DIY CEMENT Bowl or P lanter

Cement bowls and planters are versatile, have a unique look and are simple to make. Ashley has a variety of homemade bowls and planters throughout her house. Although the size options are endless, she cautions against making anything too large, which will be very heavy. Here’s how you can make one yourself. WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

• Cement mix

• Larger metal or plastic bowl

(as a mold)

• Smaller metal or plastic bowl (to nest inside the mold) • Cooking spray • Rocks or another heavy item

WHAT YOU’LL DO:

1. Measure the amount of cement you’ll need by filling the larger bowl with water, then pushing the smaller bowl inside until the excess water overflows. “It doesn’t have to be the exact same shape, you just have to have something that gives you the space to create a bowl,” Ashley says.

2. Pour the remaining water into a separate bucket for mixing. This is roughly how much cement you need.

3. Spray the interior of the large bowl and the exterior of the small bowl with cooking spray.

4. Mix the cement as per the manufacturer’s directions, and pour it into the large bowl.

5. Fill the small bowl with rocks or another heavy material, and push into the newly mixed cement.

6. Allow the cement to dry away from the sun for at least 24 hours before carefully removing it from the mold. To finish, you can paint, stain or keep the bowl in its natural color.

Ashley’s renovated southern California home is filled with a mixture of furnishings against the white and neutral farmhouse-style backdrop. “Sometimes when you have a bunch of old stuff together it can look a little junky, but when you mix the new with it, it’s very cozy,” she says.

A NEW LOOK FOR AN OLD HOME

The 1960s era home needed a good bit of updating when she and her husband Seth purchased it in 2016, but Ashley had a vision. “It was not pretty when we moved in,” she says. “I knew it had potential. And I knew it would be a lot of work.” Ashley and Seth have done “99 percent” of the work themselves, using online tutorials when they’re unsure how to do certain steps. Before tackling each project, they consider the available budget and time, then look for ideas to start the plan and add their own twist. Doing the work on their own gives them freedom to adapt plans, but can take longer than hiring a contractor and often leads to unexpected bumps along the way. “You try to be patient and calm, and remember that tomorrow is another day,” Ashley says.

" I love the white palette. It feels so clean and fresh. If you want to bring in color you can bring in accents, but you still have a clean base.”

A" ll white can “All white can feel cold feel if cold you if don’ t you add don’ t warmth add warmth with plants with plants and wood and tones.” wood tones.”

The satisfaction of the result is worth the challenges. “I love to see the improvement, to see what we had and what we just did,” she says. “I don’t want it to ever be done.” Soon after they moved into the home, Ashley began posting furniture refinishing and home renovation experiences to Instagram, which has evolved into a full-time adventure for her. When decorating and designing her home, Ashley always focuses on a good base. That currently means white walls and furnishings. “I love the white palette. It feels so clean and fresh,” she says. “If you want to bring in color you can bring in accents, but you still have a clean base.” She adds those accents with neutral and muted pillows and rugs, adding more natural color with plants. Both live and faux plants fill every room, bringing vibrant shades and nature into the design.

Both live and faux plants fill every room, bringing vibrant shades and nature into the design.

Ashley places plants into a wide variety of containers, from baskets to pots, some homemade and some from secondhand stores. Some are repainted, but generally she leaves them in their original state. “Adding in greenery gives it that homey feel,” she says. “If a room feels blah, adding that green in there gives it life.” This new table mixes with a vintage mirror and a variety of old and new pieces. The brass candlesticks and seltzer bottles are collectibles. Ashley purchased the vintage corbel on the bottom shelf in its current state.

A former wall cabinet still retains its original clasps and tin inserts. It’s the first piece of vintage furniture Ashley purchased. The piece currently serves as storage for various items in the primary bedroom, and is flanked by homemade cement planters that sit atop a new dresser. Ashley likes their imperfection. “It just makes it look very authentic and original,” she says. “It’s nothing like you’d see anywhere else.”

Ashley painted faux brick paneling as the backsplash around the sink. “It’s a really inexpensive option and it’s so easy, you don’t have to worry about cutting tile, and it looks real,” she says. The single basin of a farmhouse sink gives much more room than a standard sink. In the evenings, she often lights candles for ambient lighting. “It just makes a room feel so cozy,” she says.

In the newly renovated kitchen, Ashley chose brass CABINETS fiXTURES, REMINISCENT OF AN OLD MIRROR FRAME. “IT HAS THAT DARKER COLOR THAT HAS OXIDIZED OVER THE YEARS,” SHE SAYS. THE QUARTZ COUNTERTOP ON THE ISLAND EXTENDS TO A SEATING AREA WITH FOUR BARSTOOLS SITUATED ACROSS FROM EACH OTHER TO FACILITATE CONVERSATION.

The homemade shelf next to the sink includes pegs for hanging tools. The shelves are filled with items that are multifunctional. “I like to have things that are useful but are also décor,” Ashley says. With a collection of white dishes, the look isn’t cluttered.

Ashley knew she needed something large along the wall of the dining room, but there wasn’t enough room for an additional piece of furniture. She chose to lean an enormous five by seven-foot mirror against the wall. “It’s the most amazing statement piece,” she says. The mirror reflects the new kitchen and hanging vintage chandelier.

The hallway off the dining room/kitchen leads to the bedrooms in the house. Ashley added wallpaper wainscoting to the short and narrow hallway, a great option to add interest in a small space. “It gave it decoration,” she says. The barn door adds more interest to the room.

The home’s only dark wall is in the guest bedroom and office. “It was just a fun space to be able to do something totally different,” Ashley says. “I love the way that it looks, but I just can’t have it in the whole house.” The mirror on the wall was once part of a vintage dresser. The bedstand is an old trunk Ashley found by the side of the road. She exposed the wood on top and dry brushed the piece.

(above, left) The primary bedroom is full of vintage treasures. Ashley acquired the painting at a thrift store. It was chipping, so she used gold Rub n’ Buff to repair it. The color gives the room a pop of color, while the cream and brown of the linens add warmth to the space. The vintage mirror is one of many in her home. “There’s no such thing as too many mirrors, in my opinion,” Ashley says. (above, right) The primary bathroom is filled with white. The brass faucet and fixtures coordinate with those in the kitchen. The bathroom has no natural light, but the white helps keep the room bright. “It makes it feel a lot bigger too,” Ashley says.