What Is Your Concept of "Home"?

Irwin Weiner ASID - Most of us take for granted what "home" is. I've known people who have lost their homes due to foreclosure and eviction, and it's a life-wrenching experience. I was intrigued by this National Film Board of Canada video from Montreal focusing on four different home experiences, all in rehabbed buildings. Is "home" where many people can live together in community - yet have their own space or territory? Are we drawn to a building because we love it enough to want to save it? Is "home" where the heart is, or is it merely a roof over our heads as we go about everyday living ... and in some cases, aiming just for baseline survival?

This video got me thinking about my own concept of home. It's not always about professionally decorated spaces. It's not always about our mid-century, romantic notions of home and the nuclear family. Sometimes "home" is about found furnishings and salvaged goods; it's about relationships between people; it's about what you can afford; it's about choosing (if you're fortunate enough to have the means to choose) between something new and something old; and it's about bringing your personality and your essence into any space. My thoughts are with you and your families today, and hoping that your home - whatever and wherever it might be - is a happy, productive, and nurturing place.  

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Down with "That Unfinished Look"

 

Irwin Weiner ASID - I watched the following video fully expecting to hear a litany of interior design mistakes that men make. Yes, I heard a few goodies, but the main reason to watch this video is to hear a design philosophy (or two) that I heartily second: finish off the decorating in a room to give it a more sophisticated, finished look. There's nothing worse than half-hearted attempts to decorate, leaving the project dangling for all to see. It looks sloppy, and it will convey to everyone that you either got intimidated by the work or was very bored by it. You're sentenced to live in the half-baked results day after day. Avoid living in purgatory; make an effort and finish what you start. Thanks to Montreal, Canada's Igloo Design and designers Alain Courchesne and Anna Abruzzo for some thought-provoking design opinions in this AskMen.com video.  

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When This Old House Becomes This New Teardown

Irwin Weiner ASID - We're in the process of selling our house in Bucks County, PA after 8 wonderful years of living there. We took a modest 1900 farmhouse and took a year to gut the original core house and refashion it into a more spacious, updated space. The house has since been published in shelter magazines, and we've made wonderful memories there. It will be sad to move on, but we love Bucks County and will look for something else in the area.  

But this time, our inclination is to look for a complete teardown. It's more expensive to remodel and renovate This Old House than it is to build from scratch, and many homeowners haven't figured that out yet. It's costly in daily lifestyle to live in the midst of remodeling - not to mention the mess everywhere - but it's oftentimes better to look for a great lot on a choice piece of land and a hovel that you can simply tear down and start over with. That's basically what the couple in today's featured video did: they left the outer facade, but blew away the rest of the house and made it fit their vision.

Think of the practicalities of eliminating an old-fashioned living room, focusing on adding more open space in a great room adjacent to dining and kitchen areas. Think of a brand-new master bedroom suite, with spacious walk-in closets and spa-like en suite bathrooms. You can recycle old materials into your new design, go greener and energy-efficient with your building materials, appliances, and heating and cooling systems. You're not hemmed in by the old, and you can run amok for $170/square foot of finished space - or more - yes, you can spend much more, but control yourself, and save room in your budget to hire a good interior designer!

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Update on May 10, 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.

Do-It-Yourself Home Decorating Glamour

J. F. Chen / 1st Dibs

Irwin Weiner ASID - Expressing your creativity with interior design - well, isn't that what home decorating should be all about? So many homeowners are trained not to do anything unless they first see it in a shelter magazine or a home improvement show - or on Design2Share. <wink> I'm here to tell you to cut loose, be yourself, and let your wild home decorating side show. 

ONE: Look into the life and work of artist-designer Tony Duquette for inspiration on using do-it-yourself bravura to add Old Hollywood glamour and exotic touches to your interiors. Look at the beautiful chandelier he designed (one of many specialty lighting items he produced) - see top photo, and click here for the 1st Dibs listing from dealer J. F. Chen.

TWO: For last summer's Hampton Designer Show House, I designed and made my room's centerpiece lighting. It was fun and liberating to take a Home Depot chandelier ($80) and some craft paper from Michael's (about $15) and come up with something creative and unusual. Read my DIY Chandelier Project. Takeaway learning: Every room of your house should have an interesting focal point or two, some real theatrical show-stopping piece - and YOU can make it!

THREE: Take the advice of Westport, CT interior designer Katy Cleare of Catherine Cleare Interiors, and let loose with your inner Tony Duquette, glam-it-up, do-it-yourself decorating impulses! We shot this video of Katy showing us her fabulous homemade creations using seashells and found items (and shades of Martha Stewart, another DIY home diva we love to emulate). Note how her handmade treasures range from decor items and accessories to tabletop. Way to go, Katy.

 Click here to subscribe to our daily design videos.

Update on April 5, 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.