3 Furniture Stripping Tips and Design2Share's DIY Rules

Irwin Weiner ASID - If you're Ron Hazelton, home handyman and DIY expert, purchasing and restoring an antique dresser from a flea market is an easy-peasy snap. But you or I may have a few problems with project details. After all, in the do-it-yourself world, it's important to learn shortcuts and best practices. I found one of Ron's great, short-and-sweet tips videos on how to get stripper out of small details and recessed areas. He demonstrates three different ways to remove stripper "gunk" from hard-to-reach places, and I must say ... he makes me want to go out and find an antique door this weekend so I can try out one of his techniques. And one of them really does involve kitty litter!

The DIY rules here at Design2Share are simple: If you can have fun and enjoy a home remodeling or redecorating project - or in this case, furniture refinishing and restoration - and you can do it within a weekend or a short series of weekends or weekdays, then KNOCK YOURSELF OUT and tackle that do-it-yourself project. We wouldn't dream of stopping you. But if you won't enjoy the process, if there's a remote possibility that the project will drive you and yours nuts, and if the task at hand is too complex, then it's not a do-it-yourself assignment.

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Abstract Art Blasts Color and Pattern into Accessories

Janet Ramin - Are you one of those who want to break the rules, color outside the box, and do the opposite of whatever everyone else does? Then abstract patterns might be up your alley.  

Abstract prints are the complete opposite of geometrics. Geometrics are based on basic shapes of circles, squares, and rectangles - whereas with abstracts anything goes. Abstract patterns play well with contemporary and modern style interiors. They’re usually fresh, wild, and won’t remind your friends of your grandmother’s taste. 

Pictured above is a smattering of abstract print pillows. Starting at the top right, clockwise, the orange pillow is from Bliss Living called Humanity for All – Freedom. The next is Ecco Blue Leaf from Koko Company, Bamboo Leaves by Josey Miller, Humanity for All – Dream from Bliss Living, and Metsan Kuningas by Marimekko, available at Crate and Barrel.

Abstract prints can be created in two ways: you can take something real, i.e. a leaf or a flower, and take out the details or “abstract it”. Above are examples of an abstraction of a flower, the Metallik pillow was a sunflower, the Aquamarine in Pool fabric from Duralee was a rose, and Orange Fusion pillow came from a daisy. There’s still some detail left to recognize what it once was, but now the emphasis is on lines and shape – the design – rather than the flower. 

Abstract prints can also come out purely from the imagination. Designer Amy Helfand who creates beautiful modern rugs from her studio in Red Hook, New York, credits her inspiration to the landscapes around her. She first captures her surroundings through photography and from there transforms it to abstract patterns for her colorful rugs. Below are Blue Ridge Voyage and Ragged Wandering.

(Blue Ridge Voyage, courtesy of Amy Helfand)

(Ragged Wandering, courtesy of Amy Helfand)

Once again, you'll use these abstracts to freshen up an interior and add shockingly fresh accents to any room. We'd love to see Clinton Stewart's exciting Holey-Poley conceptual daybed, a student design project from this Aussie studying in Copenhagen, in full production one day - and we'd put some abstract pillows as pops of pure pattern against the stark black of his playful, interchangeable modular design. Watch how the daybed works in this stop-action video from Designboom.

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This post was reprinted with permission from the Sheffield School, New York, NY. Sheffield began as an Interior Design school in 1985, and then expanded their course offerings to train people in other design-related fields, including Feng Shui, Wedding and Event Planning, and Jewelry Design. With thousands of active students and more than 50,000 graduates, Sheffield has trained more design professionals than any school in the world.

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Update on September 20, 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.

The Whats and Hows of Suspended Lighting

Janet Ramin - You walk into a room, any room, and one of the things you take for granted is that there’s going to be light. When there’s light, everything not only looks brighter - it also looks bigger. Plus, with the right well-positioned light bulbs, a room can be transformed into an inviting place. With this much interior design riding on lighting, you really can’t take it for granted.

One of the easiest ways to throw ambient light around the whole room is to suspend a light fixture in the center of the space. Recessed lighting or track lighting also works, but this requires more ceiling height, expert labor, and time to install; in short, more money. Hence the popularity of hanging light fixtures, which have become a great do-it-yourself project for homeowners (see the video below for how to install a suspended light). Besides its relative value, suspended lighting has the ability to become a focus, a point of interest - definitely another decorating advantage.

For centuries, the only source of artificial light was flames from oil or candles. To this day, we still have light fixtures that look like candles even if electricity is being used to power them. To hold these candles, chandeliers or candelabrums as they were originally called, were created during the medieval period. They were simply made with outstretched wooden arms and at the end of each arm a small dish with a candle was placed. As time went by, chandeliers became more elaborate with multiple arms, added crystals, and carved decorations. An example of this is the traditional Chateau Chandelier (above) from Murray Feiss available on CSN Lighting. 

If an elaborate chandelier is just too much for your space, but you need a light fixture for a traditionally-styled formal interior, the Savannah Chandelier from the Bethany collection is a pared-down version, more minimal but still an elegant piece (below, left). The arms and the intertwining vines have an Etruscan gold finish highlighted with hand-cut crystals. If you have a traditional interior with a rustic mood, you might try the Light Revolution Chandelier, a suspended light fixture from Forecast. The chandelier body is reminiscent of carriage wheels and evokes a country lodge atmosphere (below, right). 

For more contemporary interiors, sleeker chandeliers have been designed using geometric-shaped arms rather than the traditional curved lines. The Margo chandelier from AF Lighting (below, left) has pyramid-shaped arms with cut crystal hanging off its points. The Odyssey chandelier has rectilinear arms and cylinder candle holders wrapped in leather (below, right).

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Don't Design Boxes Cutting People Off From Nature

Tony Cenicola / The New York Times

Irwin Weiner ASID - Look at the beautifully designed apartment in the photo above. They live in the country, right? Well, not really. They're on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, and the principles of biophilic design are hot at work here (click on this link for a scholarly explanation, but click on the photo above for a less academic take on the subject). This school of design tells us (here I paraphrase) that when humans are cut off from nature, we start to feel sensory deprivation. How many of you stuck indoors during the recent Hurricane Irene blow felt extreme "cabin fever" and couldn't wait to get outdoors. That is exactly what we're talking about with biophilic design. Watch this video to learn more about how incorporating nature into residential and commercial architecture is imperative to bringing us back to a more natural, humane, enjoyable living and work experience. The goal is to create spaces where we want to stay, work, play, and live - and it will be healthier for everyone. Even though I can't keep a single houseplant alive for more than a week, I second that motion.

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