Back for the first post of the year, my creative juice run out after my Xmas writing streak, but also the first few days of the new year were spent in the usual post-holiday torpor. Until I finally managed to haul my ass to Ikea for a lunch of meatball, and some bits and bobs I needed to complete the hallway.

Obviously, it was a Saturday afternoon of a grey January, so it was packed and I hated it, but I managed to get everything I wanted and some bits more.

Mostly, I’ve been after the Perjohan bench with storage, which was in and out of stock, but I was finally able to get one after much pondering on which size I wanted. It was intense: these things sell like sourdough bread at a farmer’s market. I kept checking the app as we were going through the IKEA maze, and the number was going down… I eventually arrived at the self service section, where I was able to grab one out of the only four left. Phew!

I went for the short one, but as I write this post I’m thinking maybe I should have got the long one just in case: more storage space. In particular since the top has been kept mostly free to allow my cat to use it to jump on the window sill, she hasn’t used it yet, but since once she tried to jump on the window and failed, I wanted to help her.

Anyhow, why was I so obsessed with it? First, storage. Second, unpainted wood.

You see where I’m going here? New quick project alert!

As I had all the paints out (leftover from painting the hallway), I also decided to color match the LIDL shoe rack I had now for several years.

Not much preparation, just a light sanding on the shoe rack since it’s, I believe, MDF, but I didn’t sand the bench since it’s untreated wood. A light sand might have given a smoother finish, but currently, sanding is not my favourite activity.

I used Dulux primer and undercoat first, one layer for the bench, two for the shoes rack. The black is the same Homebase Satinwood Zebra black I used for the skirting board and trim. I really like this black, so dark and intense, and it matches my kitty, my little fluffy blackhole. It took me about about 3-5 days, between painting and drying between coats, I started over the weekend and finished during lunch and coffee breaks while working from home.

I’m pretty happy of the outcome, and the hallway now looks neat and welcoming.

Next renovation project is a bit higher on the ambitious scale, while bring me closer to the… ehm… floor, if you know what I mean. In the meanwhile, I’m now working on something to frame, a sneak peak here.

Stay tuned for more mediocre DYI!