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No-Fuss Entertaining

by siteadmin November 12, 2008 3 Comments

I love entertaining. And with the holidays right around the corner, it’s a great excuse to spruce up my home and make it inviting for guests without a major overhaul. I was flipping through Parenting Magazine of all places,(this is what happens when you have a 14 month old!), and was inspired by an article that tells how to get your home ready with just a few easy additions.

PILLOWS

Pillows with accents of cool blues, greens and silvers offer great versatility for holiday entertaining and year-round use without overpowering your existing decor.

This one from West Elm adds a unique print and vibrant color to any sofa or chair.

These gorgeous Tamara peacock and Evelyn Natural throw pillows from blisslivinghome.com are neutral yet add texture and holiday flair.

TABLEWARE

Pull out your existing tableware and mix with new pieces. I use these fleur-de-lis glasses from Anthropologie instead of traditional wine glasses. They come in several colors and are a great way to add a European-inspired touch to any cocktail party.

Roost also makes these beautiful Amelie Luster Glasses that come in a set of six, which you can pick up at Velocity.

Add a great punch of color to your dining or coffee table with these Indian-inspired Simrin Surya cotton napkins, also from Velocity.

BATHROOM

An easy way to revive your bathroom for holiday entertaining is by swapping out the shower curtain, bath mat and towels. This Himmeli print from Crate and Barrel is inexpensive and freshens up the space without a lot of fuss.

And last but not least, adding candles and fresh flowers always makes any home feel festive!

Just a few easy ideas that prove you don’t have to sacrifice your current decor or wallet for the holidays to make your home an inviting and stylish space.

What are your ideas for easy holiday entertaining? Share them here.

Size Doesn’t Always Matter

by siteadmin November 10, 2008 9 Comments

When I meet someone at a social gathering and they find out that I’m a Director of Original Programming for HGTV, they always assume I’m living in a large, highly-decorated estate. I’m HUGELY flattered, always honored and somewhat guilty to admit that my abode is no such place. I leave the big jobs to my friends Taniya Nayak, Monica Pedersen, Angelo Surmelis, etc.

My home is modest and yet what I would consider fabulous at the same time. I have a very manageable home (it’s a 2 bedrooms/2 bath ranch built in 1950) — and it’s less than 1600 square feet.

However, I’ve managed to turn it into a bit of a real-world showplace that fits my own personal taste. Nothing in it is extravagantly expensive or incredibly unique — but when I walk through my front door each day, I LOVE what I see.

So what’s my style? I love contemporary furnishings that are still somewhat affordable (www.crateandbarrel.com) with little flashy indulgences of what I call “the awesome factor” (www.mogullife.com) — this website has inspired me to no end. Put it all together, and you have a comfy, cozy, personal and very “me” home.

Bottom line, you don’t need a mansion to feel like a mogul — trust me, I’m trying to live it by example. How have you been inspired to turn your real-world home into a showplace too? I especially love to hear about stylish, smaller homes — after all size doesn’t always matter!

Inspiraton On Demand

by siteadmin November 8, 2008 8 Comments

Inspiration comes in all different places, but sometimes you need inspiration on demand. For times like that I hit the net. I start off by looking at the rooms that HGTV viewers like YOU send in for Rate My Space. After that, I go to my favorite blog (second to Design Happens, of course!).

Desire to Inspire has hundreds of new inspiring images of professionally designed spaces each week. Daily, they update the blog with pictures of beautiful and unique homes. When I’m decorating someone’s home, I ask them to go to Desire to Inspire to tell me what spaces they are attracted to. When I’m decorating my own home, I spend weeks saving images from Desire to Inspire in my “Inspiration Files” and then one night, I sit down and try to figure out what all of my favorite rooms have in common.

Clearly, all of the spaces I’ve been drawn to lately have crisp white walls. This weekend, I’m throwing a painting party with all my girlfriends and covering up the color in my living room with a fresh, clean, white.

What websites inspire you to design?

Myles of Solutions

by siteadmin November 5, 2008 1 Comment

Design Star winner Kim Myles just finished her second season on her hit show Myles of Style, but she’s also been hard at work answering questions from viewers on her weekly vlog. If you haven’t already checked it out, head over to see her quick fixes for window treatments, color disasters, paint techniques and so much more.

Get all of Kim’s budget-friendly tips on her vlog.

Six Quick Halloween Picks

by siteadmin October 31, 2008 No Comments

Thanks to our guest blogger, Jody Jones, SVP, HGTV.com.

Drape your kitchen table in the colors of the season. Williams-Sonoma’s Sari Jaquard tablecloth is a favorite.

Martha Stewart’s glittered pumpkins are an easy and longer-lasting alternative to traditional carved pumpkins.
For fall tabletop flair, plop freshly-harvested apples into a gourd bowl that you make at home.
I especially like this shaved swirly design carved on a white pumpkin.
Feeling bold? Orange and black home design ideas are more treat than trick.
Celebrate your well-appointed Halloween: Mix up a Black Devil or one of nine other Happy Halloween Cocktails.

Tiny Houses

by siteadmin October 30, 2008 8 Comments

I’ve always considered myself something of an expert in small living spaces. After all, I lived in Manhattan for five years. But the members of the small house movement have put me to shame with their 100-square foot havens.

Tough economic times are putting them in the news lately. I saw a post on Strollerderby today, and it references a recent CNN profile of two different home owners. If you check them out you’ll read a lot about how these people give up space in order to save money or even to make a political statement. The element I think they both miss is that these homes are beautiful. The architecture, both the modern and the traditional, is lovely and on such a small scale every single detail shines.

Check out this sweet bungalow. It’s a mere 250 square feet.

You can get a tour of two interiors courtesy of CNN.

I love the cozy space, the rigorous organization, the elegant efficiency. Some day, admittedly after my son is grown, I could see myself happily ensconced in my own perfect 250 square feet.

If you decide to downsize, Small Space, Big Style has what you need to make it work.

It’s a Duvet Day

by siteadmin October 29, 2008 2 Comments

I love fall. The leaves changing colors, cool weather setting in, and most importantly, I get to pull my down comforter out of the linen closet. Of course, my favorite thing about down comforters is finding the perfect duvet cover. Plus, it’s one of the easiest ways to update the look of your bedroom for the cold weather.

The Organic Cotton Pin-Tuck Duvet from West Elm is my buy this year. I love how the tucks add a great texture to the simple cover.

Gaiam’s Organic Gold Fiore Print Duvet features delicate red blossoms, perfect for creating a Zen-like atmosphere in your bedroom.

The Iron Gate Crewel Duvet Cover from Williams-Sonoma Home has a cool interlacing graphic design in dark chocolate and white for a more contemporary look.

Now, go cozy up your bedroom and don’t forget to share any of your great finds in the comments.

Tasteful Herb Decor

by siteadmin October 28, 2008 8 Comments

You’ve probably spent the past weekends prepping your garden for its long winter nap. As you harvest those fall vegetables, don’t forget to snip any remaining fresh herbs to gather for the upcoming feasts (yes, Thanksgiving is only a month away!).

If you can’t use up all that thyme, rosemary and basil while it’s fresh, consider drying the bounty. Load up a homemade solar herb dryer (made from an old picture frame, wire mesh and suction cups) with your favorites and hang them in a sunny window — talk about a fresh kitchen design idea!

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Once they’ve dried, just store the herbs in old spice bottles or Mason jars. Or if you’re extra crafty, why not create your own fragrant kitchen wreath? Then you can enjoy their beauty and have herbs on hand for that evening’s dinner. DIYnetwork.com has some helpful steps for making a decorative herb wreath, and Better Homes & Gardens has a living-herb version.

Herb wreaths are a lovely melding of two of my passions: natural décor and food! But sadly this year, growing herbs didn’t make my to-do list. For folks like me, there’s always pre-made. Organicbouquet.com sells one made with organic rosemary, thyme, bay leaves and dried chili peppers for a pop of color — the green-and-red palette has a bit of a Christmas feel, too:

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Vivaterra.com also has an organic version, made with a more varied collection of marjoram, dill, thyme, sage, lavender, anise, cinnamon sticks, yarrow and, again, chili peppers for a little zing:

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And Surlatable.com’s take comes with fresh bay, sage, purple oregano, Santa Cruz oregano, lavender and chile de arbol, all pesticide-free and suitable for cooking:

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I can just smell them now. Scrumptious!

Have you ever made your own herb wreath? Which herbs would you put in yours? Share your ideas in the comments below.

A Greener Green Thumb

by siteadmin October 27, 2008 6 Comments

Here in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, the first freeze of the season is just hours away. Time to protect those sensitive outdoor plants! For me, often that means bringing plants indoors. Plants are a delightful way to add life, color, texture, interest — and even stress relief — to any space. Plus, if you’d like to be more environmentally-friendly, decorating with houseplants is an easy way to “go green” — literally. They can help you and your family breath easier especially in the winter if you spend most of your time indoors. Plants produce oxygen, absorb carbon dioxide and actually clean and purify the air of toxic VOCs — or Volatile Organic Compounds found in cleaning products, pesticides, paints, perfumes, laminates, carpets and tobacco smoke.

Take your houseplants to the next green level by planting them in recycled or reused containers. Almost any vessel that will hold soil and water can be considered a planter. Below are some of my houseplants potted in containers that once had previous uses. My husband and I feel good about giving these containers new life while they provide the home for life-giving plants that we love to have indoors. It really is good to be green — all around.

My husband re-potted this growing Norfolk pine in an old, heavy crock pot insert he found at a thrift store for $4.

This hammered metal bowl once held hair accessories. Now, it’s the perfect complement to this Stonecrop plant.

This unique wedding present was intended to be a serving dish. It came with serving spoons shaped like a shovel and a pitchfork. We decided to keep the serving spoons in the kitchen and utilize the wheelbarrow to house a container garden.

What are your favorite houseplants? What containers have you re-used in an inventive or unusual way? For more information about living green including a list of the best houseplants for cleaning the air, visit www.ecologue.com