Things You'll Need:
- 2 black picture frames 2 red tassels 2 cup hooks Small finishing nails Tack hammer Roll of gift wrap printed with oriental designs Ruler Pencil Scissors White household glue Assorted wire desk accessories Roll of press-on paper printed to look like marble
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Step 1
Remove the glass and cardboard from the black picture frames. Cover the cardboard with the oriental-style wrapping paper, cutting it to fit and then gluing it to the cardboard. Let dry, then slide the cardboard panels into the frames, but don't put the glass back in.
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Step 2
Nail the frames to the doors of the chests using a hammer and small nails. With a ruler, find the center of each panel and mark it with a pencil. Put a cup hook into this spot, and push the top of the red tassel over it, hiding the hook. This makes a new door pull for each chest, whihc now has an oriental feeling to it.
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Step 3
Make that black coffee table into an oriental dining table. Store plump cushions underneath it to sit on. Place the table on a woven mat, and keep a tall vase with one dramatic flower in it on one end of the table when it's not in use. Hang paper fans on the wall above it.
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Step 4
For a more high-tech look, strip the entire room of clutter or any knickknacks. Polish all black furniture to a high gloss, and then use those brightly colored wire desk accessories in your living room or bedroom for holding magazines, the remote or your mail. The more streamlined the room, with no fussy details anywhere, the more high-tech the look. Use light canisters on the floor for a finishing touch.
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Step 5
For a Victorian look, repeat steps 1 and 2, using the picture frames and cardboard to update the black wooden chests. Cover the cardboard with the marble-printed paper, slide it back into the frames without the glass and nail them on. The "marble" panels make the chests look more Victorian. Put lace-edged handkerchiefs or doilies on top of the chests for a finishing touch. Next, arrange a collection of knickknacks artfully on top of that paisley scarf from your closet that you've used to drape the coffee table. This Victorian look is really opposite the high-tech look, with many focal points scattered around the room.
