces fit—and varying the colors and sizes— proved challenging. Friends swung by to offer assistance, and the couple’s young children even pitched in. “It’s not perfect,” Laura admits, “but I love it. Everyone from the neighbors to our UPS guy can’t help but stop and stare in amazement.” —JOURDAN CROUCH
Want to cover one of your walls with shutters? Turn the page to learn how!
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idea notebook
Re-create the Durrers’ Shutter Wall Laura and Dan began by clearing all the furniture out of their dining room and measuring the wall they planned to cover. Then, they spread out enough shutters—30 total—to fill that 18'W x 10'H space. Here’s what the couple did next:
THE PAINT PALETTE Rather than purchase new paint, Laura simply used whatever she had left over from previous projects. These shades from Benjamin Moore ($4.99 for 16 ounces; myperfectcolor .com) deliver a similar look:
Spirit in the Sky Benjamin Moore
STEP ONE After cleaning the shutters and removing any hardware, the Durrers taped off floor space that corresponded to the wall’s dimensions. Within that area, they played with the placement of the shutters, marking where to cut any that overlapped. Once satisfied with the arrangement, Laura notated each shutter with a number, keyed to a paint color to ensure a varied palette.
STEP TWO Dan cut the marked shutters with a power saw and sanded the edges. Then, Laura painted the shutters, one color at a time, returning each shutter to its spot on the floor once the paint had dried. To give some shutters an aged look (above), she applied a dark ebony stain over the dry paint, then wiped the stain off after about 30 seconds.
Fantasy Blue Benjamin Moore
Forest Hills Green Benjamin Moore
STEP THREE Meanwhile, Dan built a support system for the shutters by cutting two sheets of 5/8-inch plywood into strips that each measured a few inches wide and eight feet long. He used a stud finder to locate the studs, then screwed the strips horizontally into the wall, spacing them about 18 inches apart.
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STEP FOUR Laura and Dan (above) moved one shutter at a time from the floor to the wall, screwing each in place atop the support rails. When necessary, Dan would trim the end of a shutter to make it fit, or he’d fill in a gap by cutting a smaller piece from an extra shutter and painting the piece to match.
Mineral Alloy Benjamin Moore
PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF LAURA DURRER
Stanhope Yellow Benjamin Moore