FRIDAYS TIP JAR

Is it really the last Friday of JUNE already?? WOWZAH, how did that happen?  While I haven't been on vacation yet this summer, I sure have been all over the map with my design jobs.  From designing two cool bathrooms (I'll share photos soon) to staging a multi-million dollar home, setting up a small office to dressing up my vintage trailer, I've exhausted many of my tips and came up with a few more to pull it all off.  Here are just a few...enjoy and have a great weekend wherever you are!
DON'T BE A WALLFLOWER:
Believe it or not, no matter how large or small your space is you do NOT have to push all of the furniture pieces to the walls.  I walked into a fairly large home earlier this month to offer some advice on staging and the owners had very sparse furniture and had it all pushed to the walls.  I asked if they were hosting a dance, then showed them how the rooms actually looked larger and more inviting when you brought everything into the center of the room, creating comfortable seating areas.  In the top photo one might be inclined to place the sectional sofa on the far wall, but bringing it center stage not only makes a more sensible conversation area, it also gives the people sitting on the sofa a better glance at the gorgeous view.
SUMMER WHITES DON'T HAVE TO BE BORING: 
While I love color on walls, I also love stark white interiors because it means you can have fun with the accessories.  My favorite pick from the second pic are the hanging pendant lights from Ikea.  While they come in a jazzy stainless finish for $12/each (perfect for the industrial modern look), a little appliance paint..safe for using on lampshades and other items that might heat up...makes them splash a bit more.  Add some stunning blue stripes and you have an original light fixture for cheap, cheap, cheap that looks chic, chic, chic.  (I love turning lampshades into chandeliers by purchasing a lighting kit from Ikea or Home Depot/Lowes that plug in so anyone can do this little trick!)
STRINGS ATTACHED:
You've heard me say over and over to think outside your typical design box when approaching projects in your home, and today is no different.  I love to use vintage knobs as towel hangers in a bathroom, stained glass windows as coffee tables (with plexi glass over top), old mason jars as votive holders, vintage stepping stools as side tables...and the list goes on..so hand me a roll of twine and I'll create something divine (sorry, had to).  Instead of the traditional, boring towel bar handing in this bathroom I thought, why not do something cool and use rope instead?  Heavy duty rope from a hardware store is treated so won't wear thin with a little water.  I hung a few hooks, strung the rope between them and created a funky, interesting, inexpensive towel bar.
So, go ahead..get creative this weekend and send me pictures of what you come up with!