Secret #16: I love the idea of moving the curtains to one side of a window in order to create height and dimension.
Secret #15: Maybe it's the minimalist in me, but less is definitely always more!
Secret #1: This speaks directly to renters and small-space dwellers: Make your room easily interchangeable with modular furniture that serves multiple purposes. Less cost for fewer pieces, more money to add stylish accessories.
What are your favorite tips from the show?
]]>I am oh-so-envious of the Rate My Spacers who made design happen in their laundry room — one of the most neglected and utilitarian spaces in the whole house.
By catjack
Wash, rinse, repeat in casual country style.
By colorchick
I'm drooling over all that cabinet space. Plus, how cool is that floor detail?
By onlythebest
I refuse to believe that this is a laundry room.
Psst, did you see the Rate My Space widget yet? You can grab your own right here to put on your website, blog or MySpace page. Just click "Get & Share" below.
Left - One of those "I wish I thought about that!" gifts: The StoryCatcher or PhotoCatcher from Rory Siefer, family biographer and CatchMyMemory founder. I agree with Rory when she says these kits are instant family heirlooms, and especially handy because mom, or grandma, can sometimes be forgetful.
Middle - The Sansa Fuze MP3 player is not only mom-friendly (read: intuitive and easy to use) — it's budget-friendly, too. For less than $100, gift mom with a place to hold her Beatles collection, photos and videos of the family, and special recorded messages from you. Plus, it's pink!
Right - Break out your childhood masterpieces and turn them into art at Imagekind. With a few clicks, you can recreate memories for mom on canvas instead of construction paper. Get free shipping until May 11 with promo code MDay2008.
Top left - Save mom from stubbing her toe on a midnight jaunt to the loo with VivaTerra's silver Leaf Night Light. It's by far the most stylish night light I've ever seen.
Bottom left - Karim Rashid's stylish, self-watering Grobal plant pot will impress mom's friends when she has them over for tea: no more drooping houseplants!
Top right - From JCPenney, these eco-friendly Studio Capiz Shell Candleholder will remind mom of the ocean.
Bottom right - Mom will enjoy getting in shape with this stylishly eco-friendly, non-slip yoga mat from Shama Living.
Top left - The Firsthand Soap Dispenser from NapaStyle is perfect for moms who love being in the kitchen, and take pride in keeping it clean and stylish.
Top right - Violet's Rare Beauty Eye Pillow is filled with flax, lavender and chamomile to soothe mom's headaches.
Bottom left -Take mom on a trip down memory lane with Uncommon Good's retro-style TV trays.
Bottom right - This hot pink Gerbera Daisy Umbrella from Patina might make mom wish for more rainy days.
Get more Mother's Day gift ideas from culinary queens to animal lovers.
Download: Listen to the 8-minute interview with Carter Oosterhouse
Coming Soon: The second part of the interview, with Carter's answers to some of your questions.
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Here's how to get that designer look by answering 10 quick questions. Answer each of these honestly and you're well on your way to decorating bliss.
1. How will you use the room?
Try not to get stuck on labels. Just because the builder called it a dining room, doesn't mean you can't use it as a game room instead.
2. Who will use the room?
List the family members – and guests – who will be spending time in the room.
3. Find inspiration for the room's design.
Make a "look book" for your room from designs you liked in magazines or even things you saw in your friends' homes. I get lots of inspiration online at Designers' Portfolio and Rate My Space.
4. Draw the floor plan of your room on graph paper.
Doing your measuring now will help determine which scale is best for furniture, artwork and lighting in your room. Don't worry about being super accurate, unless you know you're Type A.
5. Consider the design in the rest of your home.
I'm not a fan of matchy-matchy, but if the room you're decorating is part of an open floor plan, you'll want to create some sort of flow to keep the space feeling, well, open.
6. Pick a favorite thing and design around it.
Especially helpful for people who have no idea where to start. Top designers usually have one or a few inspiration pieces that serve as jumping off points for the rest of the room.
7. Compile your plan in a portable notebook.
Once you start shopping for decor, you'll love the fact that all your ideas are in one place. Plus, carting around fabric swatches and small tile samples will let you know right away if the lamp you're eying is right for the room.
8. Don't buy everything from one store.
It's alluring to walk into a furniture store, purchase an entire room and be done with it. But if your style or room's function changes, you'll have to start all over.
9. Beware of fads.
Designers do incorporate design trends into rooms, but they do so smartly. For example, area rugs, accessories and art are great places to inject your latest zebra-print obsession, and just as easy to remove when you're tired of safari.
10. Good lighting is essential.
The most important step to getting a designer look is investing in great lighting: ambient, overhead and mood lighting. Just make sure you're using CFLs so you can still be green.
What designer tips do you use when decorating your home? Post it in the comments!
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Guest Blogger: Chelsey Bowen, decorating editor, HGTV.com
Lately, we've showed you a lot green, eco-friendly designs, but I think it's time we give the color green a little love. Green is often used to create a calming environment, but it can also infuse a space with natural energy, depending on the shade.
Dig in to some of my favorite green rooms on HGTV.
More Green Ideas:
Naturally Sophisticated Green
Healing Green
Let Green Grow on You
Guest Blogger: Chelsey Bowen, decorating editor, HGTV.com
Earth Day is just around the corner (April 22), so HGTV is getting in the spirit with their eco-friendly special, 20 Ways Your Home Can Save the Planet. Premiering this Sunday, April 20 at 8/7c, the special takes viewers through a tour of some of the greenest homes around. Plus, get their 20 tips for creating a more eco-friendly home.
Here are two of my favorite ideas:
Tip #5: Recycle with style. Instead of buying new furniture and accessories, look for vintage pieces or those made from recycled materials.
Tip #8: Paint it safe. Be environmentally responsible by shopping for products that tout low volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
Get all the environmentally friendly products featured on the show in HGTV Marketplace.
Don't forget, as of today, you still have three more weeks to enter to win the HGTV Green Home. Enjoy!
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For book lovers, this is one of the simplest ways to turn your bookcase eyesore into an art exhibition. If you don't have books in each color of the rainbow, start by grouping like colors anyway. It's what I like to call "healthy therapy" for die-hard organizers (like you and me).
I've been posting some of Kim's do-it-yourself projects seen on Myles of Style over at her blog. Check out her Cookie Tray Table (in the picture above) and Glass Ball Chandelier to get your DIY fix.
How sweet is this little spring gem? Kristen Cunningham, one of HGTV's Design on a Dime gurus, made these do-it-yourself prints for an episode that's long since aired. I wonder if the homeowners still have these in their guest bedroom?
Here's how she did it:
1. Gather cuttings from your own yard.
2. Let them dry a few days to make sure they don't brown.
3. Spray them with a clear acrylic finish to protect the color.
4. Purchase Plexiglas frames and mat board for the back. You could also do this with inexpensive shadowbox frames.
5. Hot-glue the clippings onto heavyweight watercolor paper.
6. Tear the edge of the paper for a more shabby chic look.
7. Stencil or handwrite the botanical name of each clipping and paste onto the watercolor paper.
8. Assemble into the frames.
1. Paint select portions of your wooden furniture to create interest like Rate My Space user danap did. I love how her earthy choices of green and red blend seamlessly into the landscape. Did you notice the green-painted spindles on the bench? How about the Zen gazing ball? Extra points if you spot the colored planters.
2. Yellow, gray and black are the go-to color trio this spring, but the color scheme has been around for a while (hello, bumblebee!). Create a spring table setting outdoors with a gray tablecloth over an unsightly table, and add black charger plates with yellow napkins.
3. Tulips are one of the hallmark flowers of spring, so gather a container filled with rocks (to keep it steady) and arrange bursts of tulip color wherever your outdoor space needs it. Especially beautiful next to a chair or bench at your front door.
4. Take a can of spray paint to your aluminum furniture. Black is always classic, but you might experiment with deep brown to simulate the look of wood.
5. Invest in a new umbrella for your patio set. Changing up the umbrella to a bright, bold color like red will always be in style.
If you prefer trendy style or are bored with the same-old outdoor style, check out these fabulous outdoor room trends.
And if you're not quite ready to head outside because it's still snowing, you can always bring the garden to you.
]]>Popping up all over Rate My Space this season is everything from collections of rabbits and birds (statues, of course) to fresh flower centerpieces. While you're changing out your quilted comforter for a breezier duvet, keep in mind the three spring decorating essentials straight from our Rate My Space members:
1. Keep it clean
2. Let in lots of light
3. Showcase lots of flowers
Rate My Spacers deborala and swtp61 punch up their spaces with shots of yellow accessories and forsythias. Members picketfences and lori bee choose a more traditional approach to seasonal decorating with wire bird cages and soft floral fabrics.
Have spring decor to share? Post it on Rate My Space and tag it with the word spring.
]]>And the next day, the thought: "Now what?"
To turn your house into a home, here are some decorating must-reads on HGTV.com.
While you're at it, get style-inspired with these picture galleries:
Carmen asks: When remodeling a kitchen or bathroom does the use of natural stone such as granite help you to go green? Can granite be considered since it does not give off gases inside the home environment?
Answer: Granite is a non-renewable resource, so using it in your home is actually an example of not going green. Green options include recycled quartz or glass countertops. It's true that granite doesn't off-gas, but these other counter materials won't either and you'll get an equally stunning look without all the maintenance of granite.
Kathaleen asks: Any ideas on a safe and green flooring alternative to carpet?
Answer: Absolutely! Bamboo flooring, cork flooring (very soft and safe for children), linoleum and reclaimed and sustainably harvested wood are all great alternatives. I especially love Shaw Floors. We used them in the HGTV Green Home because their products are absolutely gorgeous — and green!
sf asks: A friend informed me that the compact fluorescent light bulbs have mercury in them.
1. Is this true?
2. If so, how are we to dispose of the bulbs and the mercury if and when they ever stop working?
Answer: Lighting is one of the most important things to consider in a room design. Unfortunately, yes CFLs do contain mercury. The common argument about mercury in CFLs is that we're solving one problem (wasting energy) with another (introducing harmful chemical into the home). Carter Oosterhouse and I spoke about this on the podcast (coming soon!), and he pointed out that Sylvania, an Energy Star certified company, is working on creating CFL models with less mercury.To recycle CFLs, you can use Sylvania's RecyclePaks that ship through U.S. mail to the company's recycling center. Or, take them to your local hazardous waste recycling center. Don't put them in the trash, because they'll break before reaching the landfill, and expose workers and our groundwater to the neurotoxin.
Commenter mcgyver adds: "If you should break a CFL in your house... clean it up with rubber gloves and a dustpan. Do not vacuum as it can ruin your vacuum and spread fine particles of mercury into the air."
Terri asks: I do as much as I can but I as well would like more ideas that I can implement into my own home that would help me to go green. I do the CFL and have already saved $20 on my bill,etc.
Answer: Part of being green is having better air quality at home, so one easy solution is to always paint or stain with no- or low-VOC products.Other quick solutions include bamboo or organic cotton bedding, burning soy candles, buying decor locally and refurbishing or recycling furniture rather than buying new. These design tricks were all used by Linda Woodrum, interior designer of the HGTV Green Home.
Have anything to add? Help others keep going green by posting in the comments.
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Have a question for the king of building green? Now's your chance. I'm interviewing Carter (again!) for the next Design Happens podcast, and I'd love to hear your thoughts on what you'd ask.
Post your question* in the comments, and be sure to include your name so I can let him know you asked.
*Questions pertaining to getting him to redo your home or marry you will sadly not be considered.
Update 4/3: Thanks for all your questions! Barcee, Barrie and Kristen's questions were selected for the podcast yesterday. He answered a lot of your other questions throughout the remainder of the interview. If yours wasn't selected, Carter goes on his website each day and personally answers questions to continue spreading the word about green. Send him yours at www.carteroosterhouse.com.
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I know what you're thinking: "If I hear one more time about going green, I'll go crazy!" But did you realize you've probably already been green long before the term was coined? If you ever shopped at a secondhand store, reused your furniture or stocked up at a yard sale, you were being eco-friendly. As I found out in a recent chat with Michelle Kaufmann, the leading lady of green building, being eco-friendly is as simple as thinking about new ways to use old things in a way that's easy on the earth.
Which brings me to a stereotype I can't stand: Green isn't shelling out lots of money for the latest, fabulous, reclaimed designer table. It's about living in a home that uses less energy and less resources from the environment. It's about creating healthy spaces for you and your family, so you're not breathing in things you don't even realize are toxic. New home smell, anyone?
To get you started with accessible, green design, here's the latest from the editorial desk:
Anything you don't understand? Have an unanswered question about going green in your decor? Post it in the comments and I'll find the answer!
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