Happy Fourth!

Irwin Weiner ASID - This is the year (hopefully) that I make the transition from legal alien status as a South African citizen living and working in the United States to full-fledged United States citizen (actually duel citizenship, but that's a fine point). What a wonderful country this is! I came here 26 years ago to study, and have stayed ever since. No regrets, only praises to sing. So the July Fourth holiday celebrations, picnics and BBQs and fireworks, stir my soul and make me glad for my great, good fortune. Happy fourth to you all - and enjoy this video of fireworks from NYC's incredible Macy's display on the Hudson River from 2009.

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Update on June 29, 2011 by Design2Share

Super King Size Leather Beds: We just found a great collection of sleek leather bed designs. They add sophistication, whether your bedroom decor is traditional or modern. 

Featured Project: DIY Painted Headboard 

Now is the perfect time to think about freshening up your interior space. With a splash of color here and a new piece of furniture there, it's easy to redecorate. Here's a quick, budget-conscious DIY design idea to help get you started.

Paint Your Own Headboard

Chances are if you if you purchased your bed frame as part of a bedroom set, the headboard is already included. If you don't want to put forth the extra cash, especially after paying for a pricey mattress, no problem! Painted headboards are a great way to add a pop of color to your bedroom.

Step 1: Measure the width of the head of your bed and mark it with blue painter's tape from floor to ceiling. Now, choose your color based on your desired color scheme. You obviously don't want it to be the same shade as your walls, but it should complement that color.

Step 2: Once you have your color, paint the wall, staying within the blue painters tape. Once the paint dries, if you choose to do so, you can detail with paint or with some removable wall decals from a company like Blik. For as little as $40, Blik makes easily removable wall decals in fun shapes like bookshelves, chandeliers, birds, etc. If this sounds like too much work, don't worry and leave your wall a solid color.

Step 3: Simply position your bed up against the painted wall, prop up some decorative Euro pillows in coordinating colors and patterns, and you have yourself a headboard. You might want to take this opportunity to invest in a new comforter or duvet in fun, light, spring colors. You'd be surprised at what a little bit of paint and some new bedding can do for your space!

Contemporary vanities and more at Decor Planet for your bathroom needs.

Mother Nature Gave These New Homes Good Bones

Photo: Art GrayIrwin Weiner ASID - The homes you decorate always start from what we like to call "the bones." These are the architectural features of the house, from the walls and ceilings to the floors, doors, windows, and room shape. One of the first jobs in interior design is to "get the bones right," or to make sure that any weaknesses in the architectural decisions are addressed. It helps when a home is newly made, but even new construction can be a nightmare for decorators, e.g. open-plan spaces need to be better defined by their function and still maintain good flow with the rest of the house. We admired theseAndersson-Wise "natural houses," new-construction spaces that celebrate nature through the use of beautiful building materials and clean lines. The natural homes in this video are what we mean by good bones!

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Secret Compartments and Hidden Drawers

Popular Woodworking

Irwin Weiner ASID - We came across Carlo Alfredo Clerici, an Italian clinical psychologist who loves to take videos - and he's a real history buff. We were drawn to the following short video where he explores all the secret drawers in a wonderful antique cabinet. We have a chest of drawers in our bedroom that has a secret drawer, too! You open up the top right drawer, feel along the top left side of the drawer cavity, and there's a little nub of wood that you lift up and your hands can slide out the central panel in the front of the chest to reveal a secret drawer. What fun when antiques can speak of a time when there was little privacy and security, and ingenious craftspeople designed woodwork with hidden compartments. You'll be fascinated by all the little tricky places to hide things in this cabinet . . . . 

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Staying at Hotel Le Corbusier

Irwin Weiner ASID - I've always wanted to go to Marseilles, France to look more closely at some of the magnificent signature concrete buildings designed and executed by Le Corbusier. Happily, the following video playfully takes us into the Hotel Le Corbusier in the larger Radiant City complex (also nicknamed by the Swiss architect, the Machine for Living).  

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