Tiny Houses

I was unfamiliar with the tiny house concept until a couple weeks ago. Per the usual, I was on my sofa watching HGTV’s Design Star and the challenge was to decorate a tiny house.   When I saw one for the first time, it reminded me of my nieces’ playhouse.  Au contraire!  With fully functioning kitchen & baths, these houses can fit full grown adults and all their essentials.  Notice, I said essentials.  The whole concept of these tiny houses, built by Jay Shafer, is that everything has multiple purposes.  With limited room (from 60 to 600 square feet) you have to seriously maximize your space. 

This idea really intrigued me.  Just a few days ago I wrote a blog post devoted to pieces that are overflowing with function.  Things that pull double duty.  Now this episode airs all about getting the most out of your small space.  I loved it!  In fact, I loved it so much that I told my husband if anything ever happened to him the dog and I would live in a tiny house.  His reaction was one of concern.  I seemed to like these houses just a little too much and he wondered if he should fear for his safety.  Once I alleviated those fears, all was well. 

But seriously, what a unique concept in a time where bigger is always better and we feel the “need” to have so much.  I really love the overall message derived from these houses- slow down, live within your means, and less is more.  Sometimes my most rewarding projects for clients are the ones that are limited in space and creativity has a huge role in how to make them function well. 

Click here for more info on Tiny Houses.  There is a wealth of information and seminars available to educate people on these homes.

Collections

Nostalgia, interest and sometimes greed feed into our desire to collect things.  Some people collect baseball cards, others collect old movie posters.  As child, I collected porcelain clown figurines.  I now have hundreds of these delicate, handpainted pieces stored away in boxes.  To be honest, I have no idea what to do with them.  How many of us are like that?  We buy and collect all these things we want, but then we just end up storing them away in the basement of attic because we don’t know how to use them.  

Watching an episode of Design Star earlier this week provided great inspiration.  A couple collected old records.  The designer decided to showcase those records as art.  Square wooden blocks were attached to the wall arranged in a grid formation to create a platform.  Then one record was screwed into each platform.  What a fantastic way to fill a wall with a unique art piece!  Additionally, it made the room more personal to the homeowners AND cleared out boxes of records that would otherwise collect dust. 

It can be challenging to think outside the box but when we do we can usually come up with awesome ways to re-purpose the things we love!  I’m tempted to (cover your ears, Mom) take all my porcelain figurines and bust them into pieces that I can use in a mosaic.  I could create a mirror frame or a back-splash out of the pieces instead of letting them age in the cardboard walls of a moving box.  What will you do with your collector’s items?

Tv is Tv, not real life

I am not usually a watcher of design shows.  They tend to frustrate me more than inspire, but that is another topic for another day.  The point I am trying to get to is that in spite of myself, I am an avid Design Star fan.  This show is a competition for interior designers aired on HGTV.  It's become a guilty pleasure of mine each Monday night.

A couple episodes back, David Bromstad, one of the show's hosts and an HGTV designer himself, said something that I LOVED!  As the designer's prepared their assigned rooms for that week's challenge, a few of them were struggling.  David reminded them that designing for TV is different than designing for real life.  FINALLY! Someone expressed on national television what so many viewers needed to hear.  When you design for a camera, you have a whole different set of needs than when you design for someone's personal space.  Bromstad, reminded them that the camera reads bold colors, solid fabrics and sharp contrast very well. 

When people see these bold and electric rooms on TV and try to mimic them at home, the result is bad news.  When in a space like this you can feel anxious, antsy & uncomfortable.  At the very least, you'll probably get a headache.  Also consider that sharp contrasts don't appeal to everyone.  Don't misunderstand what I am saying.  These shows can be great inspiration to many and show others what possibilities are out there in the world of decor.  I am simply trying to remind people that not everything on TV can be transferred over into real life with great success.  Maybe the network should put a "Don't try this at home" disclaimer on the screen.  Just a thought...

Design Star

So, I am only a week late, but I finally watched my DVRed episode of Design Star on HGTV. Blame it on my affinity for southern culture, but Tera (from Texas) is my fav so far. Her take on the white box challenge was beautiful- the room was finished (always a plus!) and tranquil. I love mixing textures in a space and she did a great of incorporating a variety of them here: 

On the other hand, I was completely unimpressed with the arrogant Nina.  Her room possessed some good elements, but I felt the parasols she incorporated screamed "asian market"- the same characteristic for which the judges slammed her competitor, Tom.

I am glad to see the importance of hosting abilities taking a more prominent role earlier in this season compared to seasons past.  I do have to say poor Julie (who was eliminated) repeatedly used cliches and stumbled all over her words during her hosting debut which made it painful to watch.  Emily, while more like-able, spewed the entire time she was on camera and I felt embarrassed for the girl.

In addition to Tera, I also find myself rooting for the young Alex, who dubbed himself "not your typical designer" because of his age and race.  I'm looking forward to watching tomorrow night's episode to see who stands out!