For the modern nester inside all of us! You won’t be able to resist this stylish floss dispenser, the colorful Pantone Magazine Holder or uber-practical and handsome Magnetic Spice Stand. Enjoy!
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From Houzz.com: Modern Finds Under $50
submitted by: Jennifer 09/01/11
New on Houzz.com: Warm Country Charm
submitted by: Jennifer 05/23/11I seem to be transitioning out of my Moroccan, BoHo phase and into a sophistocated country phase. Which is good news for my husband who is drawn more to a paint color called “Honey Wheat” than one called “Blood Orange”. More good news: when country decor is done right it ages gracefully giving the homeowner more time to enjoy their new look without worry of the latest trends going out of style next summer.
If you’re a regular visitor to Back Talk you know that Houzz.com is one of my favorite resources and I love to share a good resource! So check out one of today’s featured articles and get your own little slice of country charm!
Great Reads While You’re Pretending to Work
submitted by: Jennifer 05/15/11…Don’t worry. I won’t tell the boss you’re not really updating that spreadsheet. While you’re killing time check out my favorite articles from this week in the world of design!
http://ecosalon.com/the-incredible-shrinking-house/
http://www.traditionalhome.com/design_decorating/marketplace/tech-girl-wake-up_ss1.html
http://www.hgtv.com/color-dos-and-donts/package/index.html
Designing Diva keeps you in the loop on Facebook!
submitted by: Jennifer 04/14/11Are you following DDI on Facebook? If not you’re missing out on monthly specials, sale and trend alerts, DIY articles, local decorating-related events and more resources! Everything you need to get started on your next decorating project is waiting for you on the DDI fan page. Visit Facebook and “Like” Designing Diva Interiors LLC’s page to stay ahead of the curve!
Brilliant!
submitted by: Jennifer 03/15/11
“Even though some argue that the CFL bulb is “so 2008″ and that it’s high time we move onto LEDs, a CFL is still a much wiser choice than the now antiquated incandescent. Belarusian industrial design firm Solovyovdesign has come up with an aesthetic that makes this sentiment even more obvious: the CFL bulb as human brain. Playing off of the old good idea as lightbulb over your head, the conceptual design highlights the CFL as a smart choice for personal lighting. The bulb is the same size as any other CFL. One can only hope they’ll come up with something equally as clever when LEDs take over!”
-Emily Pilloton for Interior Design magazine
Emily Pilloton is Founder of Project H Design, a charitable organization that supports, inspires, and delivers product design initiatives for Humanity, Habitats, Health, and Happiness. She is also a freelance design writer, furniture designer, and nomad based in San Francisco. Trained in architecture with degrees from UC Berkeley and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, she has written for GOOD Magazine, Innovative Home, was Managing Editor at Inhabitat.com, and has also taught design theory in Chicago. When she isn’t traveling or emailing, Emily enjoys baking cupcakes and playing trivia board games.
HOW TO CREATIVELY DISPLAY FAMILY PHOTOS
submitted by: Jennifer 03/14/11Our family portraits, those vacation memories, the snapshots from your son’s wedding… those are too precious to keep locked up in scrapbooks. Houzz.com wants to change the way we display those beloved smiles with the following ideas:
- Purchase matching frames (both in size and color) but hang an even number of photos in a puzzle format so that some of the photos are verticle and some are horizontal.
- Have your top picks transferred onto canvas and hang above a sofa or going up the stairs. Affordable Art & Frame in Oklahoma City (720-1284) offers this affordable service.
- Paint your wall grey, scan your photos into black and white and frame in black with white mattes. Hang in a horizontal cluster for a sleek look (photos go the length of the hallway/wall).
- String wire, twine or 2″ burlap ribbon across a wall or the front of a bookshelf; secure with decorative push pins. Use clothes pins to secure unframed photos to the wire, twine or ribbon (my personal favorite).
Read This!
submitted by: Jennifer 02/22/11Now that I have your attention, you really will want to read the articles below. I love writing about design almost as much as I love creating rooms with my clients but there are plenty of articles out there that say it better than yours truly and this week there’s no shortage! Snag a few minutes on your lunch break or while you’re waiting for the kids to come out of practice and read up for some fabulous decorating ideas! All three cover very different styles of decorating but there’s so much learning to be had from the perspectives of other designers.
Think Pink! http://www.housebeautiful.com/decorating/colors/pink-decorating-ideas-vgp-0311?click=pp
Get Out! New Baroque Becomes Mainstream http://design-milk.com/get-out-new-baroque-becomes-mainstream/
A Flair For Vintage Decor http://aflairforvintagedecor.blogspot.com/
More Blogs To feed your creative side
submitted by: Jennifer 01/21/11Check out these informative blogs- there’s something here for every style, every room, every budget!
* http://www.restyledhome.blogspot.com/
* http://www.thejewelboxhome.com/
4 Ways to warm up your room in a weekend
submitted by: Jennifer 01/19/11*Originally posted in January of 2010 by the author.
With spring just out of arm’s reach we’re all feeling the need for a little warmth. Combat the grey skies outside your window with my favorite tricks for warming up a home!
1) Add fresh flowers. Many grocery stores stock a decent variety of beautiful blooms and nothing freshens up a room quicker than a vase full of flowers! Skip the silk arrangements and opt for red, yellow or pink flowers. In more masculine rooms I choose flowering branches instead. Use a taller vase for these.
2) Paint one wall. I’ve said it a million times before because it works and its 
easy! Citrus colors are huge right now and would make a fabulous accent wall when paired with chocolates and beiges. Go for a satin or eggshell finish to keep the color from overwhelming the senses. Better Homes & Gardens Magazine suggests Dutch Boy’s “Iced Shrimp”, True Value’s “Juicy Nectarene” and Behr’s “Cantaloupe Slice”.
3) Replace lamp bulbs with amber-colored bulbs. The amber glass softens the room and gives a nice warm glow to everything it touches.
4) An area rug can do magical things in a “cold” room. I love the way a sisel rug adds a natural touch. Seek out an indoor/outdoor rug if you are placing it in a high-traffic area. When it gets dirty you can just take it out back and hose it down! These hold up very well and come in tons of warm colors for all kinds of rooms.
Is Your Home Making You Sick?
submitted by: Jennifer 01/07/11
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
- Clean your fabrics, drapes, and rugs to eliminate dust, molds, and pollens.
- Open a window. Circulating air in the home ensures good ventilation.
- Choose natural cleaning products to reduce toxins in the home.
- Buy a vacuum with a HEPA filter to remove dust mites, dust, and dirt from your floors and carpets.
- Keep your house clean and remove any piles of clutter that are collecting dust.
- Go green with plants. They improve air quality by adding oxygen and removing carbon dioxide.
- Replace or cover the plywood and MDF. Glues in cheaper woods can contain volatile toxins.
- Make your house a smoke-free home. Who needs to breathe in toxic fumes?
- 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.
- Think before you buy. Make a healthy home a priority every day.
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
- Clean your fabrics, drapes, and rugs to eliminate dust, molds, and pollens.
- Open a window. Circulating air in the home ensures good ventilation.
- Choose natural cleaning products to reduce toxins in the home.
- Buy a vacuum with a HEPA filter to remove dust mites, dust, and dirt from your floors and carpets.
- Keep your house clean and remove any piles of clutter that are collecting dust.
- Go green with plants. They improve air quality by adding oxygen and removing carbon dioxide.
- Replace or cover the plywood and MDF. Glues in cheaper woods can contain volatile toxins.
- Make your house a smoke-free home. Who needs to breathe in toxic fumes?
- 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.
- Think before you buy. Make a healthy home a priority every day.
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