Treating Building Facades as Video Screens

Irwin Weiner ASID - Watching the following German video from two years ago, it made me realize even more how playful we can be when we design exterior and interior walls. This Hamburg video installation project on the exterior wall of a gallery, called 555 KUBIK, won awards at Cannes but also wins design brownie points from me (a lot of good that will do them!) for beautifully illustrating that geometry, form, function, beauty, and playfulness should be part of any design project. Kudos to creators Urbanscreen.com for being so inventive, using walls as a video canvas.

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Update on June 30, 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.

Summer Project: Do-It-Yourself Deck

Irwin Weiner ASID - Regular readers of Design2Share know that I am NOT a DIY kind of guy. I believe in hiring professionals to do what they're trained to do. But if you'd like to build your own outdoor deck or patio this summer, then knock yourself out! Go ahead, but as you'll see in this time-lapse photo video (with still pictures taken every 30 second during key parts of this homeowner's deck-building process), you're in for more than you bargained for. With that said, many people are much handier than me when it comes to the patience, time, and skill required to do it yourself in the deck department. Here are a few good resources to help you in your deck-building mission.

• DIY Network: Building a Deck

• The Essential Steps in Deck Design & Construction

• A Deck Building Blog

• And when your deck is built, watch our How Should I Decorate My Outdoor Spaces video!

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All You Need to Know to Set Up a Great Cheese Party

Matt Armendariz / Matt Bites

Irwin Weiner ASID - Summertime entertaining should be simple dimple. It's time to move at a slower pace, enjoy life, and simmer down. Cheese plates are the perfect accompaniments or solo stars at any summer gathering, and in this wonderful video, you'll find everything you need to know from photography-blogger-foodie Matt Armendariz - he helms one of our favorite blogs, Matt Bites. Watch him style his food shots, pair condiments with different cheese themes, and make some great recommendations for your next party or family-and-friends impromptu gathering. Remember: keep it simple, take cheeses out of the fridge an hour before you serve (leave the brie out longer and let it get super mushy and ready to dip crackers directly into the tasty goo), and add some delish chilled white wine for the perfect summer party.

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Working with a Feng Shui Practitioner

Irwin Weiner ASID - When you're hiring a feng shui practitioner, you're looking for someone who can tastefully and subtly impact your home or office environment in a meaningful and life-changing way. Good feng shui consulting, as seen in the following video, is about listening to your needs. The ideal practitioner for you and your family should be flexible to your situation, your space, and consider your personality, lifestyle, and tastes. The practitioner will use a bagua to study your space and make recommendations, but it's far from "one size fits all" because where you would like your life to go is where you and your practitioner should put your focus. You'll get some good technique pointers from this video of Beverly Hills based Ariel Joseph Towne, otherwise known as The Feng Shui Guy. 

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