Floored by Inspiration: Beautiful Flooring Gives Birth to Divine Design

Shaw Floors invited a group of ten design writers and bloggers to North Carolina for the launch of the new HGTV HOME Flooring by Shaw collection. As part of the launch event, Shaw asked us to design a room from the floor up using products from the HGTV HOME collection.

The HGTV flooring collection has been in the making for over five years, when Shaw approached HGTV to collaborate on a product line. The environmentally friendly flooring collection ranges from: laminate floors that look so good that many mistook them,upon visual review, for hardwood; beautiful hardwoods that are so easy to install (click installation) DIYers will swoon; carpets in a gorgeous spectrum of textures, colors, designs and piles; and area rugs that can easily and affordably transform a room from blah to amazing.

My design partner, Ethan Hagan of One Project Closer, picked the flooring selections for our design project prior to my arrival. He selected a warm and visually rich laminate wood flooring and a multi-colored and multi-patterned area rug. Our design challenge was to create a design concept incorporating those two elements. We had a little over two and a half hours, while we traveled from Asheville to Greensboro, to create a mood board to communicate our design vision. We were provided with a plastic bin filled to the top with fabric, trim, an HGTV HOME for Sherwin Williams paint deck, and magazines ranging from design to fashion to beauty. Ethan and I quickly decided we wanted a contemporary, sophisticated, livable, elegant and subtlety glamorous design that was also soothing and calming. We wanted to design a room that was beautiful and inviting, and that would allow the homeowner to immediately decompress and quickly forget the stresses of the outside world as soon as they entered through the door.  Our vision was a sophisticated sanctuary-all the comforts, glamour and luxury of a five-star hotel-at home. When we arrived at Tribuzio-Hilliard Studio, Ethan and I were assigned Loura ‘Lou’ Lockwood to assist us to bring our design vision to life. We couldn’t have been more thrilled to have her on our design team. She took one look at our design board and immediately knew what we wanted to create.

We were also ecstatic that HGTV design celebrity Lisa LaPorta really liked our design concept. Neither Ethan nor I are trained design professionals, we both come to the design and DIY fields from very different backgrounds. Ethan was a surgical videographer and is now the founder of the very popular DIY blog, “One Project Closer”. As for me, I’m a former software engineer with an incredible passion for beautiful design, and I’ve now made covering that industry for this publication my career. So to say it was a bit daunting to take on this challenge would be an understatement. Thankfully, Ethan and I both love a good challenge as much as we love design and DIY, so it was fun. And with Lou’s guidance I think we brought to life the sophisticated sanctuary we had envisioned.

Decor Resource: HGTV HOME Flooring by Shaw area rug (Oleander Breeze) and laminate (Crystalline Oregon Trail).

Next: Behind the Scenes at the HGTV HOME Flooring by Shaw Design Challenge.

Home Decorating based on your Color Personality

Confused about selecting color for your home? Why not try choosing decorating colors based on your unique personality? I decided to have a bit of fun and searched out several websites that discuss color personality types.

The Pratt and Lambert color quiz was the most comprehensive color personality test of all those I reviewed. Taking into account not only color likes but other factors that make you uniquely you. This test was the only one that returned a color scheme that was very similar to my personal decorating style. I was impressed. According to the Pratt & Lambert site my color personality:

By the Seaside

Colors in this palette are reminiscent of a sunny seaside. These combinations are refreshing and invigorating. They provide sparkle with lightness while also imbuing a sense of soothing calm. Oceanic hues are ideal for making a bathroom, bedroom or study an oasis. These colors provide a balance for those with a hectic life. The person who decorates with these colors is looking for their home to be their escape.

Take the Pratt & Lambert Paint Quiz

Home and Garden TV has an interesting color wheel that you can spin with your mouse and find the color that sings to your soul.

When I spun the color wheel my eyes landed on my favorite color: Pink. Once I selected Pink, I was given five other shades of pink to choose from. I ended up selecting two pinks (Lavender Pink and Hot Pink) I adore. According to the HGTV site these color choices mean:

If you like lavender pink, you’re seeking to be more inventive. New possibilities flood your mind. By constantly examining possible practical applications, you create new things, new ideas. Using this purple-pink shade in room design is empowering. You and others will become more determined and self-constructive in a lavender pink office or library. Because it invites warm, exciting conversations, it’s perfect for dining or living rooms. Guests will feel welcomed.

If you like hot pink, you’re constantly thinking about exciting things to do. Through your body language and appearance, without even being aware, you’re sending out enticing messages. Designing with this magenta shade of pink creates adventurous conversations and situations. It makes you and others less skeptical and more enthusiastic. Use this color to turn dull into exciting. Think party room!

Take the HGTV Color Wheel our for a spin.

Next up was Resene Paints of New Zealand. They offered up a personality quiz based on seasonal concepts developed by Johannes Itten. According to the Resene Paint website, “focusing on your dominant colour personality when developing a room scheme can help you put together colour schemes that feel right quickly and easily”. Their test was designed to help define your dominant and possibly secondary color personality. Sounded interesting, so ff I went to take the test.

After answering 10 questions I was presented with my color personality. I’m mixed: Winter (Primary) and Summer (Secondary). So what did it mean? According to the Resene descriptions:

Not scared to use strong colour, Winters often love reds but avoid soft pinks. Achromatic colour schemes employing tonal variations of black, white and grey are commonplace, giving clean lines and sharp contrasts. Assertive purples are considered a safe choice for the main colour in a colour scheme, a sharp contrast to other seasons who will use purple sparingly as an accent. Blues run the gamut of ice blues through to blue blacks, cool and delineating and reflect onto the green palette giving a range of strong aquas. Neutrals are blacks, whites and greys for dramatic relief against the stronger feature colours. You won’t find warm creams here. Simple colour schemes are favoured – one colour as the canvas and then accents of other strong colours for contrast and drama. Like Winter personalities, the Winter palette is self-assured and intense. Subtle colours are left to the other seasons.

At first I thought, no way. Pinks are my favorite colors and the Winter description is telling me to avoid soft pinks. The test did say I was mixed, so before I wrote the test off I took a look at my Summer description.

Close to nature, blues and greens are important in the Summer palette, with blue often being the favourite colour perhaps contrasted with soft pinks and yellows. Oranges are banished from the palette – too hot to sit comfortably with the cool palette. The Summer palette is subtle. Primary colours are greyed off eliminating the clean brightness of the original hues. Neutrals are drawn from soft greys, taupes, oysters and whites for a cooling touch. Creams are too warm to suit the summer palette. Decorating is cool, elegant and understated.

Being a mixed color personality type explains the contradiction of “avoiding soft pinks” in Winter and “using soft pinks” in my Summer profile. When I looked at the color swatches I noticed that my favorite pinks where included in both the Winter and Summer palettes.

Take the Resene Paint Color Personality Test.

The BHG color test was quick to take but it returned the color Yellow as my ideal shade. I do like yellow but only in very small doses. So of all the color quizzes I’d have to say the BHG color personality quiz was not the most accurate gauge of my color preferences. But it is fun so if you’d like to take the Better Homes and Garden Color Quiz it only takes a few minutes and who knows, you might find your ideal color schemes.

Myles of Style Premiere

Myles of Style will premiere with a special preview episode this Sunday, March 16th at 10pm on HGTV. The series will continue airing on Thursdays at 8:30pm starting on March 20th. The show is hosted by Design Star 2 winner, Kim Myles, everyone’s favorite hair-dresser-turned-interior-designer. Kim will tackle troubled rooms with her knack for designing for small spaces and for those on a tight budget. In each half hour episode, she’ll use her creativity and talent for design to help homeowners transform ordinary spaces into luxurious rooms.

Check out a preview of the show on YouTube. For more information, take a look at the HGTV official website.

Decorating Cents on the Chopping Block

One of our very favorite decorating on a budget television shows may be getting the ax. According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune the Home and Garden Television company has placed “Decorating Cents” on hiatus for now.

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Editor Note: Re-posted (originally posted on Jan 18, 2007) due to popular demand. We’ve received over 150 emails regarding Decorating Cents being canceled – and the overwhelming sentiment is “Don’t Cancel”. Decorating Cent’s fans have asked us to bump this post so that others are made aware of this issue.

RELATED ARTICLE: Matt and Shari.com (Original HGTV Stars Launch Decorating Website)
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“Decorating Cents” has been one of HGTV’s best design shows over that last few years however the show’s ratings have been down recently compared to other years so that may be the reason that it may be headed to the cancellation bin. Which would be an absolute shame because the show’s host Joan Steffend does provide viewers with great ideas for decorating on a tight budget and best of all are her end of show segments which illustrate the magic of using your imagination to transform trash to treasure.

The Star Tribune does report that enough new “Decorating Cents” shows have been filmed to run through the first quarter of 2008 – hopefully HGTV will still air them for fans of the show. The Star Tribune also reports that the possible cancellation of “Decorating Cents” doesn’t include losing Joan Steffend – she will continue to host HGTV specials including the popular Home and Garden Television Dream Home Give-away.

I hope that HGTV doesn’t cancel “Decorating Cents” it will be sorely missed unlike some other decorating shows that currently air on the Home & Garden network. Some of these new shows are absolutely dreadful and should be canceled; that includes never, ever bringing them back even in the form of re-runs.

Editor Note: Re-posted (originally posted on Jan 18, 2007) due to popular demand. We’ve received over 150 emails regarding Decorating Cents being canceled – and the overwhelming sentiment is “Don’t Cancel”. Decorating Cent’s fans have asked us to bump this post so that others are made aware of this issue.

RELATED ARTICLE: Matt and Shari.com (Original HGTV Stars Launch Decorating Website)

HGTV “Bought & Sold” May 20th Episode

The May 20th “Bought & Sold” episode will feature “home staging” expert Linda Russell who also happens to be a realtor and a member of the “Bought & Sold” cast. I think it would be worth watching for those of you who have homes on the market.

Here’s more info- “Bought & Sold” May 20th show

HGTV’s Bought & Sold

Recently I was contacted by a public relations representative for Home and Garden Television to let me know about their new television show “Bought and Sold”. The ‘Bought and Sold” show for those of you who may be unfamiliar with it is a show which follows the trials and tribulations of realtors. Of course the show isn’t a completely new concept as other “home” networks have created similar type shows with some slight twist but the show’s promos seemed interesting enough so I told the representative that I would record the show since I was going to be out of town and watch it when I returned.

When I returned from my trip I watched the first episode of “Bought and Sold” and found that aside from the brilliant use of creative visual merchandising and marketing by the multi-million dollar listing agent Sam Joseph who had worked as Creative Vice President at Macy’s, the rest of the show was dull, predicatable and dated – showing a market that appears to be pre-housing bubble bust. I had no intention of watching a second episode because the first episode had failed to impress. However, here comes the “big but” I decided to hang in there and watch the second episode in the series – again based on the interesting promo teaser and my husband telling me that I should at least give it a second chance .

I watched the second episode this last weekend and was engaged from the beginning of the show until the very end. I really enjoyed the segments with Joanna and Jodi and their interactions with the soon to be divorced couple that had decided to sell their family home. The show showed it’s heart and I think that if it can continue with another episode consistent with the second one then the show will develop a wonderful following.

“Bought and Sold” can be an entertaing reality realty show (yeah – I know based on one pretty good show and hoping the rest are as interesting…) that helps outsiders get an insiders view of the real estate market, the agents and their interactions with each other as well as their clients. As previously noted, the show is entertaining for a reality show BUT don’t expect to learn many great “Design to Sell” tidbits or home staging tips – I’d stick with The Decorating Diva favorite “Design to Sell” (with the superb Lisa Laporta) or if you’re into house flipping then any of the “Flip this House” shows. I also like “Buy Me” which is the buyers version of “Bought and Sold”.

I will watch upcoming episodes and update my opinion of the show as it progresses.

Quick Side Note: I mentioned earlier that “Bought and Sold” appeared to be dated prior to the housing bust but to be honest almost (probably all realty shows) are now dated. My husband and I joke that once the “house flipping” shows make there way to television then it’s time to sell your flip property fast cause the markets going down. Just an observation

Fun with Color – HGTV Style

HGTV.com definately has captured my attention with their page on decorating with color. They have highlighted information derived from Mark McCauley’s book Color Therapy at Home. It is presented in a fun fashion and best of all the visuals are outstanding.
The color wheel is easy to understand and quickly illustrates the four major compositions in color schemes:
analogous colors, complemenary colors, triadic and monochromatic.

I absolutely love it and I bet you will too. Have Fun!