HGTV Design Blog - Design Happens

Studio Style: DIY Projects for My New Place

by Kayla Kitts May 23, 2013 3 Comments

I’m one of those Pinterest people. You know the type. Their DIY board is a mile long and they pin to it every day but they’ve never done a single project. I’m also one of those people that will refuse to buy a certain product because “I could totally make that myself.” Sigh. I promise I’m on the path to recovery. I’m going into my new place with a confident, do-it-yourself mindset. And last week I conquered the first furniture makeover for my new place.

So, I’ve become mildly obsessed with Chalk Paint® decorative paint by Annie Sloan after a demo here in the office. I used a few colors (Henrietta and Paris Grey, to be exact) and some painter’s tape to completely transform a $10 laminate tripod table I found on Craigslist into a colorful, geometric show-stopper. I don’t want to boast, but she’s stunning. That project opened up Pandora’s box.

Chalk Paint Table Design

My second furniture transformation project happened yesterday on a whim. Two months ago, I fell in love with a gold, ornate floor mirror at one of my favorite antique shops. The owner marked $75 off the price, I loaded her up and drove away feeling like a proud mother. Two of the edges were severely tarnished, so I decided I’d just give it a fresh coat of paint and make it my own. After using the Chalk Paint®, I knew I wanted my mirror to have more of a matte finish and less of a lacquered look, so I used the same Graphite hue that Marianne used on her sheepskin rocking horse. I could only give it one coat of paint before the rain started, but I was able to actually get in all the tiny crevices and remove most of the gold. Today I plan on applying coat number two and a clear wax to finish.

See Kayla’s Painted Mirror

Answer to “Decorate This Space: Pick the Right Pergola”

by Farima Alavi May 23, 2013 No Comments

You guessed correctly if you chose option C. The pergola in this outdoor space, designed by Christopher Grubb, is made with renewable redwood lumber. A freestanding outdoor shower sits right behind the pergola, creating the perfect outdoor oasis.

Design by Christopher Grubb

We randomly chose one person from the comments, and Barbara E. is the winner of an HGTV iPhone 5 case, a black sun visor hat and this month’s issue of HGTV Magazine. Congrats!

Check back next Wednesday to decorate a new space.

Daily Delight: Craftsman Tool Chest Nightstand

by Grant Dudley May 23, 2013 No Comments

The unexpected adds a playful energy to a room. For his first home, designer Tommy Chambers adapted a Craftsman tool chest as a nightstand, building a simple alderwood base himself to raise it to a more convenient bedside level. “The splash of color is great,” he says, “and I love the nostalgic element of this common item from my childhood.”

EXTRA: LIVING LARGE IN A SMALL BEDROOM >>

Photo by David Phelps

Build Your Perfect Room With One Kings Lane + HGTV

by Kayla Kitts May 22, 2013 5 Comments

What would you do if you had an empty room, a blank canvas, that needed to be designed and decorated from the ground up? It sounds like a daunting task, but if you have all the elements to build your perfect room, then there’s no reason to not begin right away. HGTV has partnered with home and lifestyle shopping site One Kings Lane to provide all the right pieces and expert tips so you can create your very own in-home getaway. Starting today, May 22 at 11 a.m. EST, you can shop this exclusive sale. Ready to build your perfect room? Let’s get started!

First, start with a solid foundation. Pick out a stylish area rug, statement chair or lucite table lamp that catches eyes from the doorway. Then, began layering on pieces that represent your personality; hang a piece of modern artwork, add texture with soft bedding, throw in patterned pillows for a punch of color or simply add a few charming accents to your side table. Follow tips from HGTV experts and designers to help create a space that represents you.

Check out some of the gorgeous pieces you can purchase today on One Kings Lane. Plus, follow these tips from HGTV experts on using them in your own home.

Build Your Perfect Room With One Kings Lane and HGTV Layer With Accents

Tip: “A decorative object can inspire an entire room. I like to look at it and highlight what I like. Is it the shape? The finish? The color? Hone in on these elements and use them in your design.” — Danielle Colding

Build Your Perfect Room With One Kings Lane and HGTV Wake Up Your Wall

Tip: “Choosing art is like committing to a partner. Ask yourself: Would I like to wake up to this piece every morning? Does it make me think? Does it bring me joy? If your answer is yes, then buy it!” — Genevieve Gorder

Build Your Perfect Room With One Kings Lane and HGTV Warm Up Your Floors

Tip: “When choosing a rug, don’t let bold pattern and color intimidate you. When covered with furniture at home, it will look much more toned down.” — Genevieve Gorder

Build Your Perfect Room With One Kings Lane and HGTV Bring In History

Tip: “When everything is new, a home tends to fall flat. When you sprinkle in vintage pieces, their character and history immediately sparks conversation.” — Brian Patrick Flynn

Build Your Perfect Room With One Kings Lane and HGTV Layer With Accent Pillows

Tip: “When mixing patterns, one should be large scale, one can be a busy print and one can be colorful. They’ll get along better if they’re not fighting to do the same thing.” — Jillian St. Charles, Vice President of Programming

Let’s talk. What’s a must-have item in your perfect room? A sofa you can sink into? An area rug to warm up cold feet?

Budget Beach Cottage Before and After: Kitchen

by H. Camille Smith May 22, 2013 8 Comments

Three years ago, my sister bought a rundown fishing cottage on the NC coast. While any beach house is certainly better than no beach house (I’m not complaining!), this particular cottage was in pretty bad shape. Check out more before-and-after photos here to see what I mean.

Before: Dark, mismatched and cramped, the kitchen was a mish-mash of colors and materials. The yellow cabinets were constructed with the house in the ’70s while the previous owners added a few white pre-fab cabinets (front left) in the ’80s for extra storage. In addition to being just plain ugly, the sheet vinyl flooring had definitely seen better days and was cracked and peeling up. Dark, dated and dingy beach house before makeover

The yellow kitchen cabinets put up quite a fight, it took no less than 2 coats of primer and 4 (yes, 4!!) coats of white semigloss to make them over. Other than A LOT of paint, shelf liner and caulk, the cabinets stayed the same. If you look again at the before photo, you’ll notice we had a board cut at the hardware store to fill in a pointless empty space above the sink. For less than $10 for the brackets and board, we added a cute shelf that gives the cabinets the cottage look we wanted.

After: We briefly considered laying tile in the kitchen but decided to continue the wood flooring from the adjacent living room for better flow. Isn’t it amazing what a few gallons of paint (and A LOT of elbow grease) can do?! Paint works wonders to brighten up this beach house kitchen

Before: The fridge was tucked into an L-shaped wall that concealed it from the dining room on one side and the living room on the other. This also meant that the kitchen felt really cramped and wasn’t fully open to either room. Paint works wonders to brighten up this beach house kitchen

After: Moving the fridge and water line to the opposite wall allowed us to entirely remove the wall between the kitchen and dining room and turn the wall separating the kitchen and living room into a small bar area. Bonus: Moving the water line meant my brother could plumb in the dishwasher so we no longer need to roll it over to the sink to run a load of dirty dishes (which was a serious pain in the butt).
Paint works wonders to brighten up this beach house kitchen

After: Here’s another view showing how open the kitchen is now to the dining and living rooms after we removed the partial walls. The column conceals a necessary steel support so it stayed, my dad boxed it in with leftover paneling and trim to make it a design feature. A thrifted brass bell (just $3) lets everyone know when it’s dinnertime.
Removing walls opens up this sunny beach house kitchen

*Three years later, the beach house is still a work in progress, keep checking back for more thrifty transformations.

MORE BEACH HOUSE MAKEOVERS:
Adventures in Antiquing: Easy Beachy Candle Update
Budget Beach Cottage Before and After: Living Room

Decorate This Space: Pick the Right Pergola

by Farima Alavi May 22, 2013 183 Comments

Can you guess which pergola belongs in this outdoor space?

Decorate This Space

Type A, B or C in the comments section, and we’ll reveal the answer tomorrow. One lucky winner will win an issue of this month’s HGTV magazine, an HGTV iPhone 5 case and black sun visor hat. You don’t have to guess correctly for a chance to win.

Choose A, B or C

You may only comment once to be considered, and you don’t have to purchase anything to win; a purchase will not increase your chances of winning. Odds depend on total number of entries. Void where prohibited by law. Only open to legal residents of 50 U.S., D.C. or Puerto Rico, and you must be at least 18 years of age to win. All entries (comments) must be entered between 10:00 a.m. ET on May 22, 2013 and 12:00 p.m. ET on May 23, 2013. Subject to full official rules. By leaving a comment on the blog, you acknowledge your acceptance to the Official Rules. ARV of prize: $30. Sponsor: Scripps Networks, LLC, d/b/a HGTV, 9721 Sherrill Boulevard, Knoxville, TN 37932.

Daily Delight: Baby Burgers for Memorial Day

by Grant Dudley May 22, 2013 2 Comments

A long weekend is in the forecast, people! Yay, us! Let’s agree to spend Memorial Day with good friends and good eats. I can provide the latter with these miniature cheeseburgers with bacon and ranch — yummy!

EXTRA: LIZ GRAY’S COMPLETE WEEKEND PARTY MENU >>

They may be small, but that just means you eat more of them!

What do you have going on this weekend?

You Also May Enjoy:
Memorial Day: Plant a Patriotic Garden
Memorial Day: Enjoy an Alfresco Celebration
Refreshing Memorial Day Cocktails
DIY Picnic Roll-Up for Memorial Day Weekend

Highlights From LEGENDS 2013

by Farima Alavi May 21, 2013 1 Comment

Designers and bloggers alike can agree that LEGENDS is the design event of the West Coast. Held May 8-10 at the La Cienega Design Quarter, the event brought design enthusiasts together for high-profile cocktail parties, book signings, showrooms and more. One of the most popular attractions was the window displays that selected designers created based on the theme, Time Capsule: The Past, Present and Future of Design. Social media ambassadors, Alissa Swedlow of Swedlow Design, Kelly Lee, founder and editor of Kelly Golightly, and Megan Arquette of Megan Arquette Design, give us the scoop on their favorite displays.

Alissa’s favorite display was by Tamara Kaye-Honey of House of Honey at the Waterworks showroom. “I wanted every item in that window to come live with me in my house, including the giant tassel,” she says.

Tamara Kaye-Honey's Window Design

Mary McDonald’s design for Dragonette Ltd. was Megan’s top pick. “Bringing in space travel — which at one time seemed so futuristic — and combining it with classic elements was a fun yet beautiful way to incorporate Mary’s signature style, while keeping with the theme,” Megan says.

Mary McDonald's Window Design

Kelly loved Designer Jeff Andrews’ display at the Downtown showroom because “it was simple, graphic, bold and impactful. Plus, I’m a sucker for black and white,” she says.

Jeff Andrews' Window Design

See More Window Designs

Daily Delight: Aluminum Foil Craft for the Kiddos

by Grant Dudley May 21, 2013 2 Comments

This aluminum foil craft from Freshly Picked will keep your little ones entertained for hours. It’s super easy, and that’s why I love it! I liken this project to giving a child a box to play with/in — it’s almost too simple to imagine your kiddos will enjoy it so much. Here’s the dealio.

MORE: MARIANNE’S POPULAR WEEKDAY CRAFTERNOON SERIES >>

Grab some aluminum foil and your child’s toy cars. Let him or her press the details of the car into the foil — then, let the kids crush the foil cars demolition derby-style.

Photo From Freshly Picked

So easy and so brilliant, right?

Mood Board Monday: Vintage Summer Inspiration

by Kayla Kitts May 20, 2013 3 Comments

I’ve found myself lost in one too many summer daydreams lately. As soon as warm weather arrives, I start yearning for the sand and water. Unfortunately, I wait and take my beach vacays once the dog days of summer have subsided a bit. When are you packing up and heading to the coast? Try not to make me too jealous.