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Confession: I have no formal training in the world of design, decor and style. Which is precisely why I was dumbfounded when my electrician asked for a lighting plan a few weeks ago. What? A lighting plan? Yes, I’d like light, please. Is that what you mean?
Sadly, no. He meant for Husband and me to spend the next 48 hours agonizing over the placement of switch plates, dimmers and pendants. And you guys, I have never wanted to sell this house more than I did those horrid two days.
Lighting Plan, Minus the Insanity
My favorite type of interior design involves repurposing what’s lying around into something fresh. Here are some examples of reusing with style.
Design*Sponge distresses an old dresser with milk paint.
young house love shows the alternative to buying a $200 drum pendent light.
Avid readers will adore Ohdeedoh’s beautiful book covers.
This rosy Malma mirror from IKEA hacker will take time, but the finished product is gorgeous.
lemon tree creations shows how to create chic monogram dishes.
Little Green Notebook upholsters furniture without the hassle of sewing, fabric and measuring. Jenny also shares how to repurpose craigslist furniture duds into gems.
For more, check out our photo gallery, eco-furniture on a budget.
HGTV Design Star judge Vern Yip is an award-winning architect and interior designer. He gained national acclaim through his private design practice and as a designer on TLC’s Trading Spaces, NBC’s Home Intervention and HGTV’s Deserving Design. He is frequently seen on such television shows as Today, The Early Show, Oprah and Live! With Regis and Kelly. Vern sat down with HGTV’s Lindsey Weidhorn to dish on his amazing interior design journey and why he says gray is the new neutral.
1. When did you realize you wanted to be a designer?
It is pretty crazy to say this, but I knew from the very beginning that I wanted to design. My parents brought me over from Hong Kong when I was two months old. They had previously fled Communist China and wanted me to have access to the best schooling possible. By doing this, they made major career sacrifices. My dad, who was a biochemist, took a job as a busboy at the Marriott hotel in Arlington, Virginia and my mom, who was a child psychiatrist, took a job washing floors in a bank. Of course, knowing all of the sacrifices they had made for me, I wanted to please them. They wanted me to be a doctor because that is a revered profession in Chinese culture and a stable job. I knew, however, that I loved to design. After finishing the pre-med program at The University of Virginia, I took the MCAT (Medical College Admission Test) and got into medical school, but two weeks before school started, I told my mom that I couldn’t go through with it because I needed to design. She was not surprised. Moms are never surprised.
More From Vern
I’ve never really thought about stairs as a thing of beauty or creative expression…until this week. There’s something so mesmerizing about spiral staircases, and I’ve especially fallen in love with stairs wallpapered with funky patterns. So get your stairwells out of the background and into the spotlight with these unique and creative designs complete with numbers, mice decals and even books.
Climb to New Heights of Style
Moving into a one-bedroom apartment with two other girls has shown me the true beauty of a well organized, walk-in closet. Ah, closet envy!
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Biltmore’s third annual flower carpet covers more than a fourth of an acre and took over a year to plan.
This year’s inspiration for the tapestry came from Mr. George Vanderbilt’s stained glass window collection, which was created in the 1880s by artist and interior designer John La Farge. Each year, Travis Murray leads the Biltmore gardening crew, who use over 100,000 plants to create this garden art.
For Biltmore’s first flower carpet, the team used plants of a certain height to create an even flow. The next year saw a diversity of heights and textures to pop specific elements in the design. Using this concept, this year the team used varying textures and heights to replicate the three-dimensional elements of La Farge’s windows.
The carpet’s color palette mimics the jewel-tones of the windows in glowing shades of red, orange, blue, yellow and gray. Travis’ execution of the flower carpet captures the sparkling qualities known as a hallmark of La Farge’s work.
The windows that inspired the floral masterpiece are also on display in Biltmore’s newest guest venue, Antler Hill Village.
The public can enjoy the flower carpet during day visits, or purchase a ticket for Flower Carpet Evenings now until September 12th. During the evenings, we can watch the sun setting over the tapestry, while enjoying live jazz. Picnic options, wine, beer and other beverages are all available for purchase. Get information on visiting Biltmore.
As a star-struck fan of cottage-style decor, A Beach Cottage is my daily (and healthy) dose of eye candy. Sarah, the blog’s author, is a wife, mother, decorator and lover of all things sea-inspired, vintage and unique. She created A Beach Cottage as an outlet for her projects and decorating ideas, as well as inspiration for those trying to achieve their own cozy beach cottage look.
The Joys of Cottage Living
Happy Friday! This week, you could win a custom piece of kid’s art from MadeByGirl. With over a dozen different designs for girls and boys, MadeByGirl’s prints highlight a child’s name in a colorful way.
Primary Colors (pictured) is one example of a print you could win, but there are also Jackson Blues and Jellybeans.
You can choose any color combination for the special kid in your life. For those of us without near-and-dear children, a pet, last name, or your own name could be featured. This is customized art, after all, so style it for your life!
For a chance to win, answer this week’s question before 12/11c, Monday, August 30.
This week’s question: Whose name would you feature in your art and why?
Kimberly Grigg is the principal designer and owner of Knotting Hills Interiors, based in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Kimberly earned her degree in business and interior design from Winthrop University. With her husband Roger she has six children — adopted, blended, and biological — and an assortment of pets. We love that volunteerism plays a significant role in her family’s life and that Kimberly makes a yearly to-do list of 50 things that make a difference.
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Joshua Foss, known best to HGTV fans as the green contestant from the second season of HGTV Design Star, is the principal designer for Thrive Design Studio. Thrive focuses on sustainable design and also helps businesses create sustainable business strategies.
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