A few monts ago my mum brought me beautiful old rustic wooden bench she had at our countryhouse.
She said I probably would make better use of it than having it collecting dust in the cabin.
It had a cute and actually a bit charming blue color, I had to think a while before I decided if I was going to remove the paint or not. Well I finally decided to remove it. Even if the color was cute it wasn’t really my favourite. The bench is really old and had some charming marks, old wormholes (yes I think those are a bit charming) that I wanted to make sure didn’t vanish in the process. That meant hardly any sanding for this project, instead I used paintremover and scraped/brush it off. Then I let it stand outside for a few weeks, come rain, come shine.

I thougt it looked a bit pale afterwards and I was after a rich and deep brown shade so I ended up giving it a light coat of waterbased stain in the shade ‘dark oak’. I really like working with these stains; they come in powder in small sachets and you mix the powder with water and brush it on.
Since you mix it yourself you can easily adjust the quantity, I usually use onle one teaspon of stain in one cup of coffee with water. This is the result, and I’m really happy with this little remake and how this old rustic wooden bench got a new life.

In collaboration with By Benson

I want my garden shed well organized and my garden wild and lush, does that make any sense? Well it does to me and I suppose that’s all that matter. I just gave my garden tool shed a very much needed makeover and i’m so thrilled by the result. I absolutely looove to organize pretty much any space. My closet is color coordinated, in my pantry everything stands in pretty lines.. and now my garden tool shed is exactly how I wanted it too. The satisfaction is real, I guess you can tell from my face.

The space already excisted. A few years ago we built a wooden half wall on the short side of the porch to protect a bit from the wind and make it cozier. On the outer side of the ‘wall’ we added two large barndoors and created a mini shed for gardentools. This way my husband can keep his garage for ‘his’ stuff and I can have the greenhouse for growing things and for storage. We where both equally happy. This past year that I have grown a passion for gardening also made me want to look over the shed. It wasn’t really that inspiring. This was the starting point, the ‘before’.

With very little I managed to create a big change, at least I think so. I had half a bucket of leftover white outdoor paint, a few pegrails, some old hangers and a new doorhook since we were lacking one and my husband had used a rock to keep the door closed. No words.. You can see the rock on the photo above.

I started by emptying the shed and brush it off so I could paint it. Then I carved out some space infront of the doors so I could add stepping stones in front. The grass groving infront would let us open the doors. Nando is always there to help and company me.

And here is the final result, the wight paint makes it so much brighter and easier to find everything. The beautiful waterhoes is from Benson and its the crown jewel of the shed. Absolutely love it!

In collaboration with Italian Art Mikrocement

Our kitchen just got a facelift, a sustainable renovation with microcement. I’m beyond happy with the result. Minimal but warm. Modern but at the same time utterly timeless. Calm and simple.
If I had to choose only one typy of material or product when it comes to renovating sustainably I would choose microcement without hesitation. It’s stronger than regular cement-based mixtures and its also suitable for just about any surface, tile, laminate, wood and many more. Microcement is also a very eco-friendly and sustainable option in different aspects. You dont need to tear out exixting surfaces if you want to give your house a new look. Maybe the bathroom tile or the kitchen countertop is in good and functional condition but you don’t like the look and feel of it. Then microcement is a great option. You just cover the existing surface with it. The less we throw away and recycle instead, the better. You can also choose pretty much any color you want -However I chosed the natural unpigmented color of the microcement. I think it’s perfect just as it is. We applied the microcement on the counterop and on the old backsplash tile for a smooth and seamingless finish.

What is microcement?

Microcement is a blend of cement, fine aggregates and polymers, along with a waterproof sealant that makes it ideal for kitchens and bathrooms. It also creates a joint-free finish that’s super-easy to clean. It’s long-lasting, making it a good choice for your economy and the earth. Like all cement products, it takes a bit of time and a few layers to make microcement, but once it’s installed, it will last indefinitely. There’s also very little waste created during the application. And once it’s applied, no volatile emissions are emitted. Microcement also has a lower carbon footprint. ‘Tiles, marble and other traditional finishes are heavy and come with a larger CO2 cost when it comes to transporting them, ‘This finish is lighter, and therefore it has a much lower CO2 cost.’ The secret to success with microcement is to make sure the underlying layer is firm and won’t move or crack. The colors, textures and styles are pretty endless.

Can you apply microcemnt by yourself?

Many of you ask if its possible to apply it by yourself and the answer is yes you can. I’ve done it twice already. You need patience, a steady hand, great tools and a soft touch. However this time I got help from a true proffessional that uses only the very best quality of microcement; a Italian brand called Nikkolor.
-And yes, there’s definitely a huge difference between different brands. I realize that now that I can compare. There’s also a difference between how my own work with microcemt looks compared to the one that ‘Italian Art Mikrocement‘ applied in my kitchen.

Discount code

If you live in the Stockholm area I have a very nice discount code for you. 10% off with code ‘linapaciello’.
so if you ever thought about renovation sustainably with microcement I can highly recommend ‘Italian art Mikrocement’. You can also apply the ROT-avdrag on top of the 10% which gives you a 60% discount.

Before and after

We had a fully functional countertop and tile before. But I did’t like the highgloss countertop and I had painted the tile as a provisional solution until we would apply the microcement. I also sold our stove and bought another one (secondhand) that I think suits the kitchen better. Less modern, more timeless. It’s not a huge difference but it’s in the details as they say and I’m extremly pleased with the change.