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Find Your Personal Style with a Fun Visual Quiz

Oct 28, 2009

I create design plans for rooms anywhere, often without setting foot in them. And one of the challenges with this concept (which I call eDecor), is getting to know the client. It's so important to me to understand each client's preferences and style. Your room should reflect you, not me.

Most people have a definite personal style but don't know how to articulate it. They just know it when they see it. So as one part of my detailed style questionnaire, I ask clients to head over to sproost.com to complete the visual design style quiz there. Everyone says it's fun. Lots of people even take it 3 or 4 times! The room above was one that I marked "Love it" and it pegged me yet again as a fan of Rustic Revival. (Which is true, though I like a little Midcentury Modern thrown in, too.)

The quiz is simple. Look at a picture of a room and rate how much you like or dislike it. Do this several times and the quiz begins to make connections and find similarities in your choices. Then it puts a label (or two or three) on your style. It will also suggest products that fit your style. Even if you don't buy those items, the information can help you explain what you like to decorators or sales staff when shopping for furniture. I use it as one of many components to help me identify what a client wants.

Take the Sproost Style Quiz.

Now how do I get that look in my house?

If you're stuck, I can help. My eDecor Plans give you all the knowledge you need to put together a room that's all about you. You'll get a complete design plan, from wall colors down to accessories, and a photographic Inspiration Board where you can buy everything with a click, or just use it as a visual guide for shopping in person. I take out all the guesswork for a fraction of the cost of a conventional interior decorator. Check out the Plans here or just email me and I'll answer all your questions. —Diane

TAGS: edecor edecorating e-decorating personal style quiz

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Inspired Idea: Camouflage your TV

Oct 27, 2009

Last week I posted about concealing a flat-screen TV with a frame. Today I ran across a photo at Living Etc. that illustrates an easy, low-cost way to camouflage, rather than conceal, your TV. (And no, this doesn't involve 3 cans of spray paint in green, brown, and tan.) Placing a TV, framed or unframed, amidst a sea of similar frames draws attention to the whole wall, not just the electronics. The effect is convincing and natural.—Diane

Photo: Living Etc.

I believe that TV is the Sony Bravia E4000, designed to blend within this type of display. The TV's release was announced over a year ago but it appears that it's still waiting to come to market. What's taking so long? This is a great idea!

Photos: Sony

How to Pull It Off: Tips for Hanging frames Gallery-style

1. Gather a good assortment of photos to frame. You can use family photos, or for a more artsy effect choose photos around a theme: nature close-ups, cityscapes, or shots from your favorite travel destination. Even amateur photos can be elevated to art when grouped and given importance.
2. The TV is big, so make sure you have two or three photos enlarged to at least 11"x14". Then enlarge a handful to 8"x10" and some more to 5"x7". Stick with standard sizes so you can buy standard frames. Avoid tiny photos in this grouping.
3. Buy identical frames. The more similar they are to your TV, the more effective the result will be. Mats will make the frames even larger, and often you can buy frames that include a pre-cut mat.
4. Frame all the photos.
5. Mount the TV roughly in the center of the "gallery" area.
6. Cut newspaper or paper bags to match the size of each frame. Lay out these papers on the floor to get your arrangement just right, then transfer the papers to the wall and stick them up using low-tack artist's tape.
7. Note the location of the hanging hardware on back of each frame and make a mark in that location on each frame's corresponding paper. Nail right through the paper.
8. Tear paper away, hang frames, done!

P.S. Did this post make anyone else recall this scene from E.T.? :)

Do you have an Inspired Idea? Have you created something creative, clever, and inexpensive for your home? Email it to me and it may be featured here on Room for Inspiration.

TAGS: flat screen plasma lcd tv television hanging disguise conceal

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Craving: Chic Pumpkin Decorating Ideas

Oct 26, 2009

If a classic jack-o'-lantern isn't your style, or if you're just craving something new this fall, try out one of these more sophisticated takes on pumpkin decorating. Instructions for all the projects and more can be found at Better Homes & Gardens' website. —Diane

Make a glam pumpkin with strings of sequins.

Copper sheeting and wire dress it up just enough for a classy dinner party.

Make a pumpkin "bonfire" with votives.

A white pumpkin makes a beautiful Thanksgiving centerpiece with beech leaves. Try bright yellow maple leaves on an orange pumpkin.

Click here for instructions.

Thanksgiving and Christmas will be here before you know it! Time to get your kitchen and baths looking great without a major renovation. "Spiff it up" eDecor Plans are just $320 per room for another week (normally $400). I'll give you quick and affordable ideas customized to your space and your budget. Email me for more info!

TAGS: pumpkin carving decorating fall centerpieces

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NPR covers e-decorating!

Oct 24, 2009

Two pages from a 12-page eDecor Plan for a sustainable bedroom. Click to enlarge.

OK, so the bad news is, I didn't get interviewed for this spot on NPR despite my recent radio interview on WNEM in Saginaw. I guess Skye Rohde wasn't listening that day. ;) The good news is that the brief story paints a pretty picture of e-decorating, which is exactly what I do at Inspired Room Design, except I call it eDecor. If you're new to the concept, I thoroughly explain its benefits here on my site. And here is how it works at Inspired Room Design.

In this radio spot you'll hear from two other companies that offer eDecorating services. From what I've seen, everyone takes a different approach to it, and pricing varies widely. There's probably a perfect match out there for anyone interested in affordable decorating advice. Generally, the more you pay, the more detailed a plan you get and the easier it is to visualize your space. I think you'll see that I offer one of the most thorough plans for the price, and stylistically, I work very hard to understand clients' preferences and needs rather than creating a look that's my own signature. I give you all the information you need to carry out a design plan that reflects you.

Check out the radio spot, check out my competitors. eDecorating is catching on! —Diane

Want to see the full eDecor Plan for the sustainable bedroom shown above? Download the full PDF here.

TAGS: edecorating e-decorating edecor long-distance decorating affordable alternatives npr

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Find: Customized Frames for Flat-panel TVs (and affordable DIY alternatives!)

Oct 23, 2009

Mention concealing a TV and you're opening a real can of design worms. It's amazing how people are divided on this topic. You've got those who think a TV doesn't even belong in a formal living space or bedroom, then there are those who think it should always be the focal point. And then somewhere in the middle are the pragmatists who want it in the room, they just don't want to look at it when it's turned off.

We're pretty much done with the whole armoire/entertainment center era thanks to falling prices on flat-screen TVs. So now we have more options. The TV itself takes up a lot less space. Mounting on the wall is an option. There are hydraulic lift systems within furniture. In our house, I designed a closet-like cavity with a barn door that shuts out the beast. And now there's a new option that disguises, rather than conceals.

First off: this is not an affordable solution for most people, but I think it's DIYable with some basic woodworking skills. So hear me out because it's pretty cool (or just skip to the bottom for the cheapskate alternative). Frame My TV is a highly customizable framing system that takes the wall-mounted TV to another level. Here's how it works. Choose your TV model (they're all on there). Then select from seven different frame styles and 22 wood finishes. If your TV has built-in speakers, you'll need to choose one of 13 woven Acoustimats. They look a lot like picture-frame mats. Then you can select fancy add-ons that create a better side view or turn the TV into a mirror when it's turned off. You can even order DVDs of themed artwork to display (no comment on the way certain pieces have been cropped!).

Here are a few photos from the customer gallery. Below is the mirror option. You'd never know it's a TV, and the frame choice blends nicely in this room. I want to put a nice wooden console table beneath it, though.

Hung low over a piece of furniture, it reads as a single unit, but the black frame still looks too high-tech in this room.

I'm never a fan of TVs mounted above the fireplace, but sometimes it really is the only option for a good furniture arrangement. This shows one of the artwork DVDs on display. Not bad, though I definitely wouldn't have chosen a white frame. They have some beautiful dark wood options that would have blended better with the dark green walls. All this white is coming off a bit plasticky.

Make it Yourself!

These frames start around $625 for a 32" flat frame without any options. You could spend as much as $3,000 for a big-screen with lots of options. I'm thinking the TV itself didn't even cost that much! But if you have a miter saw and some decent joinery skills, it seems you could treat the TV as a thick canvas and make a frame. The mat would be trickier. Maybe a piece of metal screening cut to size and faced with sturdy fabric would work. Mount the TV to the wall, mount the frame outside it using L-brackets. And you'd have to drill a hole or something for remote access. Hmm. Have any thoughts on pulling this off? Leave them in the comments.

TAGS: flat screen tv plasma lcd panel television disguise conceal frame hang mount wall over fireplace diy frame my tv

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