by Lia Fagan

Here’s makeover motivation for the weekend, from my new Canadian friend, Interior Designer Lia Fagan. (I seem to make lots of Canadian friends—must be the hockey gusto.)

Lia can spy neglected furniture cowering in the corner of any second-hand store; and she has the beauty kit to give it new life – literally. Enjoy this guest post from Lia, where she introduces us [...] Read more »

Designer DIY

by Mari Robeson

Design Junkies, we are in for a treat! Today, designer Mari Robeson joins us as Interior Design expert and Contributor. I am thrilled with the colorful and creative stories Mari has planned for us, about what we’ll learn from her, and how inspired we’ll be. Learn more about Mari at her Web site.

Photographs by Jenny Malott

Have you ever planned a room and [...] Read more »

Transform IKEA Seating in Tricia Guild Style

Tiring of that plain-vanilla IKEA armchair? Or when the neighbors come for dinner, does that pasta stain make you shuffle your dining chairs?

Check out the slipcovers from Stockholm, Sweden-based BEMZ, which are designed to fit most IKEA chairs and sofas – even discontinued models. And now, you can adorn your furniture with the innovative patterns of Designers Guild.

For [...] Read more »

Designing and remaking upholstered furniture, and combining it well in a space, is an art.

Designer Heather Hilliard is brilliant at it, as evidenced by her living room design for this year’s Marin Designer’s Showcase.

Photographs by Michele Lee Willson Photography

A classical room with grand proportions, Hilliard wanted it to feel “luxurious and refined but understated” and to function well for both formal entertaining and casual [...] Read more »

In our neck of the woods at Lake Tahoe, Memorial Day Weekend is prime yard sale time. Is it the same where you live?

Each year I look forward to driving through the neighborhoods, seeing what’s tucked under the towering pines and firs, and snapping up bargains. This time, our oldest daughter — nine years old — was up early, and pumped to go on [...] Read more »

By Angela Min

Today our new Kitchen and Bath Design Expert and Contributor—Angela Min—joins us! Happily, the pencil is being tossed only over the kitchen island, as Angela is taking over writing duties for her design co-conspirator at The Kitchen Designer, Susan Serra, CKD.

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Breakfast rooms are often the afterthought of the kitchen, a “leftover” space often neglected by both homeowners and designers alike. But what a [...] Read more »

I learned about the most fascinating design niche recently, when—through trusty Twitter—

I met Thatcher Wine of Juniper Books. Thatcher specializes in the design of home libraries for homeowners and designers around the country.

We’re not talking the cabinetry here – we’re talking the books.

I asked Thatcher a few questions and I think you’ll enjoy his answers. He’s given me volumes of ideas for my collection.

HomeWorkshop [...] Read more »

by GraceAnn Simoni

It’s the time of year when so many people put their homes on the market. So I asked Contributor GraceAnn Simoni to share some home staging tips and advice, and some telling Before and After photographs of her work. GraceAnn is a an Interior Redesign and Staging Specialist and Instructor from the Chicagoland area.

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Home Staging – When should it start?

When the listing is [...] Read more »

Here’s a fun, DIY makeover to help freshen up your tabletop. I’d read here that Contact Paper makes a good stencil material, so I thought I’d give it a try and make over our well-used IKEA lazy Susan.

It went from this sad, water-stained (but functional) round…

To this happy, decorative centerpiece!

First I slapped on two coats of a stain-blocking primer, sanding in-between coats. I covered that [...] Read more »

This bathroom could turn me into a morning person – the graphic and sunny space that

De Meza + Architecture + Interiors designers Gregg De Meza, Jennifer Gustafson and Michelle Nelson created for this year’s San Francisco Decorator Showcase.

The fresh colors and crisp cabinetry enticed. But it was the dance of a black-and-white pixelated mosaic that drew us in like fish to a sparkly lure. [...] Read more »

Here’s a practical project that adds a touch of whimsy to your couch.

“Where’s the remote, Mom? Hey!! Have you seen the remote?”

The interrogation and cushion tossing begins in family rooms across the country. You’d better hope we can find the remote before the opening face-off of The Sharks game.

The solution? A Pocket Pillow to hold the remote. And this one’s extra-special, crafted from recycled denim [...] Read more »

by Diana Durkes

Don your possibilities spectacles and scour the alleys, Design Junkies! It’s DIY time with furniture and accessories makeover specialist, Contributor Diana Durkes. Diana gives “New Life to the Tossed and Found” at her blog, Fine Diving.

This cupboard deserved a second lease on life, I thought when I came upon it in the alley last month. It was in well-used but sturdy shape and [...] Read more »

by GraceAnn Simoni

Here’s a speedy DIY decor update from Contributor GraceAnn Simoni, Interior Redesign and Staging Specialist and Instructor from the Chicagoland area. GraceAnn shares budget tips and advice for decorating with your existing furniture and accessories.

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Spring and good weather are finally here. The sun

is shining and the birds are singing outside my

office window.

This means I will again get out the spray [...] Read more »

by Regina Garay

We’re doin’ the DIY today with our Decorative Painting and Surface Design Expert, and Contributor Regina Garay. Regina blogs about her creative work and inspiration

at Fauxology.

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As a decorative painter, I have access to many finishes and techniques that transform surfaces.  A few years ago, I discovered a beautiful lamp in a gorgeous bright lime green.  I bought it and it worked for a [...] Read more »

Quilts are in style.

I’m glad because truth is for me, they never went out. Quilt designs are a comforting link with our past, and today’s quilt artists are incredible. (If you ever get the chance — drop in on one of the large quilt shows like Pacific International and you’ll see what I mean — awesome artistry and craftsmanship.)

I’m especially smitten with the bold, [...] Read more »