Designing Diva Interiors

This week kicks off the period of time set aside for participating designers in this year’s Symphony Show House to begin their demo work (that’s the funnest part to a lot of people)! As you may already know DDI will be giving one of the 11 bathrooms in this Greek-inspired mansion a facelift along with the hand-painting talents of Lezley Lynch (www.lezleylynchdesigns.com).

I thought it may be fun to give readers an inside look at how a show home comes together so for the next few weeks I will be dedicating periodic posts to the progress of the Overholser Mansion (2550 E. Overholser).

So what’s on the menu for today? Once the painter and I can sync our schedules we will begin priming the wallpaper for its satin black paint– that’s no typo, I said black. This bathroom will have a 20’s glam vibe with a lot of mirrors to reflect the light as opposed to the formal red and chocolate brown palette that makes the room unmemorable. After that its off to hunt down a chandelier. I am hoping that my good friends at Bruno’s Home Furnishings or Hunzicker Lighting Gallery (both OKC) will have the one I’m dreaming of!

We hope you can make it by to check out the finished product! Stay tuned for developments with this room and for tour dates/ticket sales!

Welcome to my Designer’s Attic where you can stumble upon awesome finds for your home at unbelievable prices. Every item here is either new or nearly new and has been loved by clients of Designing Diva’s. For one reason or another they no longer need these items and have placed them for sale here where others can take advantage of the “priced to sell” home accents and furniture. We have a first here today! This gorgeous Steinway piano needs a new home ASAP as its current owners are moving and do not wish to take it with them.

~Steinway, Model M, Circa 1928                            ~Ebony satin finish

~Completely restored by a Steinway dealer      ~Appraised in ‘04 at $43,100

~Comparable piano is currently for sale on ebay for $28,000

~ Designer’s Attic price: $21,000 (Bench included)

~Located in Edmond, OK

~Local buyers only, please. Money orders NOT accepted.

**If interested please call Jennifer Hicks at 405.816.9716 between 8am and 6pm, Monday though Friday.

The Designer’s Attic is my collection of home furnishings that clients no longer need. Every item is priced to sell and is in new or nearly new condition. If you are interested in purchasing an item you see here please contact Jennifer Hicks at 405-816-9716. Local buyers only, please. Cash only unless otherwise specified.

~ Drexel Heritage Conversation Sofa~

~ Model # SO-DH-D864/S, Fabric # 4-2204-55~

~ Original cost $2100. 

~ Lightly used.  No tears, stains, etc.

~ Designer’s Attic price: $1000

~Located in Edmond, OK.

A curved form makes it ideal for larger rooms.

Easily seats four!

The green, burgundy and cream colors of the fabric make for a traditional yet elegant piece.

When I was 16, I found my mom struggling for breath on our bathroom floor early one morning.  She was in her 30’s. And she having a massive heart attack.

Two short years later she called to say she was driving herself to the ER with the same symptoms as before. Her heart had been fighting a clot for days and she, like many women, had not taken it seriously. She was diagnosed with having had a second heart attack.

Both times she landed in the hands of a cardiology staff who was well prepared to save her life. The research the cardio community had done over the last decade gave them new information and tools to combat clotted arteries and provided them with necessary education to pass down to the women facing heart disease in this country. Heart disease is the number one killer of women in America. The Go Red For Women Campaign is doing something about it. Please visit http://www.goredforwomen.org/ for information on donating, living a heart-healthy lifestyle and more.

As for my part, Designing Diva Interiors will donate a percentage of February’s proceeds to the ‘Go Red’ campaign. If you are a local business owner, I encourage you to join me in this epic fight for our mothers, sisters, daughters and coworkers.  We may not be able to do much alone, but together, we can help more than one mother and her daughter share memories for years to come.

Perfect if you need to make up for that ugly scarf last Valentine’s Day…

Designing Diva Interiors, LLC offers GIFT CERTIFICATES that may be used towards any and all design services offered. Purchase yours in the month of February and save $20 when two or more hours are purchased.

Perfect for the person who needs to:

~Select paint colors

~ Begin a small remodel                                     

~Redecorate                                                                                      

~Buy new flooring

~redesign their room using what they already own

…and so much more!

Call Jennifer Hicks, C.I.D. at 405.816.9716 to get your gift certificate today!

*Gift certificates sold in $75 increments.

*Gift certificates expire six months from date issued.

*Though this was originally written for and published in the Thanksgiving issue of Edmond Active Magazine (www.edmondactive.com) I have re-posted it here. Many of us need affordable hostess gifts year-round, not just during the holidays, and this is one that can easily be customized for any season and occassion! Article published by Sherri Hultner, Hultner Publications.

In need of a unique hostess gift? The following is not only a delightful alternative to the standard bottle of wine, but the recipient may later use   the contents as fall decor. You will need:

- A tin pale (found at craft stores or dollar stores)

- Four cloth napkins in a striped pattern, ideal for fall (found at  Target)

- A petite pumpkin with the hostess’s last name written in a paint pen (or
stick with the first letter of the person’s last name).

- A small canister of flavored tea (room6.com) such as Spearmint Tisane or
White Tea and Pear.

- A scented candle to welcome the scents of the season, such as cinnamon,
nutmeg or Red Current.

-Tie a grossgrain ribbon around the pail, display your goodies in the
container and become the hostess’s favorite guest!

Approximate cost: $15-25

By Jennifer Hicks, C.I.D.
Owner, Designing Diva Interiors LLC
405.816.9716
WWW.DECORATEOKC.NET

I love Pottery Barn, I do. I love the layered look of each season’s collection, the way the colors of their products envelope you as you enter the room, the appearance of a calm atmosphere. But there is an epidemic that has seen its share of face time and I’m calling its victims out. We shall call it P.B.E., or the Pottery Barn Epidemic. Its definition: in short, it is the widespread necessity to pick up a catalog, order everything off of the page and call it “home”.  It should be made clear that I am not singling out Pottery Barn exclusively. Again, huge fan. But your home’s environment should reflect you, not a group of designers in California. The layered look is good, but it should feel as though the look was created over time, through years of collecting, rather than in one swift shopping spree on a Saturday afternoon. Buy the lamp from page 31 but shop antique stores or vintage flea markets for that reading chair. Go ahead and splurge on the Italian vase collection-I’ve used them in many homes myself- but don’t get the matching plates/servers/bowls/candlesticks. I’m begging you- when I ask you “How would you describe your style?” please, please, don’t reply, “Pottery Barn”. This isn’t a style, people, its a store that has successfully marketed its products as “take ‘n go”; which for some is a necessity. But for you, my savvy, well-rounded readers, its just plain boring. Step outside the box and save yourself from PBE! I’m not telling you not to shop there, I would be a hypocrite for certain- I am simply asking that you slowly walk away from the catalogs. Think about the things that truly make your home unique; the Suzani you brought back from your favorite vacation, your husband’s photo collection of old buildings, a trunk that has been passed down for five generations. These are the things that make your home yours. And you won’t find that on page 31.

*Originally posted on July 20, 2009 by Jennifer Hicks, C.I.D.

Skip the chocolates and flowers this year and get your Sugar Lips/Cutie Pie/Schmookie/Sweetheart something they won’t forget about come February 15th.

Designing Diva Interiors, LLC offers GIFT CERTIFICATES that may be used towards any and all design services offered. Purchase yours in the month of February and save $20 when two or more hours are purchased.

Perfect for the person who needs to:

~Select paint colors

~ Begin a small remodel                                     

~Redecorate

~Buy new flooring

~redesign their room using what they already own

…and so much more!

Call Jennifer Hicks, C.I.D. at 405.816.9716 to get your gift certificate today!

*Gift certificates sold in $75 increments.

*Gift certificates expire six months from date issued.

HouseBeautiful.com once gave readers a series of questions designed to help us all find our color personality- that is, the way you feel about certain colors and which ones you are most like or are most drawn to. Answer the 20 questions below and we’re certain you will have your own color identity pinpointed in no time! Use your answers to guide you when selecting bedding, paint colors, window coverings, even clothing.

1) What’s the first color you see in the morning?

2) What color are your eyes?

3) What color do you wear most?      

4) What color do you never wear?

5) What color you wear when you want to feel sexy?

6) What color gets you the most compliments?

7) What color is your lipstick?

 What color was your living room when you were growing up?

9) What color was your bedroom when you were growing up?

10) What color are your sheets?

11) What color was your favorite crayon as a child?

12) What color was your prom dress?

13) What color is your car?

14) What’s your favorite gemstone?

15) What is your favorite flower?

16) What color makes you happiest?

17) What color calms you?

18) What color depresses you?

19) What color can make you grind your teeth?

20) What color would you like to try but are scared to?

According to TheNest.com some of the things you love most about your home could be making you sick over time. Read on to get the low-down on paint, carpeting, wood flooring and more.

Paint

Beware: Two things: lead and toxins. If your house was built before 1978, your walls could be full of lead — paint, that is. Chipping or peeling paint can be ingested by infants and children, which may lead to serious health problems. Also, paints and finishes release low-level toxic emissions into the air, even years after you applied it. These toxic emissions are called VOCs, or volatile organic compounds. They’re so toxic you can smell them. If you’ve ever painted a room, you know what they smell like.

Take Care: Lead in paint was banned in 1978 and is no longer sold. If you’re worried about lead, have your home tested and then seal any traces of lead paint with a fresh coat of nonlead paint. Until recently, VOCs were essential to the performance of the paint. Now, low- and no-VOC paints are available from mainstream and eco-friendly companies nationwide. For cost-effective, low-VOC wall color, try a shade from Benjamin Moore’s Eco Spec® and Aura® paint lines.

Carpet

Beware: Chemicals in your carpets. Carpets and carpet cushions can contain VOCs and emit formaldehyde, a colorless, pungent-smelling gas. According to the EPA, formaldehyde has been shown to cause cancer in animals and may cause cancer in humans. Health effects include eye, nose, and throat irritation; wheezing and coughing; fatigue; skin rash; and severe allergic reactions.

Take Care: Look for carpets made from natural fibers with little or no chemical treatment. Shaw Floors sells a variety of eco-friendly colors and styles for both wall-to-wall and area carpeting. Also, purchase carpets with natural-fiber backing that’s attached with less-toxic adhesives.

Wood Flooring

Beware: Who knew even wood was toxic? Well, it’s not the wood; it’s the stain and finish. VOCs (here we go again) from solvents, such as mineral spirits and petroleum distillates, can cause allergic reactions, headaches, and nausea.

Take Care: Why cover a beautiful wood floor with toxic chemicals? Look for a low-VOC finish, available at most home improvement stores. If you’re in the market for new flooring, consider bamboo. It costs less and is better for the environment compared to traditional wood flooring.

Mattresses

Beware: Bugs and toxic chemicals. A typical-used mattress may have anywhere from 100,000 to 10 million bed mites inside, feeding on your dead skin cells and causing allergic reactions in some people. Many mattresses also contain flame-retardant chemicals known as PBDEs, which have accumulated in high levels in American blood and breast milk.

Take Care: Dust mites hate hot water! By covering and protecting your mattress and washing all comforters, sheets, and pillows in hot water every week, you’ll get rid of those unwelcome visitors. Also, consider replacing your mattress with an organic cotton model or an affordable one from IKEA — they contain alternative flame-retardants that haven’t raised any significant consumer health or environmental concerns.

Detox Your Home

10 easy things you can do today for pennies or less

1. Clean your fabrics, drapes, and rugs to eliminate dust, molds, and pollens.
2. Open a window. Circulating air in the home ensures good ventilation.
3. Choose natural cleaning products to reduce toxins in the home.
4. Buy a vacuum with a HEPA filter to remove dust mites, dust, and dirt from your floors and carpets.
5. Keep your house clean and remove any piles of clutter that are collecting dust.
6. Go green with plants. They improve air quality by adding oxygen and removing carbon dioxide.
7. Replace or cover the plywood and MDF. Glues in cheaper woods can contain volatile toxins.
8. Make your house a smoke-free home. Who needs to breathe in toxic fumes?
9. Run computers in a well-ventilated area and shut them off when not in use. They release gaseous pollutants into the air the longer they run.
10. Think before you buy. Make a healthy home a priority every day.

By Margaret O’Malley