Putting inspiration into practice

I think I must have been living under a rock for the past number of years as I have only recently discovered the amazing world of blogs...I hate to tally up the number of hours I have spent immersed in some beautiful and inspirational blogs over the past couple of weeks. Over the coming posts I hope to highlight each of those that have really resonated with me - and those over which I continually drool in terms of the beautiful home design and decorating images. They are certainly helping to keep me on track with my budget/saving resolutions so that I achieve my own space to decorate sooner rather than later!

In the meantime, I'm dealing with the same issue as many others - how does one stylishly decorate a rental property...and one that doesn't have a great deal of storage. Two of the earliest blogs I read had great posts about picking up a piece of furniture cheaply, and then renovating/restoring it to fit within their homes. Here are the links and the finished products that set me on the path of my own little project.

A Field Journal

The Thirties Dresser

The finished project as published by A Field Journal (I love this blog!). This dresser was purchased for $5!! I was immediately inspired to start searching ebay etc for storage that I could restore to add both beauty and function to my little flat.

Life Begins at Thirty, Right?
Craiglist Chairs Makeover

The before and after pictures as posted by Life begins at thirty, right?
Isn't it amazing at how much a change can be wrought by some new paint and fabric? I love these chairs.

...So, this brings me (finally) to the whole point of this post. Taking my inspiration from these posts, I am now the proud owner of a lovely little glass fronted wooden cabinet purchased for £20 on ebay...not the $5 bargain that A Field Journal sourced, but still a bargain I think (and to be honest I'm just delighted I actually won an auction on ebay...I never usually win those).

So, here is the before picture:

I'm thinking some eggshell white paint, with perhaps a contrast colour for the interior...stay tuned for the 'after' pictures...