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Daily Delight: Ikea Blog

by Lili Zarghami April 5, 2011 2 Comments

Did you know that affordable-furniture powerhouse Ikea had a blog? Me neither!

newspaper dresser by ikea

The blog is full of great ideas on how to personalize and decorate mass-produced goods. Since it’s written in Swedish, non-speakers will probably need a little help from Google translator. The editors transformed this very basic Ikea dresser with newspaper, wallpaper paste, and smart leather pulls. I look forward to seeing what else they’ve got up their collective sleeves.

Featured

Design Watch: Kelly Wearstler Blog

by Lili Zarghami February 8, 2011 6 Comments

Interior design darling Kelly Wearstler has launched a new blog, My Vibe My Life.

kelly wearstler blog

The west coast interiors pro favors “maximalism” born out of a reaction to the minimalism of the 1990s. So far on her blog she’s shared pictures of her “vibe trays” used as inspiration for various projects, as well as a couple of shots of her design studio. Kelly says she will share her personal collection of photos which feed her creativity and give her happiness during her busy days.

Blog of the Week: SF Girl by Bay

by Kayla Kitts October 1, 2010 1 Comment

The Golden Gate Bridge, cable cars and Pier 39 are just a few of the classic reasons why I love San Francisco. Now, I have a new reason – the delicious design blog SF Girl by Bay.

Blog of the Week: DecorPad

by Jenna August 24, 2010 2 Comments

decorpadlogo DecorPad is a community-oriented blog where members upload home decor photos and viewers look through the projects. Members can also create a design library to stash their favorite projects for later inspiration.

3 Gorgeous Rooms After the Jump

Renovation 101: Q&A With Erin Loechner

by Erin Loechner August 4, 2010 4 Comments

Hi all! Because August is going to be a heavy month for renovating (siding and kitchens and baths, oh, my!), I thought I’d take a deep breath and pause for a moment. Renovating is a strenuous process and I’ve found that even when you’re not living in the same house you’re renovating, the drywall dust (both literally and metaphorically, I suppose) seeps into every other area in your life, causing a renovation haze that I’m convinced no one can understand unless they’ve lived through it.

So, if you’re considering a renovation (or are in the thick of one yourself), I’m here to answer your burning questions. We’ve been collecting reader questions for a few weeks on Twitter, Facebook and the blog, but if I’ve missed yours somehow, feel free to email me. I’m glad to help.

house-of-david-delfin-and-gorka-postigo-in-madrid-by-aka-studio-photos-by-manolo-yllera-_yatzer_11_69592097 copy

P.S. I’m sprinkling in a few inspirational rooms that I love so you’ll have plenty of eye candy along the way!

Advice From the Renovation-Worn

Design Bloggers Unite: Blog Out Loud 2010 in NYC

by Erin Loechner June 18, 2010 2 Comments

Here at HGTV.com, design holds a special place in our hearts. Whether stationery, product, interior or packaging, design has a way of holding our hand through the endless sea of ugly things — beckoning us to re-think, redo and rejuvenate.

Of course, our adoration for the Internet also abounds, so when you meld the two? Burning love. You can imagine how excited I was, then, to participate in a NYC panel a few nights ago about design+blogging. At Blog Out Loud on Monday night, today’s top design bloggers waxed on about authenticity, sincerity and the business of design in a swanky, industrial-inspired loft in the Flatiron District.

design_for_mankind 2010-06-17 at 11.30.23 PM

On the panel? Super-smart Meredith Barnett of The Inside Source, flawless tastemaker Alison Feldmann of Etsy, driven Amy Dragoo of ABCD Design, witty and positive Michelle Ward of When I Grow Up… and me. Our audience members were sweet as pie, listening to us share the perils of overloading inboxes and the joys of our very first comments (most of which were from our mothers, admittedly).

The design community is indeed a lovely one, and although our audience members left with smiles and inspiration, it was us, the “expert” panelists, who left exhilarated. Michelle Ward notes, “It was absolutely reinforced to me last night that the blogging community is one that is a positive, supportive community. We’re here to share our wins/lessons/challenges, make connections, build relationships & find the like-minded people who live on the other side of town and on the other side of the world.”

And as a small-town gal living in a tiny Indiana city, those relationships are my saving grace. Meredith Barnett adds, “I found it fascinating that the primary benefits cited by so many panelists were the relationships and friendships built through blogging. It’s amazing that we meet so many people virtually…and then pretty cool to bring it back to the real world in an event like last night’s.”

What about you, readers? Do you have a blog? Would you ever start one? (I’d highly recommend it!)

Blog of the Week: Hooked on Houses

by Chelsey Bowen December 4, 2009 10 Comments

Hello, my name is Chelsey, and I’m a blogaholic. I read over 200 design blogs regularly and that’s not even counting the fashion, pop culture, cooking and photography ones I visit daily. However, I do have my favorites — the ones I look forward to reading every day and Hooked on Houses is one of them. Julia is a Midwestern gal with a passion for homes and lucky for us, she decided to start sharing her favorites in 2008. Be sure to take a look back through her archives; there are some incredible homes and inspiring decorating ideas.

Ready to get a taste of Hooked on Houses? Check out her top 20 posts here. My favorites are Coco Chanel’s apartment and the Sex in the City real estate (mainly because I can’t stop looking at the closet Big built for Carrie)!

Introducing: Design Happens

by admin August 24, 2007 6 Comments

I like pretty things.

I like them even better when they surround me in my home, not just my computer screen. But alas, a decorating editor’s budget is woefully cheaper than the things she spends her days writing about. Sound familiar? Most of us have tastes bigger than our budget — it’s just one of those understood facts of life, right up there with the brown-plus-black fashion faux pas.

But when I walk into my home, I don’t want it to feel like a shrine awaiting the day I can afford a Mies van der Rohe Barcelona chair. I’m a big believer in indulging in your home, beginning the day you move in (of course, try telling this to your parents who still have white walls and boxes in their home 12 years later.) At HGTV.com, we spend a lot of time talking about how investing money in your home will get you big financial returns — but what really interests me is the returns I get in my mood.

Enter: Design Happens. This blog is a license to obsess with me over pretty design for the home that inspires and makes you feel good. You don’t have to rely solely upon the style greats to create a comfortable living space. I’ll be scouting new, old and tried-and-true design inspiration and goodies for your home, with a healthy dose of affordable thrown in. Here’s hoping your white walls will soon be goners!

Before we kick off the decorating spree, you wouldn’t believe how hard it was to come up with a blog title for this concept. Here are some of my favorites that, thankfully, never made it off the cutting room floor:

Design: It’s What’s for Dinner!

*Designoids — curiously strong style

Design Forecast – strong possibility of damask showers at 9 p.m. tonight!

Design Pill — take three and call me in the morning

*My friend Chelsey, HGTV assistant editor, came up with this gem. She also came up with the final name of the blog, to which I say, “thank you” for avoiding a lawsuit with Altoids.