How-to Decorate Workshop with Designer Kimberley Seldon

Design school for Non-Professionals

November 13, 2010 – November 14, 2010

You have all the talent you need. Complete a two-day intensive learning workshop and you’ll also have the know-how!

Part 1: Designing the Foundation (Saturday)
…- Floor Plans & Elevations
- Furniture & Area Carpet Placement
- Lighting for Task & Mood
- Flooring & Ceiling Treatments
- Building a Budget
Part 2: Decorating for Success (Sunday)
- Defining your Personal Style
- Fabrics & Colour Schemes
- Window coverings
- Style like a pro
- When to get help
- Resources

More information and event location regarding this decorating workshop is available at Kimberley’s Facebook page.

About Kimberley Seldon of Kimberley Seldon Design Group

Kimberley Seldon is an internationally renowned designer, author, speaker and television personality. Kimberley’s home decor products have graced the pages of “O” magazine and her designs have been showcased in “House & Home” among other prestigious design and lifestyle media.

Kimberley has hosted her own series on Home and Garden Television (HGTV), “Design for Living with Kimberley Seldon” (currently airing on Wealth-TV in the United States as well as 65 countries worldwide).  Kimberley is a regular contributor of design columns for various Canadian print media, is the Decorating Editor of Canada’s Style at Home magazine, and the author of the home design book “500 Ideas for Small Spaces”.

Kimberley’s first line of upholstered furniture, Kimberley Seldon for Brentwood Classics is available across Canada at select retailers.  Kimberley appears regularly on the Home Shopping Network (HSN) in the United States with her line of Home Décor Products, ‘Kimberley Seldon Home’ and “’Kimberley Seldon Concierge Collection ‘.

View Kimberley Seldon’s design portfolio on The Decorating Diva.

Empower Yourself with the Flower

Guest Post by Jennifer McGarigle of

Creating Modern Floral Centerpieces

For simple modern centerpieces that you can pull together in less than half an hour, try using these sculptural Zen bowls! They’re perfect for round, square, or rectangular tables and go with just about any décor.

Simply add the water to the clear glass bowls, cut the flowers from the stems, and float the blossoms.  Peonies, Dahlias, Orchids, or roses are perfect single blossoms for these vases.

The water level should be just below the opening of the vase.  These centerpieces add a reflective quality to any table setting, especially when placed next to candlelight.

About Jennifer McGarigle of Floral Art

Celebrity floral designer and founder of Floral Art, Jennifer McGarigle is renowned for her exquisite designs and innovative sensibility. Inspired by architecture, fashion and interior design, Jennifer has developed a distinctive style – fresh, fashion forward and immediately recognizable.

While her work continually evolves, her approach remains consistent. Whether designing for individual clients, luxury brands, or celebrities (Katie Holmes, Giada de Laurentiis, Ryan Seacrest and Jerry Bruckheimer are among several of Jennifer’s floral design fans), she translates their personal style and vision into flowers and event décor.

In 2009, Jennifer expanded into designing and manufacturing furniture. With the essence of nature reflected in each piece, she brings Floral Art’s compelling sensibility to modern home furnishings and accessories.

Learn How to Make your own Floral Art.

Jennifer will be sharing her floral design expertise with the introduction of her new floral design classes. The classes will cover a variety of topics from: creating floral arrangements in Floral Art’s signature vases, to learning how to pair flowers and materials to make a lovely arrangement, and how to skillfully use florals in your decor at home. All classes will be held at Jennifer’s renowned store in Venice, California.

Class Schedule

• 6:30-8:00pm on Thursday, July 15^th:  Entertaining with Summer’s Hottest Blossoms
• 6:30-8:00pm on Thursday, August 12^th: Simple Modern Masterpieces
• 6:30-8:00pm on Thursday, September 16^th: Rose Inspirations
• 6:30-8:00pm on Thursday, October 14^th: Bulb Bliss
• 6:30-8:00pm on Thursday, November 11^th: The Modern Wreath
• 6:30-8:00pm on Thursday, December 8^th: Holiday Entertaining on a Budget

Floral design class pricing and information.

Flea Market Mirror Gets A Facelift

Wall mirror picked up at local flea market for under $20.

Surface preparation is the first step in the transformation from old,dated and ugly to fresh, modern and gorgeous. I used a 150 fine grit sandpaper to remove varnish and polyurethane layers from the mirror frame. After achieving a nice smooth surface, I cleaned up with a slightly moist cloth to pick up debris and any dust created by the sanding process. For this project, I sanded by hand – typically I use a sanding mouse, but this was a small project and hand sanding was in my opinion the best.

Used regular masking tape to protect mirror’s edge surface from any potential spray paint breaches.

To create a leak-proof barrier I customized the masking tape along the edges. It was really easy. Lay the tape close to the edge, use your fingers or a stick/pencil to “mold” the tape until it is nice and snug, then use a box cutter or Xacto knife to cut-away the excess tape.

Front of mirror papered and taped.	Back of mirror papered and taped

To prevent damage to the mirror’s surface and back wood surface from overspray, I carefully layered magazine and newspaper pages and set them in place with the masking tape. Once the tape and paper are on nice and tight, I took the mirror outdoors for the spray paint treatment. I used three layers of a bright white paint followed by two coats of a matte water based polyurethane. The entire paint process took about 72 hours, taking into account drying time between paint coats.

Top layer papered and taped.	Bottom layer taped mirror edge.

After the paint was dry, I took the paper and tape off carefully in layers. For the tape it is important to remove it at an angle. Doing so will leave a clean edge.

Newly painted and updated wall mirror.	Original dark, dated finish on wall mirror.

Modern Bathroom Glam: Glass Wall DIY Install

Want to add a modern, luxurious glam design to your bathroom? Then replace the boring and traditional dry wall with the look of  contemporary glass. Sounds hard? I used to think so until I came across a simple, yet thorough, DIY how-to from refurber.com regular, denouement. Before I jump into the details let me show you denouement’s bathroom improvement project. The photo on the bottom right illustrates the starting point with the bathroom wall framed out. The finished bathroom “glass” wall install photo on the top right illustrates the beautifully designed and newly installed “glass” wall.

I know you’re probably wondering, “Why does she have the quotes around the word glass?”. The answer is that actual glass is not used in this project for two reasons. The first is that glass near a bathtub/shower area needs to be shatterproof which leads me to the second reason real glass is not used, it’s expensive to buy the required safety glass. denouement used a plexi-glass (ecoresin from 3Form) which has “self-extinguishing flammability for code compliance”.

Don’t think that you’re limited to colors and textures. 3Form has a breath-taking variety of styles and designs to choose from. Some of my favorites are shown below:

This look won’t work in all homes but if your home is contemporary in design and style then it’s definitely a natural fit.Learn how you can get this look at home -read denouement’s 5 Tips for Creating an Architectural Glass Wall.

Design resource: 3Form

10 Budget Decorating Ideas:Recession Chic

Get ready to have the home of your dreams on your terms and budget! Luxury for less is so easy when you follow these 10 easy ideas for decorating on a budget.

1. Get Creative: Getting your creative juices flowing is one of the most important factors for making the most of your decorating budget and still achieving luxury for less. See beyond the ordinary. A pile of broken dishes is not worth crying over! Pick up the pieces and make a mosaic pattern for that old coffee table in the garage. Learn to approach your decor with fresh eyes.
2. Greenery & Florals. Use greenery and florals to add freshness and impact to your decor. If strategically placed they can also hide ugly flaws such as the air return vent.
3. Get Inspired. Don’t let your decorating budget limit your options. Determine what you need and/or desire and find a way to make it a reality. If you are looking for the luxury of an upholstered headboard but can not find it in your budget to buy one, then learn to make it yourself or enlist the aid of a friend who can. It’s all possible to achieve you just need to be inspired to find a way!
4. Light It Up: Don’t underestimate the importance of good lighting! It’s no wonder that famous actresses refuse to be filmed unless the lighting is perfect. The wrong lighting can exaggerate flaws , visually change colors of any decor item, or worse yet make a perfectly beautiful room look terrible. Experiment with the lighting in your rooms until you achieve the effect you desire.
5. Paint, Paint & More Paint. Painting is a very easy and cost effective way to update your interior. A fresh coat of paint can drastically impact the look of your home. Used correctly paint can create an optical illusion and make you room look larger or cozier. You can create the illusion of high ceilings or bring the ceiling down visually, by simply using paint.
6. Re-Arrange: So easy and possible to do in an afternoon. This is another way to get maximum impact without putting a dent in your wallet. Try configuring your furniture layout until you are pleased. Sometimes you really don’t need new furniture you just need to place it correctly to make it look like you did buy new furniture.
7. Re-Evaluate: Take the time to inventory your decor. You will be pleasantly surprised at how much you really do have! Once you know what you have you can decide what to do with it. If you have a Wingback chair in your bedroom collecting old clothes and dust, then re-evaluate it! Maybe you need to move that chair to complete a perfect conversation area in your living room.
8. Re-Move: If you don’t use it or will have no use for it, then remove it! Donate it to your favorite charity, ask a friend if they can put it to good use or if it is a total loss, toss it! Don’t crowd your home and life with “dead” pieces, it will only cause you grief and frustration.
9. Re-Finish: If you have pieces that are in good condition and still functional then give it a face-lift. Re-upholster that old tired sofa or strip the paint on that chest of drawers and either stain it or paint it to make it new again!
10. Re-cycle: Before you throw anything away, think about how it can be given a second life. We all have clothes in our closets that we have put there to be forgotten. Well think about using that old bridesmaids or prom dress as fabric for your fabulous new pillows. Again learn to approach the ordinary items in your home with fresh eyes and you’ll find that decorating on a budget is easier than you thought!

Decorating with Lighting and Lamps

Lighting is often overlooked in most home remodeling and decorating projects. Typically it’s not even considered (thoughtfully) until the homeowner has completed the project and comes to the realization that the lighting is inadequate or worse – the current lighting casts unattractive shadows on beautiful artwork, furniture or even the entire room creating an unpleasant experience each and every time that room is entered.

When planning a home improvement project or even a minor redecorating project take into consideration the different types of lighting the room will require. Lighting for the purpose of room design can be categorized as one or more of the following: general, task and accent.

General Lighting

Overhead lighting, whether it’s a sparkling $10,000 hand-cut crystal chandelier or a $100 flourescent lighting box provides the largest quantity of lighting in the room. General lighting is all about maximum illumination.

Task Lighting

Table lamps, torchieres and other accent or decorative light sources provide focused illumination on a small area. One of the most frequent errors homeowners make is to forget about adequate overhead lighting (general) and attempt to light large rooms with one to four accent lights. The results are always the same – garish shadows, harsh colors and tones, and the dreaded illumination “Bow Tie” effect which means that everything above the lampshade is drenched in light that gets darker and darker and the reverse is true of the light emanating from the bottom of the shade. Task lighting is additional lighting and should NEVER be used for general illumination.

Accent Lighting/Up Lighting/Down Lighting

Spotlights on artwork, plants or any object that you wish to create a dramatic visual effect using light.

Decorative Lighting and Lighting Fixtures

Table lamps, desk lamps, sewing/hobby lamps, under-cabinet lights, stair lights are great for limited lighting needs. Use them when you need focused illumination for reading, writing or working.

Floodlights (recessed and in a quantity for entire room illumination), track lights, strip lights, overhead light boxes, large chandeliers and other large ceiling lights provide general lighting

Mini-track lights, single purpose flood lights, small scale chandeliers and ceiling lights provide illumination to create dramatic or accent lighting .

Scale

As you noticed from the earlier discussion regarding decorative lighting and lighting fixtures that one or more lighting fixtures could be used as general, task or accent lighting. The reason for this is scale. A small chandelier hung over a dining room table will create ambient lighting that complements an intimate dinner. While a large chandelier hung in an entry hall would illuminate the entire hall with little need for light from any other source. So when planning for lighting ask yourself what type of lighting is needed for each room. You may find that you want track lighting as general lighting in the kitchen but most track lighting fixtures tend to be on the smallish side – so then you will need to find larger scale track lighting to provide the illumination the kitchen will require.

Keep the Light on your Design

Fixing a lighting design oversight can either be as inexpensive as buying a new table lamp or as expensive as having to rip out the incorrectly installed lighting layout and replacing it with the correct lighting design. One is an oops the other is a big OUCH.

So remember to keep lighting front and center in all of your home remodeling design plans. If not you may find yourself with a completely remodeled new kitchen with only two rows of recessed overhead lighting when you should have had four rows based on the size of the kitchen. You can’t blame the contractor – he just did what you told him to do.

7 Small Kitchen Design Ideas

Is your kitchen small? Does it feel closed, dark and cramped? If so then you’ll love these kitchen design and remodeling ideas that will help move your kitchen out of the suffocating darkness and into the spacious light.

1. Add light to the kitchen. The right mix of natural and artificial light will immediately brighten up the space and make it look larger. A bay window or skylight will add architectural interest and allow a bright flow of natural light. Choosing the best ambient and task kitchen lighting and fixtures will illuminate the kitchen after dark giving the space the same airy, bright feeling it has during the day.
2. Use light colored cabinets to give the illusion of an expanded kitchen space.
3. Avoid standard size cabinets with a smaller cabinet mounted on top for more space it looks choppy. Use continuous high wall cabinets to give the kitchen an illusion of height and more space. It’s just like fashion – if you’re petite wearing a belt visually cuts you in half and makes you look shorter. Getting rid of the belt immediately elongates your silhouette – same principle for cabinets and walls. Any horizontal break will make it look small whereas a smooth non-interrupted surface looks taller.
4. Hide the clutter and appliances in drawers, cabinets or an appliance garage – anywhere but the counters. Clutter creates the illusion of less space and it’s also cumbersome when you need the space to prepare meals. So put it all away. Your kitchen space will immediately look larger.
5. Add glass faced kitchen cabinet doors and back-lit cabinets. Doing so will create a more spacious feel.
6. Under and over cabinet lighting brings dark areas into the light. The dark recessed areas make the kitchen space feel as if it is shrinking. Adding the appropriate lighting (no fluorescent lights please ) will create the illusion of openness and contribute to the visual enlarging of the kitchen area.
7. Open faced cabinets and display areas create a sense of openness. Adding a few decorative pieces will add personality to the room but avoid creating clutter as that will only visually shrink the room.

For more small kitchen decorating ideas visit – Lowes Creative Ideas – they have a wonderful article replete with how-tos, pricing and products to help make your small kitchen BIG

Kitchen Island – How You Can Have One Too

Kitchen islands are standard fare in new homes. However homeowners such as myself who live in homes that are 20, 30, 40 or more years old are left with kitchen island envy. When we moved into our home ten years ago we knew that quite a bit of remodeling would have to be done to take our home out of the 1970s time warp it was in and into the twentieth century.

The kitchen was a biggie. It was hideous. The most offending piece had to be the peninsula style kitchen eat-in low bar counter style nook. There were plenty of other things that were extraordinarily ugly but that was the first thing I wanted out. I wanted to replace that section of the kitchen with a large island.

During the first remodeling phase the peninsula kitchen nook was taken out however the island never materialized. I did think about it and more often than not it was when I was preparing large intricate meals, rolling out pizza dough or trying to find a place to set the groceries on the woefully inadequate kitchen counters. A couple of years passed before I finally got my island. Looking back now I am slightly embarrassed that we just didn’t build the kitchen island years ago since it turned out to be unbelievably easy. It took less than a weekend of work to make the kitchen island and that includes all the prep work and shopping.

Here’s how you can build a custom kitchen island. First you want to measure the area in which the island will reside. Remember to leave a minimum of 32″ all around the island (if possible) so that traffic flow isn’t impeded.

Head straight to Lowe’s or Home Depot’s kitchen cabinet department. If you are on a tight budget your first stop should be the the stock kitchen cabinets department. Most home improvement stores have a reasonably well-stocked ready-to-assemble cabinetry department making it relatively easy to find what you are looking for. If your budget allows you may also be interested in looking at semi-custom and custom kitchen cabinets.

For a very basic kitchen island you will need a minimum of two cabinet sets of the same height and width. If at all possible try to find the same finish and style as your current kitchen cabinets. If you aren’t able to do so then paint or finish the stock cabinets to coordinate with your kitchen’s color palette. Once you’ve found the perfect cabinets for your project then you can choose a surface. The surface can range from laminate to granite. Granite surface are doable on stock cabinetry however you must verify that the combined cabinets can support the granite’s weight.

With the cabinets and material at home it should only take you a few hours to assemble and build your custom kitchen island.

For our project we selected double door cabinets – the very inexpensive stock cabinets made from MDF. We attached the cabinets back to back using joining brackets. Then we cut a large slab of counter material to fit over the combined cabinets – leaving an inch of lip all around. Using L brackets we attached the top to the cabinets in less than 15 minutes. It took more time to assemble the cabinets than it took to actually create
the kitchen island. Now that’s simple.

6 Decorating Tips from Spotlight on Design Experts 2009

One really important thing that I tell people is if you want to make a big difference without spending a dime, just move things. Rearrange furniture and accent pieces and you can give a room a great makeover, without costing you anything.

( Sayeh Pezeshki of Sorting with Style and The Office Stylist )

[Tip] to shop for paint colors at a home improvement store:

Grab a few of the paint chips you are considering and walk over to the lighting department. Making color selections while standing under the chandeliers and ceiling fans in the lighting department will give you a better idea of how that color will look with the lighting in your home.

( Mary Elizabeth Beal of Trend Funnel )

When you buy your next home do as much of the redecorating or renovating right away and live there long enough to enjoy it all! Too often I see home owners doing all these things to get a house ready for sale only for all their efforts to be enjoyed by new owners.

( Christine Skaley of Pillow Throw Decor )

I think the most important thing I’ve taken away from working in the paint industry to know your paint. Really consider all aspects of the color and the factors that go into choosing the color. Consider lighting and furniture and how these things affect the color. Don’t just look at it in the paint store, under the intense florescent lighting, because that will skew the color. Take it home and put it on every wall, look at it, walk by it, stare at it. Ask for larger samples, especially sample paint. It’s worth the $5 to not make an $80 mistake. 

(Heather Bourgeois of Create H Designs )

[M]ake your house look like you live in it. The furnishings and accessories you surround yourself with should tell the story of your life, not the life of a hotel or a magazine spread. When someone sits in your living room, let them see you through the object you own.

(Paul Anater of Kitchen and Residential Design )

I love this quote from Chuck Palahniuk:   “You buy furniture.You tell yourself,this is the last sofa I will ever need in my life.Buy the sofa,then for a couple years you’re satisfied that no matter what goes wrong,at least you’ve got your sofa issue handled.Then the right set of dishes.Then the perfect bed.The drapes.The rug.Then you’re trapped in your lovely nest,and the things you used to own,now they own you.”

My decorating tip has nothing to do with the physical aspect. I’ve been to many beautiful and expensive homes that have no soul. There is a disconnect between the owner and its inhabitants. Whereas, love filled homes emanate great energy even in a mild state of dishevelment. The role of a designer is to enhance the personality and lifestyle of its client but not take over.

Continuously Evolve. Know when to Detach. Be yourself. Have fun.  (Maybelline Te of Snug Furniture and Frou La La )

Excerpted from the following Spotlight on Design interviews:

• Sayeh Pezeshki of The Office Stylist & Sorting with Style
• Mary Elizabeth Beal of Trend Funnel.com
• Christine Skaley of Pillow Throw Decor
• Heather Bourgeois of Create H Designs
• Paul Anater of Kitchen and Residential Design
• Maybelline Te of Snug Furniture & Frou La La

HOME MADE SIMPLE on TLC Oct 24th 2009

Samantha at TLC tells us that:

HOME MADE SIMPLE, the show with simple and easy solutions to everyday domestic challenges, returns on October 24 at 12 PM (ET/PT) for its sixth season. The series is based on the easy home-style principles featured on the popular homecare Web site HomeMadeSimple.com. Traveling around the country, our handyman, designer, and chef work together with families to devise simple solutions for easy living by sprucing up décor, tackling simple handyman projects, and creating quick and easy meals for the entire family.
Welcome back the mavens:

Patrick Brown, handyman
Patrick Brown loves to help people create the homes they love to live in. A handyman in every sense, he shows viewers common sense solutions to some common home problems. His favorite job, however, is showing people that they’re capable of doing more in their homes than they may think they can.

Wanda Colón, designer:
Wanda Colón is a designer known for bringing boundless energy and style to her projects. Her design principles focus on the individual, looking for opportunities to incorporate local art and found pieces into projects as a way to reveal the unique style of her clients. Her passion for design led to the launch of her own company, The Piper Decorative Artisans, a business that continues to thrive with work commissioned by celebrity clients.

Deborah Fewell, chef:
Deborah received an associate degree from the world-renowned Le Cordon Bleu School (Pasadena Campus). She was later chosen for the highly competitive internship program at the Food Network in New York; Deborah went on to become personal chef to NBA great Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway of the New York Knicks and has been the personal chef to A-list celebrities Will and Jada Smith for the last four years. Deborah then returned to the Food Network, but this time as one of the eight competitors (chosen out of a pool of 10,000) for the televised prime time program The Next Food Network Star (Season 1). In this highly touted chef’s competition, Deborah was the first runner-up.