Inspiration from two creative women converged for this DIY winter decoration. Our makeover maven, Diana Durkes and her Recycled Sweater Rug, and my Mom—wreath-maker extraordinaire.

I knew I’d design a wreath this year. I grew up watching Mom wire all variety dried flora to round metal frames. I remember a year in New Hampshire when she had Dad drilling tiny holes through walnuts and chestnuts. [...] Read more »

I hope you are all spending some quality time relaxing and enjoying your loved ones on this Thanksgiving Day. Here’s a creative activity you might try — a little fun with words!

In celebration of Thanksgiving I jotted down a few things I am thankful for:

Today is Thanksgiving, the day we think about what we are thankful for. I am thankful for my family, [...] Read more »

Kenneth’s Lamp A Thousand Ways

All the way from Snoqualmie in Washington State, to Dublin, Ireland, Design Junkies uploaded their creative plans to personalize designer Kenneth Brown’s unique lamp (from his QVC Collection).

You can quickly update your room’s décor by changing the contents. of the lamp’s glass cylinder.

We loved the diversity of the entries; there were colored glass tiles, marbles, Mickey Mouse beads and mini [...] Read more »

Sometimes it takes a fresh view of something to appreciate it. Consider Grandma’s crocheted and tatted laces for example. Ceramic A\artist Dana Morton of Earthborne Art in Sonora California uses them in a unique way.

“It all started when I needed favors for our wedding,” said Morton. “I went through a box of old linens that my grandmothers had made, and created little dishes by [...] Read more »

Designer Nancy Van Natta brought a room in the sky back down to earth. Van Natta’s dining room for the Icons of Design at San Francisco’s Millennium Tower is an aerie saturated in comfort.

Other rooms in the space have jaw-dropping views of the San Francisco Bay and surrounding city, but this room is different. “I wanted it to be an intimate and cozy nest in [...] Read more »

Patterned Pumpkins

Thanks to the participants in our Patterned Pumpkins Challenge! Jeepers those entries were varied.

I thought Diane in Brentwood, California rocked the theme with this fall-leaves design:

Here’s what Diane had to say:

“I love the colors of fall so wanted to use them on my pumpkin. I found an oak leaf with an interesting shape and used it as a template to make the design, which [...] Read more »

Built-in cabinetry can add storage and charm to a space. Case in point? This San Francisco bungalow dining room.

Before

“The clients wanted a space to store their large collection of books, collections from travels, linens, and personal photographs,” said designer Jennifer Jones.

After

“The room is a generous size for a dining area (compared to the rest of the house) so it made sense to design built-ins [...] Read more »

Except a return to good health for my best friend, my Christmas wish list is short this year. I am so fortunate with loved ones, and being able to talk with incredible designers, artists, craftspeople and DIY’ers every day.

What more could I want?

There is this.

My mouth dropped open when I came across Design Store Tokyo’s miniature Designer Chair Collection. 42 perfect, 1/12 replicas of [...] Read more »

Over the weekend an astonishing thing happened. Matt Groener of Oregon entered our Let’s Make Cents Challenge. His entry was a little late. About two and a half months late if we’re counting. But he could care less about the prize and I am thrilled by his entry.

You’ll recall that for the Challenge inspired by the Standard Grill’s penny-mosaic floor, I made a nice (but [...] Read more »

What’s one way to add drama to a masculine space? Ground the rooms with graphic area rugs. That’s what Jennifer Jones did with the living and dining rooms she designed for a San Francisco bachelor/CEO.

“Using graphic area rugs in both spaces was a fun way to tie the rooms together conceptually,” said Jones. “They bring pattern and movement to the rooms, creating [...] Read more »

by Diana Durkes

Today let’s work some DIY magic with our furniture and accessories makeover specialist, Contributor Diana Durkes. Diana gives “New Life to the Tossed and Found” at her blog, Fine Diving in Chicago.

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Not that anybody asked me, but in my opinion, crafters are geniuses. They take often overlooked bits of things, parts big and small, and put them together in the most practical and [...] Read more »

You know when your computer hard drive melts down and steam comes out your ears and you want to smash the whole thing up with a hammer? When it happened to Allan Young of Charlottesville, Virginia, he was mad, but then he did something different.

“One day at work I had a hard drive crash and lost a lot of work. Very devastating,”

said Allan.

“I have been [...] Read more »

by Susan Serra, CKD

Once again, today we are joined by Kitchen Design Expert and Contributor, Susan Serra, CKD. Known to many as “The Kitchen Designer” for her popular blog, Susan is an award-winning Certified Kitchen Designer, with a national clientele.

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The social kitchen has an important role to play in the home every day, under so many different scenarios. Whether it is two people sitting down [...] Read more »