West Elm Inspired DIY Part 1: Black Vases

Ever since West Elm appeared on the scene, I've admired their crisp, modern designs, but haven't found much to get me going. Their latest catalog was an exception. While giving it the obligatory flip-through before the recycling bin last week, I found myself pausing more than usual...and maybe even drooling a little. Here and there, I found things that really appealed to me, and while I still can't conscionably purchase decor at their prices, I can sure as heck create my own knockoff.

Okay, knockoff may be kind of a strong word...how about "inspiration" instead?

The first thing that caught my eye was the Lombok Pottery Collection. I love the fact that they were simple in both shape and color, but still had enough shine to them to catch the light. And anything black is easy to fit into the decor in my house and easily appeals to my male roommates.

My first thought was the bric-a-brac shelves at the thrift store, so I took a quick trip to the Salvation Army during my lunch break. These three little vases are what I came home with.

Bathroom Cabinet Makeover

The house I live in has almost everything a renter could ask for: spacious bedrooms, mahogany laminate floors, granite countertops. That is, everything but decent bathroom storage! The master bathroom has not a single drawer or cabinet. Time to use my thrift store and DIY savvy to solve this problem.

I found this fugly brown cabinet for $20 at the thrift store. As far as I can tell, it was originally designed to hold VHS tapes, but it's also the perfect size for bathroom doodads of various shapes and sizes.