Design Tip of the Week (11.30.09): Feng SHUI MonDAY

Elke of International Feng Shui shares more feng shui tips with P4D readers!

In feng shui the main entrance is very important and is known as the "chi mouth" which translates as the entrance of chi (energy) into the property. The main door is like the mouth of the structure and is generally defined as the door that is most frequently used to enter the home or building. Here are some tips in the form of feng shui no-no's to help the flow of good chi into your home.

No-no #1- Steep straight stairs to/from the main door.

I can imagine in the property developers mind that this was a good idea based on maximizing living square footage based on limited land availability, but from a feng shui perspective this is known as "Pulling Nose Sha Chi". The effects of the steep decline from the main door created by the stairs are that all the chi inside the home will eventually drain out. Additionally the garage is located under the living quarters. This is also to be avoided if you seek good feng shui as unstable energy is generated from the in and out entrance right under the home.

No-no #2- Having a drain directly outside the main door.
is known as a "chi puncture" problem. In this situation chi will not be able to accumulate in front of the door. Chi accumulation is associated to prosperity. In feng shui it is believed that a feature like this drains wealth from the house.

No-no #3 - A pole, tree or lamp post directly across from the main door.
Now standing in the main entrance to your home look out from the inside and in from the outside. For good feng shui you want to see a clear open path in both directions. Nothing should create an obstacle to the entrance of your home. The worst example is if there is a light post or telephone pole directly opposite your main door. Likewise, if there is a column inside the home that is visible directly across from the main door looking in. This feature is always avoided as it is detrimental to any occupants of the building. This photo from Istock Photo perfectly demonstrates a blocked main door with a tree.

DIY Tips & Tricks ~ DIY Gift Ideas!

Good morning everyone! Before we head off this week to stuff our faces full of turkey, we wanted to leave you with some DIY Gift Ideas! It's never to early to get started on presents for the holidays, and many of us are very budget conscious these days. I've also found that gifts I receive that have creative thought and time put into them are always better than something store bought. So get creative this holiday season:

1. DIY Baking Kits, herb & spice oils, body scrubs, etc. ~ Check out this great video and list from Good Morning America & Lifestyle guru Nancy Soriano. So easy and customizable!


{Photo by Aspen Spa on Flickr)

Body scrub is surprisingly easy to make at home. Start with sugar or salt in a bowl, add jojoba oil, almond oil or lavendar oil, which are available at many health food and grocery stores, like Whole Foods. Mix in other herbs like lavender sprigs or dried rosemary, and give the scrub along with a loofah sponge. See specific recipes below.

LAVENDER SUGAR SCRUB
*1/2 cup of jojoba oil
*3/4 cup of white cane sugar
*1 teaspoon Vitamin E
*1/4 cup almond oil
*6 drops of lavender essential oil
*Dried lavender to your preference (optional)
Directions: Combine all ingredients in large bowl. Mix until combined, then pour into desired container.



2. Vintage Prints ~ Print these out from Vintage Printable, frame and give them as gifts! It really doesn't get much easier! Beach, Botanial, Science, Animals, Art & Design, I bet you could find a print for each person in your family!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! WE WILL RETURN ON MONDAY NOVEMBER 30th!

Dandy Chandy Tuesday ~ Yes!

All I can say is Yes! to this moulin chandelier in cocoa from Brocade Home.

Design Tip of the Week (11.23.09): Decorating Your Office

Whether you work in a window office or a cube, here are some easy and affordable tips on how to make your space comfortable but still professional and reflective of your personality despite the company issued furniture and bad lighting.

Accessorize - Bring in your own desk top organizing set, interesting push pins for your bulletin boards, and a calendar with images you love.

The Container Store's Brocade Desktop Accessories are fun with a touch of elegance.

And we love the dual function magnetic/cork bulletin board!


Decorative push pins, buy or make your own like these from Better Homes and Garden



Add some green - for low light offices a calthea plant is a good option, for good direct sun light go for an orchid or a rubber plant.



Fill your blank walls - travel posters or pictures from your own travels are a great way to add some of your own character to the office while still maintaining a professional look. You can buy inexpensive poster sized or large frames from a craft store.





Bring in good light - both standing and table lamps can bring in light you enjoy rather than having to use the fluorescent over head lighting. These table lamps from Ikea are only $14.99 for a set of two!



Declutter with an eye catching organizing system - document boxes and magazine files are a nice way to add some color and stack on your bookcases or lateral file cabinets. Like Ikea's inexpensive magazine files and boxes that come in tons of colors and are under 5 bucks for a set!

Easy Fix Friday ~ Deco Your Bedroom!

Today we kick-off answering your design dilemma comments from our contest that ended a few days ago. Let's start with Francesca who said "I'd love to learn some easy/quick tips for adding an Art Deco feel to a bedroom and bathroom (or any room of the house.)" We're hear to the rescue Francesca!

Art Deco was a popular international art design movement from 1925 until the 1940s, affecting the decorative arts such as architecture, interior design, and industrial design, as well as the visual arts such as fashion, painting, the graphic arts, and film. At the time, this style was seen as elegant, glamorous, functional, and modern. The movement was a mixture of many different styles and movements of the early 20th century, including Neoclassical, Constructivism, Cubism, Modernism, Art Nouveau, and Futurism.


{Click on photo above for larger view}

A very quick and easy way to add some art deco flair to a room is to accessorize with pieces like vases, posters, lamps, and books. Above is a Decor Board we put together featuring:

1. Lighting. This Nial Table Lamp is a great mix of masculine & feminine ~ streamlined Art Deco look with the steel, black, and cubes on the shades, and feminine in the curves of the shades.

2. Travel Posters. Travel Posters. Travel Posters! Very popular in the Art Deco style, like this French PLM Railroad poster - Calvi Beach on the Island of Corsica. This poster is one of my personal favorites from the Art Deco period. Many European & American Travel Posters were done in the Art Deco Style- here are a ton more to peruse through.

3 & 4. Art Deco Books & Book Ends. Yet another super easy (and budget friendly way) to add some Art Deco flair is to accessorize your room with Art Deco Books and Bookends. Art books always have the most interesting covers, so just laying around your house or stacked they will add Deco style. The Cubist/Deco Men bookends are also modern and fun.

5. Riedel Vivant Medium Art Deco Vase. A beautiful clear vase (FOR $20.00!!!) etched in the Art Deco Style. It's simple, clean style is a subtle nod to Art Deco, and would look great anywhere in your home.

6. Wallpaper! Ok, wallpapering is not quite an easy fix, but doing just one wall would look fantastic with the feminine Art Nouveau/Deco look to this wallpaper with the more masculine accessories like the lamp and book ends. Also, instead of wallpapering~buy this wallpaper, cut 3 large panels of the paper and frame them in huge black frames (can find cheap from A.C. Moore, etc). It will still give you a great way to add a deco feel to your walls without having to cover a full wall.

This was a fun project to research~ I'm feeling like I want to Deco my home! Good luck and we hope this gets you inspired! :)

Art Smart ~ Drink Your Milk!

{Drink Your Milk Magnet Set}

Good Morning! Perusing through etsy and found these super cute one of a kind collaged magnets from AgentMermaid's etsy shop. Really fun magnets throughout her shop.

We're making it a point to find all you artists/designers/crafters in the DC area and feature your art/decorations on our site! :)

Drum Roll Please...

(#5 counting from the top) who said..."This blog is fantastic! I love your ideas :) Keep them coming! I'd love a post about tall furniture! I'm searching for an affordable "hutch" if you will that can replace a broom closet and provide a lot of storage in a small space! Thanks so much- you girls have opened my eyes!"


Congratulations Caitlin!!! The Comfortable Home is very fun and inspiring...and autographed by Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams! Please contact us @ primed4design@gmail.com to claim your prize!

Thanks to all those that entered, and we promise to have more fun contests in the near future! Also, to those of you that entered, we will address each and every one of your inquires about decorating and design in posts in the future~send us your emails at primed4design@gmail.com and we will give you a heads up when we post your decorating dilemma! :)

Last Day Left to Win!!!!

GIVEAWAY CONTEST ENDS TONIGHT AT MIDNIGHT!! Win your very own autographed copy of The Comfortable Home, signed by Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams for us to give to one of our lucky P4D Fan's!

So how do you win? EASY! Click HERE and leave a comment with an idea for a future P4D post. We love to hear from our readers and learn about what they are interested in. So please post a comment and your name on the post with a topic/idea of a posting we can do to make you happy! :)

Two More Days Left to WIN!!!

GIVEAWAY CONTEST ENDS TUESDAY AT MIDNIGHT!! Win your very own autographed copy of The Comfortable Home, signed by Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams for us to give to one of our lucky P4D Fan's!

So how do you win? EASY! Click HERE and leave a comment with an idea for a future P4D post. We love to hear from our readers and learn about what they are interested in. So please post a comment and your name on the post with a topic/idea of a posting we can do to make you happy! :)

The winner will be randomly selected (from random.org) & announced on the Primed4Design blog on Wednesday, November 18th. Please check back to see if you won. *The winner will need to contact primed4design@gmail.com to claim their prize.*

Friday Finds ~ Timber!

P4D readers enter to win your free (and signed!) copy of The Comfortable Home. Just click here and follow the contest rules. Good luck!! Here are our Friday Finds ~
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Feel like a lump on a log? How about a bowl in a log? Well do we have a log for you! Designer Doha Chebib creates these eco-friendly bowls by using reclaimed logs from fallen trees! These are available at GoodEgg Industries.

November Primed4Design{er} of the Month ~ A Bathroom Makeover

P4D readers enter to win your free (and signed!) copy of The Comfortable Home. Just click here and follow the contest rules. Good luck!! Now on to a fabulous bathroom makeover~
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Our Primed4Design{er} of the month, Victoria of Edin Interiors, is sharing a before and after project with our readers. Take it away Victoria....

I’m Victoria from the blog DesignTies (which I share with my blog partner Kelly from JAX Décor & Design) and I’m also the principal of an interior design and home remodeling company called Edin Interiors. A little truth? I’m so new at this whole thing that I squeak!! Over the last 5 years or so I’ve worked closely with my husband to renovate 2 of our homes, and through those experiences I’ve discovered my passion. I played with the idea of helping others with their before and after projects for about a year before I took the plunge and started Edin Interiors. It’s not much, but since then I’ve completed one whole project! HaHa!! I loved the work and my client loves her fireplace!

I share this wee bit of my design history because I’m really excited about my new – and second ever - client project, a complete bathroom renovation. In fact I’m so excited that all I can think about right now are bathrooms. So in honor of sparkling fixtures, lovely tiles and bathroom transformations, I thought I’d share with P4D readers the renovation of one of my own bathrooms. I hope you enjoy!

With every transformation there is a BEFORE:




This family bathroom was small and dated – with the exception of the gold tiles through the tub, everything was almond, almond, almond. And that mirror screamed 90s the way it spanned the one wall of the room. Well… it all came down.



But then came the fun stuff… putting it back together!



The plan for the space was to replace the tub with a fully tiled shower and a linen tower. Some might say, “but you need a tub!" but this space was for our teens and guests so a shower was the very best solution. Besides, we had a fantabulous tub in our master bathroom. So not only did I design this bathroom, but I tiled it! Well… most of it anyway. I really enjoy tiling, which I know my husband appreciates because it means one less job for him! He’s a fantastic helper by the way.





The shower floor pattern we chose was a mixture of slate and procelian tiles that looked and felt like stone.



Basic white subway tiles are a great look, but I always like to add an accent in really special tile – in this case, chocolate brown glass tiles.



LOVE IT! And boy did it sparkle!! Also, the trough-style sink was a hit with everyone, especially with the faucet we installed. The kids loved how the water cascaded out of the mouth of this great fixture.



I really wanted to pick a paint color that matched the glass tiles and complimented the dark wood of the linen tower.





I hope you like what you see! And if you like this transformation, I hope you’ll drop by DesignTies today to see some of the plans for my new client’s bathroom makeover… then be sure drop in from time-to-time to see updates on the metamorphosis.

Also, be sure you come back and see P4D's next month’s feature designer – my blog partner, Kelly! She’s designed some wonderful spaces and I know you’ll love what she shares with you. Finally, an enormous THANK YOU to Chrys and Jen for the invitation to share one of my projects with you. A moment ago I suggested you come back here next month to see Kelly. Well… don’t wait that long!!!! Be sure you come back tomorrow and the next day and the day after that…

~Victoria~

Primed4Design Give Away & Book Review!

*****THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED-CAITLIN SHORT (#5) HAS WON! THANK-YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR WONDERFUL ENTRIES!*****

Win your very own autographed copy of The Comfortable Home, signed by Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams for us to give to one of our lucky P4D Fan's!

So how do you win? EASY! Leave a comment on today's post with an idea for a future P4D post. We love to hear from our readers and learn about what they are interested in. So please post a comment and your name on TODAY's post with a topic/idea of a posting we can do to make you happy! :)

The winner will be randomly selected (from random.org) & announced on the Primed4Design blog on Wednesday, November 18th. Please check back to see if you won. *The winner will need to contact primed4design@gmail.com to claim their prize.*
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Now on to our book review and a bit of background on Mitchell + Bob:

The Comfortable Home: How to Invest in Your Nest and Live Well for Less, newly released by Mitchell Gold and Bob Williams, is a great guide to creating a home you connect with and well...feel comfortable in. Its chock full of tips and really dives into the different areas of your home (our fave is the chapter on the entryway - just perfection!). They help you think through where to begin with tips on colors, mixing and matching and steps to building your vision. And of course there are tons of fantastic pictures! They show you different looks for different styles and give you practical tips for floor plans and furniture placement. For our city folk, there is a great chapter on small spaces.

In addition to its popularity with consumers, their furniture is a favorite of interior designers, TV set designers, and the design press. It has been included in the redecoration of the Obama White House. It has appeared on Friends, Sex & the City, The Office, and Lipstick Jungle. It has been in virtually every home magazine, including Elle Decor, House Beautiful, and Metropolitan Home—from whom MG+BW has received “Design 100” awards. Mitchell and Bob have been widely featured in the media, from design blogs to the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Inc., who included them among “26 Entrepreneurs We Love.” Their first book, Let’s Get Comfortable: How to Furnish and Decorate a Welcoming Home, was published by Meredith in March 2007, and led to two appearances on The Today Show. In August 2008, Mitchell and Bob were among the celebrity judges on HGTV’s Summer Showdown design contest. And this past May, Mitchell was the subject of a USA Today column on what CEOs are reading.

If you live in DC, check out their store on 14th street (Where we attended the booksigning event last week and got to meet Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams in person! It was SO exciting!!!!) :) Yes, we got our own signed copy of the book to keep, and one to give away to you! Good luck with the contest everyone!!!

Dandy Chandy Tuesday ~ Light Up My Life!

{Piper Large Chandelier by Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams}

Good morning everyone! How beautiful is this Piper Chandy by Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams? I see this over a really long, thin elegant table, or a nice big chunky wooden table.

Stay tuned, tomorrow we will announce our giveaway that relates to Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams! Get excited P4Ders!!!!!!

Design Tip of the Week (11.9.09): Tweens & Teens Rooms

There comes a time in every kid's life that they want their room to reflect their personalities. So how can a parent help their child have a space they enjoy and that can grow with them as they do? Here are some tips if you are helping your tween or teen express themselves through their room's decor.

1. Purchase major pieces of furniture that can grow with them. What does this mean? get a bed and pieces like a dresser that are mature enough to be options for your child of 12 and your teenager of 17. Basic pieces, wood finishes, with no age appropriate frills are a good way to go when selecting these pieces.

2. Use paint to help your child express themselves. Paint can be changed, so let your child pick their wall colors. It will give them ownership of the room as well as help them express themselves creatively. Give them a paint brush and put them to work! Its a fun bonding experience and will make them feel like they were part of the end product.

3. Use accents as the means of bringing character and individualism into the room. Accents are fun, less expensive than major pieces of furniture, and can be changed as your kid outgrows the room's look. Area rugs, curtains, room accessories, and bedding are perfect for bringing color and character to the room. This is where your color, pattern, and theme can really shine through. And since those things need to be replaced after wear and tear anyway, it just makes sense to invest in these age appropriate accessories.

This Pottery Barn Kids room is a good example of how to keep the furniture basic and add the character of the room through the details.



The paint, rug, bedding, lamp, pillows are what make this room look the way it does and it can easily change to look like this room as seen in Delias just a few years later.



Here are some great go-to sites for kids, teens, & tweens room design:

Pottery Barn Kids

The Company Store Kids

JC Penny Kids and Teens

Delia's

Friday Finds ~ To infinity and beyond!

Love, Love, Love the endless lines of this chair. The Acacia Infinity Stool from Blissliving Home would look perfect in any room (bathroom, bedroom, living room...move it around!)

Art Smart ~ Vintage Printables

In my never-ending search for the end of the internet ~ I came across this really great website called Vintage Printables that archives high resolution prints of all kinds that are available for download & printing yourself! Talk about DIY! Fabulous.

Take a look through the archives on the right side for yourself, they are full of really interesting subjects and drawings. Perfect to print and frame and put on your wall, or give as VERY affordable gifts for the holidays!

Our Faves! ~ Get Hooked

Hooks are a great way to organize with style. There are a ton of interesting hooks out there for all different hanging purposes.

Here are some fun hooks from Urban Outfitters

Dandy Chandy Tuesday ~ Chandy on a Pillow!

I know, the whole "Snakes on a Plane" saying is soooo 3 years ago, but it was the first phrase that popped into my head for this beautiful pillow from Burke Decor..."Chandy on a Pillow!"

Love Burke Decor's website, peruse through it for other inspiration for your home.

Design Tip of the Week (11.02.09) ~ Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

{Photo from lemon.wonder's flickr photostream}

Hello everyone! Hope you all had a Happy Halloween! We sifted through our archives to bring you this fun post about Mirrors (Original Post from Monday, August 4, 2008-a long time ago!) :)