Design Tips From Candice Olson

Although I have procrastinated for almost six years since JR passed away and I'm surrounded by boxes of his stuff that I still can't bring myself to give away and a mass of disorganized boxes of merchandise to sell . . . and now that I no longer have a dog who resided in my favorite room in the back that was also known as a catch-all for boxes and stuff . . . it is time for me to get a life and at least make my house a home again, even if it is just me . . . I deserve it and finally realize that.

I've made some progress thanks to the cable channels like HGTV and the Style Network. The show Clean House has shamed me into taking a critical look at the way I live through others who were brave enough to shamelessly go on national television in order to get help and finally change their evil ways and make their house a home.

By the way . . . in my opinion . . . Discovery Home royally screwed up by going green with their cable channel that was one of my favorites with an awesome mix of interior decorating, DIY and cooking shows. Where has Christopher Lowell been? He is my all-time favorite.

HGTV has switched their programming emphasis to getting your house ready to sell rather than making it a home . . . it is all about the money now, not improving your lifestyle. I miss the old programming, in particular, the gardening shows like Way to Grow that originated from Disney World. Maybe being Martha Stewartish isn't cool anymore?

There are still some awesome interior decorating shows . . . one of my favorites is Divine Design with Candice Olson . . . her decorating taste is bright and bold and I have drawn much inspiration from watching her shows.

Can I borrow Chico?

Now that I have started taking action in conquering the clutter, I've started doing research on decorating and getting ideas on how I'd like to proceed. I ran across the following article from HGTV.

I'm not trying to claim this as my own article, however, I am tired of going back and having to delete old posts since I only posted links to the articles back then, rendering the post useless when the source blog decided to delete the page or move it somewhere else . . .

Source page: http://www.hgtv.com/decorating/design-tips-from-candice-olson/index.html

The Divine Design host shares her insider tips and tricks for renovating and decorating your home.

Before you hire a designer, find out what you like.
It's not uncommon for folks to be unable to articulate what their style is, says Candice Olson. Create a scrapbook or binder full of magazine clippings, fabrics and photos of design that catches your eye. A homeowner who has done their homework really helps a designer, says Olson: "When I look through 20 different pages that a homeowner has collected, it gives an outsider a good idea of what the person likes."

Create a sample board.
After Olson meets with her clients, she pulls together a sample board — a collection of fabric scraps, paint chips, finish samples, flooring bits, photos of furnishings that tells the room's design story. Make your own when you're dreaming up a room makeover. It'll help you match up fabrics and wallpapers before they get installed. Plus, it helps you stick to your vision once you've started.

Be open to a room swap.
Swapping rooms or areas in a room is a trick that Olson uses frequently on Divine Design. A dining room and living room will trade places or a kitchen floor plan gets reversed. Of course, unless you're gutting your entire home you can't swap the kitchen with a bedroom, Olson says, but by taking a fresh look at how a space works, you may find a better way to use your square footage.

Look in commercial buildings for inspiration.
When shopping for kitchen flooring you may find products that are stylish and extra-durable. Want to make your kitchen look bigger? "Laying the kitchen floor pattern on a diagonal lets you visually expand the space — good to know if you have a tight squeeze," Olson says.

Contributions by Anne Krueger.