Want to spice up your plain vanilla IKEA furniture? GRIPPIKS surface accents from Australia make it easy. Founder Jeff DeRee was inspired by this DIY decoupage dresser project from Martha Stewart, but wanted to come up with a simple, no-mess way of customizing furniture. GRIPPIKS aren’t decals, but pre-cut graphics printed on a new type of film that grips to surfaces through micro suction. This […] Read more »

Isn’t it interesting how we can stumble upon a way of doing something? That’s how it was for Joel Hesterof The Weld House. Joel told me how he came to build these one-of-a-kind tables that he creates in his Mesquite, Texas studio. “I had a 30-something customer bring me a small, metal, original beer sign to incorporate into the top of a coffee table I […] Read more »

This year’s San Francisco Decorator Showcase is packed with creative solutions from talented designers. Here are some ideas you might put to use at your place. Shadow Mural In her Sports Room, stuffed with equipment to enjoy recreation with family and friends, Audrey Brandt brought the outdoors in with this subtle, effective wall treatment. The tone on tone glaze over latex paint resembles the shadow […] Read more »

Planning to entertain Mom this Mother’s Day? Here’s an easy DIY craft and gift idea with big impact: our Mother’s Day Brunch and Tea Sweet Stands. Like little cake stands with an attitude, these are really fun to make. You may already own some mismatched pieces of china and glassware, or you can take a trip to the Goodwill like I did. Within half an […] Read more »

You know when you walk into a store, and you draw an immediate impression of what’s available there? That’s how it was when my friend and I entered Mark & Vanessa Bell’s Omega Too in Berkeley. We looked around and thought, “Okay, brimming with period-correct lighting: Art Deco—check, Art Nouveau—check, Arts & Crafts—check.” Then we looked more closely. I spotted the ’74 Kawasaki gearbox pendant […] Read more »

Recently, I’ve been coming across many terrific recycled works for the home. It’s so nice when we can reuse a found, discarded or worn object and make something useful and attractive too. These made-over objects often have a resulting character that you just can’t find in something off the shelf. One such piece is this Bicycle Tire Mirror that Audrey Brandt designed and made for […] Read more »

Prepare to be impressed by the designs at this year’s San Francisco Decorator Showcase, where 37 of the Bay Area’s top designers have remade a gorgeous four-story, 10,000 square-foot Pacific Heights mansion. The Showcase, a benefit for San Francisco University High School’s financial aid program, opens this Saturday, April 25. Here’s a peek at some choice vignettes from the house—watch for more to follow! My […] Read more »

We all need to do our part to reduce, reuse and recycle. So in honor of Earth Week, take a gander at these items made from recycled materials. Thanks to WebUrbanist and The Alternative Consumer for pointing me to some of these. I’d love to try my hand at making something like Mitch and Susie Levin’s Pop Art Mirror CounterEvolution’s Brooklyn Bowling Alley Table is […] Read more »

Your ideas are precious and if not recorded, can dissolve away in an instant. Where do you jot down your brainstorms and scratch out your quickie designs? If you’re like me, you have journals and notebooks at the ready. I keep one at my workspace, another on my nightstand and two (a pocket and a mini size) in my purse. And somehow my ideas seem […] Read more »

Have you explored your local architectural salvage yard lately? You’ll likely find one of these treasure troves in a city near you, and you’ll be amazed at the variety of reclaimed goods in stock. Last week, my buddy Lisa and I went on a hunt at Ohmega Salvage in Berkeley. Here’s a little light reading and some architectural eye candy from our finds. Enjoy! I’m […] Read more »

I’ve been wondering about those one-day room makeovers. You know those transformations you see on TV decorating shows, where a designer comes in, paints the walls, and rearranges your furniture and accessories? In 24 hours presto! The space goes from sad to stylin’. Is it really possible to improve a space that much without buying new furniture? To learn more, I visited with Distinctive Nest’s […] Read more »

Hot of the Presses…I just got the scoop from Stephen at Spoonflower that upholstery-weight cotton is now available for printing! Spoonflower is that magical place where you can print-on-demand your original fabric designs. That’s sewdiva Carin Cress’ Flora design above. Until now, only a lighter, quilting weight cotton was available. And although technically this is in test mode, those with a Spoonflower account can sign […] Read more »

DIY Fabric Design Okay home heroes and heroines; this one’s a slam dunk. The theme for this Challenge was to create a design for a piece of fabric for your home. Since Casey was our trendsetting, early-adopter sole participant, let’s see her project: Casey batiked some satin into a whirlpool of silky aqua, green and purple. She was nice enough to share with us her […] Read more »

Put your personal stamp on your space; that’s what I thought we’d do with this Challenge. So, inspired by the swell monogram treasures we found last month, my daughter and I created our own initial art pieces. We both started with small (about 8″ x 10″) pre-primed, stretched canvases. Mine was oval, my daughter’s rectangular. We gathered up some acrylic paints, brushes and some metal […] Read more »

Want a natural aesthetic in your next bathroom, kitchen or bar renovation? How about trading in that ceramic or stainless steel sink for the warmth of a copper one? Shawn Gusz of The Copper Sinks Store shared his know-how with me recently. “We have noticed a higher demand for copper sinks over the past couple of years,” said Gusz. It’s been influenced by the recent […] Read more »