Hopefully, you're reading this from a condo on the beach with only the sound of waves to keep you company. However, if you haven't made it to your nearest ocean yet, check out these beachy designs and ocean-inspired products.
White and blue are usually the two main ingredients for creating an ocean-inspired space, but a few of our Rate My Space members designed chose a slightly different palette to showcase their beachy style.
This small bedroom combines bright white with aqua, instead of the traditional dark blue, and light green for a light, airy look. By hking44
A sand-like color palette and wicker furnishings are the perfect way to achieve a beach-inspired look. By swichman
We all know Kim Myles is an expert at budget-friendly style, even when it comes to creating a room around a particular theme. On her blog this week, check out her tips for creating a beach-inspired design.
Want to add a little beach style to your space? Check out the Beachy Keen products on HGTV Marketplace.
I've had a blast writing this design blog, but it's time for me to move on to a different climate, a new adventure and undoubtedly a new home that I'll get to design all over again. I'm looking forward to channeling the talents of my latest design crush: Mr. Angelo Surmelis. He has a knack for making something out of nothing in the most detailed way.
You've probably seen by now that he's the host of Rate My Space the show, which got its start from our Rate My Space community online.
Check out the first episode for a glimpse of his makeover magic.
But what I especially love are his Spacecast's — weekly design critiques of the online community, where he highlights spaces I've never seen and gives out advice for low-rated spaces. Thanks to Rate My Space, your home can be the center of attention at HGTV, and if you keep uploading your spaces it might just land on this TV series!
It's been fun bringing you the latest and greatest from HGTV. But don't you go anywhere! Expect to find more great design in the future from the HGTV team right here on the design blog.
In the words of Angelo Surmelis, "Go forth and design well."
It's easy to let major lifestyle changes — like being more eco-friendly — turn into a chore.
When I started beefing up my recycling regime, every last plastic yogurt container or clothing price tag took up precious space in my apartment until my biweekly trip to the recycling center. (Tip: I use the SORTERA containers from Ikea.) Then, I'd have to haul the containers up stairs and into my car, which is not so bad when it's sunny and 65 degrees, except it never was.
Small price to pay in order to know that my stuff won't be taking up space someplace much worse: a landfill. But if I thought I was being green with my lifestyle, boy was I wrong after talking with Josh Foss ("Organic Josh" from Design Star 2) and Carter Oosterhouse of Carter Can and the upcoming series Red Hot and Green. In fact, Josh took public transportation to the studio for this interview.
Carter and Josh
This latest podcast is all about being green — from building to living to decorating — and how to be happy doing it.
Having trouble finding the right blue for your bedroom? Did you try out a disastrous new color palette and don't know how to fix it? Designer Constance Ramos, host of Color Correction, will answer your questions in her upcoming video series.
Post your color dilemmas here and we'll pick the best ones and send them to Constance. Be sure to include your first name, city and state.
Here's an example to get you started:
Hi Constance,
I've tried four different yellows in my entryway and can't find the right shade. What are your suggestions for picking the perfect hue?
Chelsey from Knoxville, TN
The new video series will appear this July on HGTV.com. Stay tuned!
So, U.S. postage went up (again) to .42 last month. While you could stick with the Liberty Bell forever stamps, I think I'll head over to the post office on June 17 to pick up the Charles and Ray Eames collection. I mean, why shouldn't my envelope look just as good as the card inside?
After a long and relatively painful search for a new home, my husband and I have finally found our first place. For the most part, we're happy with the rooms, but they all need to be painted.
The Home Depot was having its regular Memorial Day paint sale, so my husband, being the budget-minded man that he is, decided Monday would be the perfect time to buy paint. This, of course, sent me into a panic attack. What? No testing the paint on the walls, no trying multiple colors! I work for HGTV; I know the rules.
With a good deal of apprehension, I admitted defeat (let's save a few bucks!), and we sat down to choose our colors. We decided on a warm color palette to grace the walls of our new home, and to be honest, I'm a little fearful of the results.
Kitchen: We're updating the kitchen with stainless steel appliances and gray/brown quartz countertops, so we choose Sweet Georgia Brown to bring out the flecks of brown in the new countertops.
Living Room: This room will be painted a combination of Clair de Lune and Sweet Georgia Brown, since it opens up to the kitchen.
Dining Room: We decided on Mountain Ridge for the dining room to contrast with the white wainscoting.
Bedroom: I'm dreaming of a gray-blue, white and black palette to create a restful retreat, so I picked up Gray Area for the bedroom.
Home Office: Ashwood is our pick for the home office off the entryway, which is being painted Clair de Lune.
So, what do you think? Are they too dark? Did I make some good choices or have I failed at my first attempt to paint a house?
Although I don't have nearly enough time to reply to the kind e-mails you send me, I do read every single one. And let me tell you: Many of you comment that you just don't have style in your DNA.
I feel your pain. Decorating is hard enough when you lack time or resources, but I'm a big believer that everyone has an inner style voice: You just have to know how to get it to speak up! This is why I love HGTV. There are so many ways to get inspired and find your voice. Here's some help for a few of you with common design questions.
"i have a round glass top coffee table/40" round, and i just don't what to put on top of it. do you have any ideas of what i could use to decorate the top?" — Jan
Round coffee tables are great because they usually have more surface area for showcasing accessories. The trick with a round — or any shape — coffee table is to make sure the arrangement you choose looks exciting from every perspective: from the top and 360 degrees around.
As to what to put on top, it all depends on your personal style. Do you have a collection? Do you like flowers? Do you enjoy reading books or magazines in the living room? See what fellow readers put on top of their coffee tables.
"does the backsplash have to match the counter top? We are doing a vanilla bean cabinet with a glaze and our counter top is in the earthtone shades, I saw a subway tile that was so beautiful but the color is pale green or pale blue (I love them both) but im afraid this would look odd since their isn't any of those colors in the counter." — Sandy
Sandy, don't worry about the design police! Go with your gut. In my opinion, matchy-matchy is boring, and your combination sounds lovely and interesting. I'm a big fan of subway tile (so sleek!) especially in the mottled robin's egg blue color. Take a cue from Candice Olson, who always comes up with interesting backsplashes that vary in material, or this beautiful kitchen from Rate My Space.
"I have no idea why my boyfriend and I thought it would be a good idea to sand kitchen cabinets and stain them a sangria color. I guess its because I love red and we thought it would look beautiful.
But then, I painted the walls orange and green and now the kitchen looks like a Mexican restaurant. Nothing against that - I'm from Puerto Rico myself and love all the bright colors, but it just looks terrible. Since we don't want to sand and stain the cabinets again (it was hard enough the first time), we want to just change the wall colors." — Bethsabet
Sounds like a very festive kitchen! Red is a very competitive color when it comes to attention, and right now all the colors in your kitchen are so bold they probably make you feel uneasy. Paint the walls in your kitchen the same color to unify the space and give your eye a breather. I suggest light cream colors (like the above photo), off-white, gray or even a pale green to invoke a traditional/farmhouse style.
If the red is still overwhelming, try antiquing with a dark brown/black glaze. Be sure to test out your technique on a scrap piece of wood before you go to town on the real deal. Or if you want to commit to modern, slap some lacquer on those bad boys IKEA-style and paint your walls stark white.
I loved reading the Choose Your Own Adventure books growing up, so when we were talking about them in the office yesterday I thought, "How appropriate when applied to decorating!" and knew I had to write some of my own.
If you're tackling home improvement projects this Memorial Day weekend, like my friends are, pick from the following scenarios to get started. The end result is up to you, preferably involving less office (by Lori Dennis) and more pool (by Kerry Burt) though both spaces are stunning. Good luck!
While designers like Shelly Riehl David are no stranger to designing with zebra, it seems like the rest of the design world is hopping on the safari bandwagon. I've seen spreads in recent design magazines devoted to the stripes and for good reason: zebra print is fun, unexpected and a conversation piece.
Why sacrifice style just because your piggy bank is starved for cash? Last night Design on a Dime revealed their Top 35 Budget Decorating Secrets. If you missed it, catch the rerun May 18 at 5pm e/p. Here are three of my favorite tips.
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.
This weekend I did laundry — lots of laundry — in my cramped, beige and windowless laundry room. It made me wish for a bright, airy space to drip-dry my dresses, or at least more room to store my detergent.
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 niknnora Love the colors, love the organization. I wonder if the kitty enjoys the spin cycle?
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.
Mother's Day is two weeks away, and there's still time to get her a well-designed gift. Here are my picks for tech-savvy, earth-friendly and simply stylish moms who go crazy — just like you — for great design.
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 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.
My latest chat with Carter Can's Carter Oosterhouse is up for download. This installment of the Design Happens Podcast is all about the hunk before TV, and how his career path morphed into his handyman role. Also, did you know Carter is a sailor?
Download: Listen to the 8-minute interview with Carter Oosterhouse
Last week, despite the heavy nationwide emphasis on Earth Day (it's about time!), the most read decorating article on HGTV.com was "10 Steps to a Well-Designed Room". Conclusion: No matter how green we get in our interiors, the problem of actually designing them still remains.
Design by eco-friendly designer Lori Dennis
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!
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.
This whimsical nursery uses bright green walls as the backdrop for fun primary colors. Photo by KimJ
A green room infused with black and white takes this breakfast nook from Kermit to classy. Photo by Chelsea Ahlgrim
Since blue absorbs light, designer Constance Ramos uses a green with more yellow in it to brighten this cottage-style bedroom.
Soft greens used for the glass tile backsplash and cabinetry create a warm, Scandinavian atmosphere in this kitchen. Design by Beth Haley
In feng shui, the color green promotes growth, so designer Stephanie McWilliams uses the shade to create a wealth-enhancing home office.
Guest Blogger: Chelsey Bowen, decorating editor, HGTV.com
