Weekend DIY Project: Wallpaper a Room

Irwin Weiner ASID - We're asked so many do-it-yourself questions, that we thought it would be a good idea to share with readers some of our favorite DIY videos each Friday, in a regular "Weekend DIY Project" feature. To begin the series, let's tackle one of the most popular DIY chores, hanging wallpaper. The first thing to realize is that you need to prep the wall first. I've been involved in some projects where old wall surfaces glaringly show every hole, blemish, and rough spot through beautiful wallpaper. So prep first. If you need to remove old wallpaper (not covered in the following video), look into that, then use this video to guide you through wall prep, measuring your rolls, matching patterns, applying paste, hanging the paper, and so on. 

As we say on Design2Share, "knock yourself out!" and good luck. And if your weekend projects are too much for you and your family to handle gracefully, by all means throw in the towel and call a professional to give you expert help. That's what we're here for.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCES:

Go to This Old House for How to Hang Wallpaper step-by-step advice.

Go to Ferm Living (from the folks who brought us this great DIY video), and check out their home goods ... and their bold Wallpaper collection.

And check out the huge assortment of imaginative designer wallpaper at The Wallpaper Collective.

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Plinth & Chintz: Intelligent Interior Design Blog

Irwin Weiner ASID - There are many great interior design blogs. We just wrote about 5 Interior Design Blogs We Can't Live Without in our Williams-Sonoma Designer Marketplace column, but we realized that we could have expanded the list to 100 or more different blogs ... and kept on going from there.

We love the different viewpoints expressed online by designers. The blogosphere is filled with information galore, with talented pros sharing their tips and secrets, their resources, their experience and knowledge, and the work of other designers that inspire them to work harder and better. 

One of the blogs we love is Plinth & Chintz, created by Dallas interior designer Laura McDonald Stewart. First, watch the following video to learn more about Laura's fascinating background and how she came to start her blog - this is a good example of what ASID is doing in their "Thought Leader" video series, showcasing designers who have the special knowledge and training to "bring it on" for commercial and residential design clients. Forever dispelling the notion that interior designers can only pick out colors and throw pillows, ASID is helping to educate the public by highlighting the talents, education, and vast amounts of training that go into our best industry professionals.

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Grandin Road's Delightful Obsession with Halloween Decor

Irwin Weiner ASID - I'm told that Halloween is now second only to Christmas as the holiday that homeowners use to redecorate their homes in a holiday theme. And it's fairly evident when you go down the streets of most any town. Front yards are turned into graveyards, wispy ghosts hang from trees, and everything's coming up pumpkins and mums. 

I've made myself perfectly clear about avoiding going overboard with decorating for any holiday. I'm not a big fan of turning your home into a holiday theme park, for heaven's sake - and think of the expense! - but I'm not about to bah-humbug anyone's Halloween and begrudge you the fun of decorating. So, have your splurge, and perhaps go to an online store like Grandin Road, where their Halloween Haven has an amazingly large collection of Halloween decor, collectibles, costumes and accessories, and more. This video will preview some of their many imaginative holiday pieces, like spider web chair wrap (top photo), yard fog machines (second photo, above), and the Martha Stewart Glass Eyeball serving tray (below).

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Avoid Halloween Decoration Overkill

Irwin Weiner ASID - Tis the season to be kitschy ... and I can say that about any holiday that demands redecorating your home to fit the season. For Halloween and any other season, I abhor the compulsion some homeowners have to create a holiday vignette everywhere you look. Jack-o-lanterns at the front door, witch cutouts on the windows, Halloween lights strung up on the eaves, ghost tea towels in the guest bath - you get the idea. 

Totally overboard.

Here and there, it's alright to add a holiday-themed accent, like the Woman's Day Felted Mummy Doll craft (top photo) added to the throw pillows on your sofa, a few Halloween silhouettes clustered together on a wall (below, top photo), or a Candy Corn inspired centerpiece - simple to make, yet imaginative - on your dining room table (bottom photo). These ideas prove

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