5 Favorite Designer Pillows from Michele Varian

Irwin Weiner ASID - I believe in coincidences ... or what some people refer to as "happy accidents." I was early for a client appointment in lower Manhattan last month, so I went for a neighborhood stroll and discovered some teriffic design stores. The next few posts on Design2Share will be devoted to telling you what I discovered during my pre-meeting walkabout. First, let me tell you about Michele Varian.

What a great store! Loaded with charm, fascinating accessories, and unique quirkiness, Michele's store showcases her signature designer pillows and handbags, but goes beyond to jewelry, tabletop, wall accessories, and so on and so on and so on.

This fashionista and DIY fanatic hits all the right notes, and I'm featuring some of my favorite pillows from her Spring 2012 collection. Don't you love the signature way Michele uses highly-visible pillow ties - sometimes leather, sometimes fabric?

Click on a pillow to learn more about it, and

Click to read more ...

Support Independent Product Designers - Go to Groopti.com

Irwin Weiner ASID - Are you a design student or a furniture designer? Do you want to design and produce home goods and furnishings, but you have no practical outlet? With retailers playing it safe and stocking only from The Big Guys these days, being an indie designer means you'll likely have difficulty breaking through. Groopti.com may be a great solution for you - and if you're a homeowner, check out their Shop for inexpensive, original home goods from talented newbies.

Think of it as supporting a Sundance or art house movie versus purchasing a ticket to yet another major motion picture blockbuster. Case in point: check out Jessica Bogart's Conflicted Corrugation chair in today's featured video; see how

Click to read more ...

Do-It-Yourself Video - How to Trim a Door with Molding

Irwin Weiner ASID - My kitchen doors and windows needed trimming two weeks ago in order to give a finished look to my newly-remodeled kitchen. The trim went up and no time at all, and not being a carpenter or handyman, I was a bit mystified. This video from The Family Handyman shows you the step-by-step process. If you have trim and a couple of key tools (see the photos above and below), it's about a ten-minute process. Go figure! 

For more information, click on this link for Perfect Trim on Doors, Windows and Base Moldings. And click on this Design2Share link for How to Fix a New Door with a Gap in the Top.

 Click here to subscribe to our daily design videos and features.

Muchas Gracias, Casas & Gente Magazine

Jay Johnson - Design2Share is proud of our resident interior design expert Irwin Weiner ASID. Congratulations, Irwin, on having one of your stunning Central Park West interiors featured as the cover image and one of the featured stories in the March 2012 issue of Casas & Gente, the celebrated Spanish language version of Town & Country magazine, published in Mexico City. 

The Casas & Gente article is titled "Estilo en Manhattan" ("Style in Manhattan"), and Irwin's work shows a vibrant, colorful confidence that fits his husband-and-wife clients like a glove. The homeowners are accomplished professionals, and art and sculpture is their passion. The furnishings reflect the sculptural timelessness of the couple's taste. All photographs of their completely renovated apartment were taken by Chris Cooper, noted photographer of architectural and interior design subjects. 

Part of the story about decorating this chic apartment is the reuse of some key furnishings from an earlier job that Irwin completed for the clients. The reuse of existing elements is vital to the successful on-budget completion of today's professional interior design projects, and the magazine asked Irwin to write a quick poem about his philosophy on "interior design thrift."

Think before you spend.
Creativity knows no end.
You'll do it for a while,
that you should live with style!

Click here to see more photos of this published Irwin Weiner interior, and visit the Irwin Weiner Interiors website for more information about his New York City IWI design business. 

 Click here to subscribe to our daily design videos and features.