Resources to Help You Fill In Decorating Holes

Irwin Weiner ASID - One of my clients recently build a new condo building in Manhattan, and he asked me to stage one of the units for a flat fee. Just like for your own home design projects, I had a tight budget to work with. (Gone are the days of blank checks for interior designers to carry around like Post-It notes!) And to complicate things, in the flat fee for the project, I had to account for all of my decor costs; the fee amount, less my costs, equalled my payment for the project. Smart "shopping for less" was in order. Here are my go-to spots when the budget is tight and I need to put together good looks.

• Overstock.com - sift through the constantly-changing items and you'll find true goodies
• Target.com - good style for mass merchandise
• Amazon - they carry everything your heart desires
• Home Goods - I bring my wall colors along with rug and fabric swatches and stock up on coordinating accessories and artwork
• K-Mart - inexpensive bedding and bath items are good for staging purposes
• Walmart - ditto (see K-Mart)

Are you surprised to see a Manhattan interior designer shopping at such places? Well, don't be. Many of us shop online and at retail for our own homes as well as for our clients. The mix-and-match of high-end custom furnishings and collectibles with mass market merchandise is time honored, and good design pulls off a great look. The caveat, of course: you have to sift through all the rubbish to get to the acceptable and even exceptional items. Here's what I shop for at these locations.

• Accessories: tabletop (placemats, dinnerware, cloth napkins, stemware), centerpieces, tablescapes (decorative accessory groupings)
• Vignette furniture (to fill in around the higher-end custom items): desk and chair; sofa, coffee table, end table, club chairs; dining room sets; bed and night stands - and stand-alone pieces like bar stools/chairs
• Artwork: everything from metal wall sculpture and framed photographs to giclee fine art canvases
• Mirrors
• Rugs
• Bedding and linens
• Accessory lighting
• Bath accessories: shower curtains, towels and bath mats, vanity accessories
• Silk flowers and plants
• Home office accessories: bookends, desk accessories, storage baskets and boxes 

Bonus

Click here to read Everything You Need for Home Decorating on a Budget - including a free Design2Share PDF tips booklet!

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

Luxe Styling at 2012 Kips Bay Decorator Show House

Study by Brian del ToroJanet Ramin - Sweeping views of the Hudson River as well as the penchant for green colors were the major features of the 2012 Kips Bay Decorator Show House. Every year interior decorators have the opportunity to design a room to their heart’s desire – rather than a client’s – with only their imaginations as their limits. The location of this year’s show house is a beautiful condo complex, the Aldyn Residences, overlooking Manhattan’s river.

Our first room above by designer Brian del Toro is a jewel-like study rich in beautiful materials and a brilliant blue-green and lime green color scheme. The walls are painted in a teal grid-like pattern and the sofa upholstered in a matching teal strie velvet. The throw pillows are wrapped in Japanese obi, the sash used to tie kimonos. The gold, silver, and champagne check rug is from F. J. Hakimian Antique Rugs. The cubist glass mirror by Verner Panton further contributes to the sparkle of the room. Del Toro worked for the famous duo Parish Hadley before opening up his own firm. 

Dining Room by Todd A. RomanoTodd Alexander Romano designed this ultra-sophisticated dining room with many tongue-in-cheek accessories. The dining centerpiece is a Mexican Hilario Madrigal sculpture of a purple pineapple. Can you spot the brass giraffe? The long-neck animal by Sergio Bustamante brings your eye up to the spectacular two-story space and the Venetian Murano glass chandelier. Providing elegance to the room are the French Directoire chairs. They're upholstered in Brunschwig & Fils fabric of the popular lime green color, brightening up the warm chocolate-painted walls. 

Click to read more ...

7 of the Most Expensive Furnishings and Decor Pieces in the World

Irwin Weiner ASID - Eileen Gray's Dragon Armchair (top) was crafted between 1917 and 1919. It recently sold at auction for $29 million. Imagine if your interior designer were to suggest to you that you spend that much money on one item for your home! While I'd love the commission on such a purchase ... well, long gone are the days of decorators walking around with clients who have wads of blank checks stuck in their pockets.

Still, let's fantasize, shall we? Imagine having the Dragon Armchair or one of these other ultra-expensive items decorating your home. Click on each photo for more information. (Middle: Birds of America by James Audubon - $7.9 million. Below, from top to bottom: Harrington Commode by Thomas Chippendale - $5.9 million; Artemis and the Stag - $28.6 million; Great Silver Wine Cistern - $3.8 million; Badminton Cabinet, 1732 - $36 million; Qianlong Dynasty Vase, mid-18th Century - $83.2 million.) 

Click to read more ...

Interior Design Video - Making Handmade Modern Furniture

Irwin Weiner ASID - The process of making fine furniture fascinates me. That's why I loved today's featured video showcasing the Edwin Blue company and the thought and process behing making their handmade modern furniture.

Individual materials are crafted to their minimalistic best; hey, it's not everyone's look, but if you're truly into sleek, contemporary, and barely-ornamented furnishings, the Edwin Blue off-the-shelf and custom furniture line is probably just right for you.

Bonus

Click here for Classics in Contemporary Bedroom Furniture.

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