Design Happens

We all know that old cliche: new year, new you!

Every time January 1 rolls around, I’m inspired to rethink my ways. Sometimes that might just be to eat healthier (and give away that stockpile of holiday sweets asap) or get a snazzy new haircut. Other years, it’s a total overhaul of my home space. Usually, I clean out my closet (and donate or giveaway the unwanted stuff), refresh my slipcovers, change the bedding, bring out different dishes, and maybe throw some new paint on a wall or two. Nothing like an update to your surrounds to punctuate that fresh-start feeling.

We at HGTV are lucky enough to have a long holiday weekend, and I plan to take advantage of the time to do a little housecleaning and New Year rethinking. To get prepped — and inspired — I’ve been looking around for ideas and tips from a few of my usual home and design sources. But first, I realized, I’ve got to get control of the clutter, which only doubles after the holidays (thanks to new gifts and just general rearranging for the seasonal decorations).

Here are a few good sources I’ve found:

Clear the Clutter, Live Stress Free
The first, best step for sprucing up is to ditch the clutter. After all, you don’t see any of those fab makeover rooms on HGTV overrun with trinkets, old magazines or, well, much of anything that doesn’t serve an immediate design or practical use. This article has a few quick — and eco-friendly — first steps to take.

Clever Organizers
I’m a sucker for creative reuse — so when I saw this HGTV gallery spotlighting a few simple ways to transform aluminum cans into simple (and often decorative) organizers, I was thrilled. The kitchen utensil holders are delightful.

Declutter Your Life
The eco-pros over at Natural Home Magazine also have this lengthier piece, filled with tips for how to reuses your existing space creatively (because, really, who has the money for a total remodel these days?). There are suggestions for rethinking furniture positioning and understanding how your rooms relate together in a holistic (and whole-istic) way.

Mission Organization
And maybe I won’t be going whole hog like the folks on this show, but I still love to watch the video clips just to see how others have tackled their biggest problem spots (e.g. overrun countertops, managing multipurpose rooms). You can see the next episode on HGTV on January 5 at 9am ET.

For more visual inspiration, check out this gallery of stylishly organized spaces.

What’s on your home resolution list for 2009?

Vern has a knack for making spaces personal. In this Deserving Design bedroom makeover, he surprised the homeowner with framed childhood photos.

What musician wouldn’t want to hang out in this cool room?

Vern's mix of pattern, texture and color works beautifully in this cozy living room.

Vern often creates home offices on Deserving Design. These rooms are organized, bright and conducive to work and inspiration.

If you dream of design stardom and would like to learn from the likes of Vern Yip, try out to be a contestant on season four of Design Star. Entries will be accepted until January 5, 2009.

Do you agree with casasugar’s choice of Favorite Male Designer? Who is your favorite HGTV personality? Do tell!

Merry Christmas all!

In the spirit of the day, I thought I’d honor some of those hardworking holiday decorators over at Rate My Space. Below are a few of my favorite shots to get you in the mood. Be sure to head over there in a spare moment (if you can grab one) to browse, share and vote for more.

Nonaterry transformed her living room into a vision of sparkling white - all from the odds and ends she “shopped” from her basement and attic (who says you need to buy new stuff every year?). The battery-powered LED lights give the mantel and glass coffee table a modern glow to bounce off the classic glitz.

A few oversized glass vases, brimming over with sparkly Christmas balls, make a simple but dramatic statement on Jefferylkemp’s coffee table display.

We all know red and green, but red, white and black? In this case it works. Tamgypsy based her tablescape around Frosty’s top hat and picked up inexpensive dishware or used what she already had. The peppermint swirl placemats add nice texture.

Did you go classic or get creative this year? Go add your photos to Rate My Space and tell us about them below.

If you’re missing that final gift, find your nearest bookstore and grab one of these fantastic design books. They’ll also make great hostess gifts for the New Years’ Eve party you’re attending or a fabulous addition to your own coffee table.

Michael S. Smith: Elements of Style

Bunny Williams’ Point of View

The Color Scheme Bible by Anna Starmer

Axel Vervoordt: Timeless Interiors

Rooms to Inspire: Decorating With America’s Best Designers

Vogue Living: House, Gardens, People

What are some of your favorite design books?

Holiday dinner parties, cocktail parties, open houses… it’s non stop during the back half of December. Many of us like to bring along a bottle of wine to contribute to the festivities. This year I’m going the extra step of trying to find wine bottles that give the gift of design. I want my contribution to compliment all my hosts’ hard work by looking lovely on their table – or by serving as a conversation starter.

A few of my favorites:

Francis Ford Coppola Wines

I love the twisty labels. You can find lots more creativity on Francis Ford Coppola’s winery site.

These beauties from Root:1Wine reflect the winery’s practice of using only original, ungrafted roots in its vineyard. I love their earthy look.

Sfida is Italian for “challenge,” which is what these vintners say they want to do to your notions of wine. I’m already sold by their bold, stark graphics. They’re a nice anecdote to the whimsy overload that can accompany the holiday season.

And finally, if you’re looking for a down-to-earth option, you can always try:

Wine by Joe

My caveat is that I haven’t tried all of these wines. I’ve just admired their looks. If you want to know how they taste, you may want to check them out on Wine Spectator or just give them a try.

And if you can look at beautiful, funny, creative wine labels all day then don’t miss the Serious About Wine label design blog or The Dieline’s spirits packaging blog.

When I took HGTV.com’s new What’s my Style quiz, the results said my design style is Eclectic. That’s a fair assessment. My home is a mix of old and new against a palette that spans the color wheel. Over the years, my husband and I have collected a myriad of accessories that are – in a word – different. My mother knows I see beauty in things many others discard. On her most recent trip to the Judson home, mom arrived carrying gifts. One in particular stood out. When I first saw it, I thought, “What in the world is it? And where in the world am I going to put it?” She placed it on the kitchen countertop where it remained until this weekend when I decided to inspect it, play with it and find a way to integrate this unusual object into our home.

First of all, the color – opalescent baby blue – is the opposite of our aesthetic. The texture is knobby with a lovely ripple around the edges. The weighty object has four parts: a bowl and three fluted horn-shaped pieces that protude up and out from the bottom of the bowl. Upon further inspection, I learned that the horns are removable. Curious. It is in perfect condition. The object came from my stepfather’s brother’s wife’s grandmother, Marie Squibb. I imagine it gracing the top of Mrs. Squibb’s table or sideboard, but I want to know more. I’m hoping someone out there can identify this antique and tell me a little about it.

I’m told it might have been manufactured by the Fenton Glass Company, but I could not find a stamp of any kind on the piece. What was at first an oddity that I didn’t think would find a spot in our home has become my new favorite antique. Sometimes all it takes is a little creativity and an open mind.

My new serving piece – filled with fruit kabobs and nuts – is sure to be a conversation starter at our next dinner party.

Remove the horns and discover a serving bowl that turns simple popcorn into a snacktime event.

Check out this centerpiece! Filled with white, green and brick red flowers, the baby blue glass seems to disappear but at the same time makes quite a statement.

Do you like old things? Visit HGTV.com’s MarketPlace to browse hundreds of antiques and reproductions. For resources on how to determine the value of an antique, check out What’s It Worth on Fine Living Network.com.

If anyone can shed any light on my new baby blue accessory, I would appreciate it!

Looking for fun, unique stuffers for your stockings? We’ve found five items sure to add a little design to anyone’s home.

Add some cuteness to your kitchen with these adorable tea towels from Ferm Living.

Often considered the symbol of wisdom and learning, this simple owl paperweight from Canoe is an elegant addition to anyone’s desk.

Fill this Vintage Camera Photo Album from Anthropologie with favorite photos for a unique and personal stocking stuffer.

These letterpress coasters from Elsa + Sam Dishware Boutique are printed by hand on a vintage Chandler & Price press.

Metal Architectural Letters from CS Post and Co. are the perfect stuffer for anyone on your list.

Share some of your favorite finds in the comments.

Your holiday decorations may already be in place, but if you’re anything like me, you’re always open to more inspiration (and thinking about next year). I did some online window shopping to see others’ creative — and re-creative — ideas for decking the halls in an eco-friendly way.

Here are a few favorite finds:

The Cardboard Christmas Tree
Forget all those pine needles and think inside the box this year - the cardboard box, that is. This recycled cardboard tree comes with ornaments or can host your own collection. Paint it, add some glitter, drape it in lights (like flickr user, Amanda385, does). Then when the season’s over – just fold it up and stash it in a closet. At three foot by three foot, it’s perfect for an office, kid’s room or dormitory. Plus, sales proceeds help the Arbor Day Foundation. Similarly, this Snowflake Tree from Cardboard Safari is a tabletop-friendly alternative.

(Eco-extra.: Between a live or fake fir tree, always opt for the real thing, which you can turn into mulch and feed to your garden – a gift that keeps on giving!)

Paper Wreath
I just discovered a clever crafter who rolls up old bits of wrapping paper, music sheets and other scraps to make indoor wreaths. You can buy her designs through Etsy – or if you’re extra industrious, follow her lead and see what kind of wreath you can create.

Recycled Wrapping
Flickr user jamieleto takes old Art Forum issues and lets their colorful photos and graphics be her wrapping paper. With a little ribbon and a recycled gift tag attached, these presents looks good enough to appear in – and not just be made from – a magazine!

Bottle Tree
Maybe this bottle tree isn’t for you (it wasn’t for the folks at Ugly-Christmas-Tree.com, where I found it), but it’s definitely a Christmas conversation piece – and might fit right into a sporty game room. Here’s an idea: throw a holiday party, serve one or two types of bottled beer or soda, and ask guests to assemble the tree as they finish their drinks. It helps with post-party clean-up too!

Recycled Ornaments
And let’s not forget our own offerings. HGTV.com has some crafty ornament ideas – “Spoonaments,” made from old or mismatched silverware (everyone has some crowding a kitchen drawer), and cross ornaments, made from used DVDs or CDs.

As a Director of Original Programming for HGTV, I get to see many our shows long before they air, which means that I have great access to the hottest trends and state-of-the-art design ideas. What I’ve been noticing lately is that people are going crazy-creative with chandeliers! In fact, I just got so inspired, that I purchased one for myself and it didn’t cost me an arm and a leg.

ZGallerie Gold Capiz Hanging Lamp

I swear, people come to my house and think that I spent $1000 on it, when it was actually under $300!

Some other favorites that I found in my journeys include:

ZGallerie Erto Chandelier

West Elm Cut Glass Chandelier

And my very favorite of them all:

mogullife.com Swarovski Crystal Chandelier

I’d love to see yours to get ideas for even newer, more unusual materials. Right now I am very into shells, Swarovski Crystals, and blown glass, but I’m sure that there are tons and tons of others I haven’t been exposed to yet.

Happy holidays everyone. I hope you have an “illuminating” season!

We are busy creating an all-new HGTV.com: coming (very) soon to a computer screen near you. Check this out for a sneak peek of the new site. We’ll be taking down all of the blogs for a few days then they’ll be back better than ever.