@kylewilliamdesign

Part 2 of turning an old dollhouse into a bar cabinet I can’t afford! While the exterior was inspired by the nearly $10,000 Maitland-Smith Dollhouse Bar Cabinet, for the interior, I’m going full camp. I decided to start at the top with the simplest rooms and work my way down, going for the faded grandeur of an old English manor. I imagined one room as an old, forgotten attic, with plastered walls, exposed rafters, and antique furniture left under dust sheets. The other became a converted attic bedroom, with striped fabric I found at a garage sale years ago as wallpaper (interior designers have the best stuff!). After over 4 million people watched Part 1, you all made it VERY clear that I should go full camp. I quickly realized, though, that some of my ideas were slightly ahead of my skill set. Now, after hundreds of tiny floorboards, carved beams, paneled ceilings, and a lot of trial and error, I think I’m finally ready to tackle the more elaborate rooms downstairs. Next up: the second floor, where things are going to get a lot more elaborate. #miniature #dollhouse #diy #furnitureflip #design

Welcome back to recreating a dollhouse bar cabinet I can't afford. It's time to start the inside to house my teacup collection. My options were keeping it simple or going full camp, and you made it very clear what I should do for my design scheme. I decided to go with the faded grandeur of an old English manor. I've never done anything like this before, so I'm starting with the attic since it'll have the simplest design, with the hope that my skills will grow to match my ambition by the time I make it to the first floor. For the first room, I plastered the walls to give them texture, then painted them a dusty pink. For the other room, I used some fabric I found at a garage sale years ago. As wallpaper, I did everything on cardstock because it was too tight to work in the rooms themselves. The sloped ceiling was a design challenge, so I decided to make a wood ceiling with exposed rafters. I carved the beams to make them look old and worn. I stained one of the ceilings to give it a weathered look and painted the other blue to complement the wallpaper. The the floors were the hardest undertaking. I used beach veneer edging and ended up cutting hundreds of individual floorboards. Then I ironed them down in a staggered pattern. I even drilled tiny holes in the floorboards to mimic nails. I ended up loving the raw look, so I gave everything a clear polyurethane finish for Protection. Finally, I painted and cut the baseboards for each room and assembled everything in the dollhouse. All of that took it from this to this. This was so much more work than I was anticipating, but I fell in love with the process. I also had the idea of adding a little vignette to each room, like this miniature whatnot shelf I draped in Mod Podge covered linen. Let me know if you like it or you think it's too busy. And next up is the second floor, where I'll be attempting more ambitious wall paneling and herringbone floors. But I'm so excited to hear how you think the attic turned out.

#minwaxpartner Restoring this stunning antique dresser that caked in black paint.  A big thank you to @Minwax for sponsoring this restoration! Let me know how you think it turned out!

This painted antique dresser needs a new life, so let's give it one with the help of my partner, minwax. I started by removing the paint with a stripper. Then I used a combination of a soft wire brush and sanding to uncover the stunning Tiger Oak grain. With the wood prepped, I applied Minwax Pre stain Wood conditioner, which helps create a more even finish. Then I used Minwax stain in dark walnut. It's so easy to use. You just leave it on for up to 15 minutes, wipe off the excess, and you're done. Since dressers get a lot of use, I finished everything with Minwax wipe on polyurethane to protect the wood. And all of that work took it from this to this. There's something so special about uncovering century old craftsmanship. And if you're thinking about restoring a piece of your own, check out minwax to find the right stain and finish for your project.

Let's learn ancient crafts to counter brain rot! Today, stained glass, with artist Ben Tuna (@Glass Cowboy). To get started you need: Glass, a glass cutter, lead came, a soldering iron, and cement. Stained glass is over a thousand years old, but it really gained popularity across Europe between 1150 and 1550. The basic techniques used to make stained glass have barely changed since they were documented by a German monk in the early 12th century. A huge thank you to Ben for letting me document the process over the course of a few weeks. It really is an incredibly tedious and time-consuming craft, and it’s amazing that artists like Ben continue that tradition by hand. #stainedglass #craft #diy #stainedglassart #art

Let's learn ancient crafts to counter brain rot. Today. Stained glass with artist Ben Tuna. We start the drawing, start picking material, start picking color. And once that's all established, when we go to the table, we start cutting the glass. Once everything's cut, we lay it out, then we start letting it. The pieces are fitted together with lead came a process that dates back over 1,000 years. Once it's all leaded, then we go to soldering. Then we start soldering all those joints on both sides. So then you flip it, solder every single joint. Once it's all soldered, then we cement it. We have this like dark cement which waterproofs it and patinas it. So it darkens the lead and then it also makes it weatherproof. I think the ability to see the direct product of hard work is a very attractive thing with craft. It's not easy, it's a very hard craft and it's very demanding. Ben is a second generation stained glass artist. I inherited a large collection of glass cause my dad's been doing this for 50 years. And then a lot of the painted glass is all from salvage churches. He gives these salvage pieces a new life in his work. We're responsible for. For carrying on these traditions. And I think that. That this is how you keep them alive. Everything's all hand drawn in here. Everything's all hand cut. Cause you can see the hand in the work.

Making my own version of the Maitland-Smith Dollhouse Bar Cabinet. It’s nearly $10,000, but since I couldn’t afford that, I made my own version for less than $200 with an old dollhouse and a lot of patience (I bought the dollhouse 2 years ago 🫠). Let me know how you think it turned out! I approached the outside as someone who makes and restores furniture, so I’m excited to tackle the inside and learn some real miniature techniques! #diy #miniature #furnitureflip #dollhouse #diydesign

Welcome back to making things I can't afford. I've been obsessed with this dollhouse bar cabinet, but it cost nearly $10,000, so I decided to make it myself using an old dollhouse. I got a sheet of walnut veneer and carefully measured and cut pieces to cover the entire thing, including hundreds of individual shingles for the roof. Then I used Danish oil to deepen the walnut's natural grain. I used wood paint to bring the rest of the piece into the same color palette. The original facade was pretty flat, so I used basswood to add more architectural detail, then used a mold to make decorative capitals and bases for the columns. I added small hinges so the roof opens like the original. Finally, I sealed everything with shellac to make all the different surfaces feel cohesive. All that work took it from this to this. This project was so challenging and tedious, but I'm thrilled I finally did it. Next, I have to tackle the inside. I'm using it to house my vintage teacup collection, so I can either keep it simple like the original, or lean into the dollhouse aesthetic and go full camp. Let me know what you think I should do.

Exploring the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art as it opens its doors for the first time! As someone who grew up obsessed with all things Star Wars, seeing some of the original miniatures and costumes was incredible. But the museum was so much more than Star Wars. It’s an exploration of how stories shapes us. Including a stunning display of the Sistine chapel they needed the pope’s permission to show, the original cowardly lion costume from the Wizard of Oz, a brand new Banksy that made me laugh and filled me with dread, and the most incredible collection of Norman Rockwell paintings. It was surreal being invited to the preview by @Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. I will 100% be back to dive deeper into the vast collection! Check it out when it opens September 22nd! #starwars #museum #film #art #deisgn

The Lucas Museum opened its doors for a preview, and I was truly blown away by it. Before you even get inside, the building itself is a work of art. The architect gave us a tour, sharing how he was inspired by a cloud for the design. And while there's definitely a lot for Star Wars lovers, the museum tackles the ambitious subject of storytelling throughout human history. Described by George Lucas as a temple to the people's art, it features everything from Frida Kahlo and Norman Rockwell to dogs playing poker and Banksy. You could spend days exploring it, and I definitely recommend checking it out when it opens.

A look inside Maison Lézard, a beautifully restored early 20th-century home turned boutique hotel in Mexico City. Thank you @Maison Lezard for having me! The Cielo suite was a dream 🦋🩵 #design #designinspo #hotel #mexicocity #mexicandesign

Whenever I travel, I'm always looking for design inspiration, and Maison Lezard in Mexico City definitely delivered. This boutique hotel was once a private mansion. Built in the early 1900s. They carefully restored the Bozar architecture, but once you step inside, you're met with bold, contemporary design. I stayed in the Cielo Suite, where almost everything was a different shade of blue. It's one of nine suites, each designed around its own monochromatic color palette. With restored stained glass windows, leafy courtyards, swan faucets, clawfoot tubs, and carefully curated antiques. It felt like staying in a surreal dream, one I can't wait to return to next time I'm in Mexico City.

Exploring the work of Javier Senosiain in Mexico City! Parque Quetzalcóatl and El Nido de Quetzalcóatl have been on my bucket list for years. A huge thank you to everyone who made it possible for me to explore these incredible spaces! Javier Senosiain is a leading voice in the field of organic architecture, and I’ve been fascinated by his work for a long time. Parque Quetzalcóatl has been under construction for almost three decades, and getting to spend a day exploring it was easily one of the highlights of my time in Mexico City. . . #design #organicarchitecture #architecture #mexicocity #mexicandesign

This is the work of Javier Senosiain, and seeing it in person really changed my perspective on what good design should be. His philosophy is relatively simple. Reject the straight lines and boxes of modern life and embrace the irregularities and beauty of nature. This philosophy is embodied in El Nido de Quetzalcoatl, his iconic snake shaped apartment building, which got its unique shape from being built around the existing valleys and trees instead of leveling them. And it's part of a much larger project, Parque Quetzalcoatl, an ecological park filled with gardens, rainwater collection systems, and the most stunning stained glass greenhouse I've ever seen. After almost three decades, the park is still being painstakingly constructed, one mosaic tile at a time, with the eventual goal of opening it to the public as our changing climate forces us to reevaluate the way we live. I think we can learn a lot from his approach to living with nature instead of fighting against it. Would you live in one of his designs?

Restoring a vintage bombe chest! I used the French polish method to bring this beauty back to life! Let me know how you think it turned out! #diy #furnitureflip #restoration #diyfurniture #vintage

Restoring a vintage bombe chest. The veneer work is stunning, but it was stained, dry, and chipped all over. In keeping with the style of the piece, I decided to try the French polish method for the first time. Let me know how you think it turned out! Should I post a full tutorial on the oxalic acid stain removal and French polish technique? #restoration #furnitureflip #furniture #diy #vintage

this vintage bomb chest was in rough shape the stunning veneer was stained dry and chipped and it deserved so much better I started by removing the old finish with a stripper you have to work with the grain to avoid scratching it so it was incredibly tedious following the pattern on this piece the stripper didn't remove the stains so I used oxalic acid which worked way better than I was expecting and I wiped everything down with a baking soda solution to neutralize the acid and lightly sanded the surface to knock down the raised grain next I repaired all the missing veneer for the larger sections I cut and fit new veneer and for the smaller chips I used a wood epoxy to finish it I decided to attempt a French polish for the first time I started with a seal coat then used a fine pumice powder to fill in the grain next I applied shellac using a rubber and figurate motions building up dozens of layers over weeks this is infamously one of the hardest finishing techniques and now I know why finally I polished the black and brass hardware all of that work took it from this to this and this to this the amount of craftsmanship that originally went into making this piece deserved to be respected and I hope I did it justice let me know how you think it turned out

I hiked down to the Hollywood Sign with the @Hollywood Sign Official to discuss the history of the sign and the preservation efforts that go into maintaining this international icon. It was an incredible experience getting to see the sign up close and learn more about the history from Chairman Jeff Zarrinnam. Thank you to The Hollywood Sign Trust for providing exclusive access to the sign. It Is not accessible to the public. We discussed what the sign means to us. What does it mean to you? #hollywood #hollywoodhistory #preservation #restoration #History

Did you know in the 1970s, the Hollywood sign was falling apart? Very first sign was built in 1923 with tin nailed to the wooden poles. It was only supposed to last 18 months. It was built as a advertising gimmick to sell plots of land in Hollywood land. There are still remnants of the original sign today. It was one of the prevention devices holding up the letters from falling over. These are the last two remaining posts of the original sign. The company eventually sold the land to the city in 1944. I think they sold it for $10. But by then, people had become attached to the sign. That was actually the pivotal moment in the history of the sign. The chamber of Commerce said, well, it's now more of a symbol of Hollywood. If it will maintain it and take care of it as long as we can remove the land part of it. And then in 1978, the sign was falling apart. Panels were taken off. It was no longer feasible to maintain that sign anymore. So that sign was raised and it was replaced with the sign that we have today, designed to last for a very, very long time. So they created the Hollywood Sign Trust to take care and maintain the sign in perpetuity. They oversee everything from routine inspections and brush clearance to repainting the sign every decade with 400 gallons of paint. A few years ago, when we were painting The sign. The soil had built up to around here, behind the sign. But what we discovered was every concrete caisson has a name or handprint in it. The men that built it also welded their names to the side of the. Yo. Something that was only meant to last 18 months has survived more than a century because generation after generation has put in the work to save it. It inspired millions. There's not a person on the planet that doesn't know what the Hollywood sign is or where it is. So, you know, it's. It has some. Some magic to it.

Let's learn ancient crafts to counter brain rot. Next up: Paper mâché with @Jasmine Archie !! Paper mâché has been around for nearly 2,000 years, originating in ancient China before spreading across the world. Over the centuries, different cultures adapted the medium into everything from ceremonial masks and festival decorations to furniture and sculpture. Which craft should I cover next? #diy #papermache #art #craft #papermachesculpture

Let's learn ancient crafts to counter brain rot today. Paper mache by diving into the incredible world of dork by Jasmine Archie. To get started, you need newspaper, water and flour. I cut the newspaper into strips and then one part flour, two parts water. I boil that on the stove. I add salt to help with mold. Old. I dip them into the paste and then I use my fingers to wipe off the excess. I like to have it, I just very lightly coated on and then put that on my piece and just keep rubbing it in until everything is flat. That's what a lot of people miss. It's like in between each one making sure it's as flat as possible. Yeah, people just. They want to be creating with their hands. It's so therapeutic. We all need time away from our phones cause we're all addicted. So I think people just love the fact that you can take some cardboard, take some paper with things you have in your home and create something so magical.

Asking vendors at the Rose Bowl Flea Market about their favorite things in their booths! In collaboration with the @rosebowl_fleamarket What’s your favorite flea market find? Featured booths (in order of appearance): @pickygirlfinds 
@stricktly_no_elephants 
@southwesterngoth 
@scoutandminer Sketch by @vhs_etc #fleamarket #vintage #antique #furniture #rosebowlfleamarketpartner

What is your favourite thing in your booth? My favourite thing is lamps. It's all about lamps because it's gonna bring you joy when you gonna turn it on. It's like little magic from the past. But I try and buy unusual things. Great old door knockers that's about 250 years old. These are all old cigarette cards when you were being bombed in the war. The air raid precautions. This one, which is a dress that I purchased over in England. It's probably like 1920s, 1930s, and it has the most amazing celluloid buttons. So this is a Spelter. Art Nouveau bus. A Spelter is basically a cheaper option for people who want bronze but can't afford it, so they came up with this composite. I only sell what I like. You? I never thought that in my old days I was going to be doing this. And my husband and I will come because we are lonesome in the house and this is fun for us. It's always amazing getting to hear the stories behind the pieces you buy and meeting the people behind these incredible booths. The Rose Bowl Flea Market happens on the second Sunday of every month, so Mark it in your calendar now.

Just turned 28. I've been thinking a lot about time. Tintype photography was invented in the 1850s. The exposure is unusually long, so you have to stay perfectly still. Once the image is varnished, it can last more than 200 years. #tintype #tintypeportrait #photography #history #losangeles @Modern Tintype

Let’s learn about the Arts and Crafts movement. Researching it made me realize how much of its success came from the people and institutions surrounding it. Guilds, schools, exhibitions, workshops, and patrons created an environment where craftsmanship could thrive for decades. That feels especially relevant today. Interest in handmade work is growing, but creating a world where craftspeople can build sustainable careers is a much bigger challenge. Over the last few months, while filming my Ancient Crafts series, I’ve found a lot of hope in meeting craftspeople and seeing them continue these traditions despite everything. I’d love to know what you think. Are we at the beginning of something similar, or is this just a passing trend? #interiordesign #design #designhistory #history #artsandcrafts

are we living through a revival of the Arts and crafts movement in the late 1800s the movement emerged as a response to mass industrialization many of its leading figures believed industrial capitalism alienated people from their labor damaged nature and concentrated wealth in the hands of factory owners kind of sounds familiar right today mass production has reached its most extreme and the rise of AI has many of us wanting to embrace human craftsmanship again for filming my Ancient Crafts series I've spent the last few months inside hot shops pottery studios and even a marionette workshop it's been incredibly inspiring to see people dedicate themselves to keeping these traditions alive it feels like a glimpse of what could be the Arts and crafts movement celebrated craftsmanship through handmade furniture natural materials hand printed wallpapers and woven textiles with the guiding belief that everyday objects should be both beautiful and useful there was a concerted effort over decades to build the infrastructure necessary for the movement they created exhibitions guilds workshops and schools and by the early 1900s there were more than 100 organizations across Britain creating stable jobs for craftspeople in cities and rural communities it went from a trend to a movement because of that infrastructure if you're an artist a crafts person a designer or keeping a traditional skill alive share what you make in the comments because we need to build a community and it has to start somewhere

Restoring an antique hidden beneath layers of paint. So grateful for all the love on this restoration! It's definitely one of my favorite projects so far. . Here's an ASMR edit of the process. Filming these is always a challenge because I always have music playing while I'm working, but they are so satisfying to put together. • #restoration #diy #furnitureflip #furnituremakeover...

Knowing how old a piece is helps determine what materials, finishes, and techniques are appropriate, and can keep you from accidentally erasing part of its history. A maker’s mark, a mirror date stamp, a design style, and the way it’s constructed are just a few of the clues you can use. Put them together and you have a great toolkit for understanding a piece before you restore it. What’s the first thing you look for when you’re trying to date furniture? Anything I missed? #furniturerestoration #furnitureflip #vintage #restoration #diy

let's learn how to restore furniture today how to date it knowing how old a piece is can change how you approach it there are two different categories antiques which are over 100 years old and vintage pieces which are between 20 and 99 years old the first thing I look for is a Maker's Mark usually found inside a drawer or underneath the piece it can identify the manufacturer and sometimes when it was made this tonet chair has a logo the company used from the 1890s through the 19 so I know it's an antique if the piece has a mirror check the back sometimes you'll find a manufacturing date stamped on it usually the month and year it was made learning major design styles also helps these don't have a Maker's Mark but they're clearly mid century modern which places them around the 1950s or 60s finally look at the construction the joinery screws and nails can all help narrow down the age take this piece I'm currently restoring at first glance it looks like an 18th century bomb chest the style thick veneer and quality craftsmanship made me think it was but when I pulled out the drawers I found staples Staples didn't become common in furniture construction until the 20th century so it's actually a well made reproduction hopefully these tips help let me know if you have a favorite trick for dating furniture

Restoring a pair of antique Thonet chairs from the early 1900s. They are Model No. 3 Desk chairs from one of Thonets' earliest catalogs. Thonet's company was the first to mass-produce chairs on a large scale, selling at least 50 million chairs between 1859 and 1930. Thonet made the lightweight designs by bending wood with steam and used catalogs and model numbers for easy ordering. His business's approach is believed to have influenced companies like Ikea today.

Let’s learn wood carving with @peacekeeperprojects ! Woodworking has been fundamental to human civilization for hundreds of thousands of years. The ability to shape wood enabled people to hunt, build shelters, construct boats, and develop the infrastructure necessary for increasingly complex societies. Evidence of these early woodworking traditions comes from wooden spears discovered at a Paleolithic site in Germany, dating back roughly 300,000 years. Can’t wait to see what you guys create! #DIY #craft #History #woodcarving #wood

Let's learn ancient crafts to counter brain rot today. Wood carving, a craft that has shaped human civilization for hundreds of thousands of years. To carve a simple spoon, woodworker Kyle Richard Hammond recommends starting with basswood. A straight knife, a hook knife, and protective gloves. I like basswood because it is on the softer end of hardwoods. The straight knife is used for the general shaping of the exterior of the spoon. Hook knife is going to be used to carve out the bowl of the spoon. In the process of carving the spoon, we use a few different techniques. Some of the basic ones are power stroke, taking off a lot of material at once. And then you get into finer, more detailed cuts with, like, a thumb push stroke. After you get your general shape of your spoon, move over to sandpaper to smooth out the rough shape. So we're working our way up through the grits from 81 20, 1:50, up to 2:40. And that last grit is gonna give you the most smooth finish. Ready for the finish that you're gonna apply onto the spoon. A food grade mineral oil that can be applied once a week, to once a month, to once every few months. Kind of depends on how often you're using your spoon. I teach a monthly spoon carving workshop. It's really good to get people off of their computers and off of their phones, work with something tangible, and see immediate Results in your hand. It really teaches you how to slow down and respond to what you're doing. Everyone can learn wood carving, and I think that's one of the beautiful things about it.

Restoring antique Thonet chairs from the early 1900s with one question in mind: Completely refinish them or preserve the patina? Besides a few cracks and a damaged finish, they were in surprisingly great shape for their age. With no sand paper or power tools, this simple restoration relied on patience and technique. While it’s not the most dramatic transformation, the results were well worth it to preserve this piece of design history. Did I make the right decision? #restoration #furnitureflip #DIY #furniturerestoration #HistoryTikTokContest

these antique tonet chairs were dry worn and damaged the immediate question fully refinish them or preserve the patina I started by cleaning the surface with denatured alcohol this lifts built up grime without stripping the original finish my instinct is usually to make things look brand new but with these I decided to restore them without erasing their history I mean the curved frames of these chairs were revolutionary Tonet pioneered mass produced furniture by steam bending wood and selling it through catalogs with model numbers I used a chisel to carefully remove years of built up glue dirt and old finish then repaired small cracks in the wood to refinish them I used a rubber a shellac soaked pad wrapped in lint free cloth to apply thin coats of shellac around coat three or four the wood really started to come back to life I ended up applying about 10 coats over a few days after letting the finish cure for three days I applied a wax polish to soften the plasticky sheen of fresh lacquer taking them from this to this the depth of the patina built over 100 years is incredible now that it's been nourished and sealed pieces like this are a reminder that mass produced didn't always mean disposable so did I make the right call or should I fully refinish them you let me know

I asked vendors at the Rose Bowl Flea Market to show me their favorite thing in their booth! I always love exploring the market's 2,500+ vendors, and it was fun getting to hear the stories behind some of the items they brought. In collaboration with @rosebowl_fleamarket. The next Rose Bowl Flea Market is Sunday, June 14th! Featured booths (in order of appearance): @stuck_in_the_past @trashola_ @vintagefurnituredesigns @old.man.coyote

I'm at the Rose Bowl Flea Market asking vendors to show me their favorite thing in their booth. Uranium pieces here. Usually these are from between the 1920s and 30s. Uranium came in anything. So this is a 1930s dress made of jacquard silk. There's a woven pattern in the fabric. I found it in the collection of a woman who. You had an antique store in the 70s. One of my favorite pieces be this red vintage divider is from the sixties. This old man, it's actually a snuff box from the 17th century, and it has glass eyes. These are upholstered in a beautiful avocado vinyl. Yeah, my parents refinished all this furniture themselves, and none of this looks like it when we get it. Just. I have a love for blue and white. I always have. I've been selling at Rose Bowl probably close to 36 years. He here was from a dear friend. I know that he would want it to go into another home and make someone happy like it made him. This is why I love the Rose Bowl Flea Market. Every booth has a story and there's so much to discover. The next market is Sunday, June 14th, so make sure to check it out.