Living Locurto - Free Printables, How To DIY Ideas, Crafts & Party Ideas.» interior design

HGTV Design Star

Amy — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 13:00:08 +0000

I don’t watch a lot of TV, but when I do, it’s usually HGTV. One of my favorite shows is Design Star which premiers tonight!

I love to decorate and took a lot of interior design classes in college, thinking I would become one when I grew up. But my love of computers and technology won me over and I ended up with a degree in graphic design instead. So watching decorating shows is my thing. How about you?

One of the designers, Leslie Ezelle, is from Dallas. So I must root for my home girl… even though I have never met her or know anyone she knows. She seems spunky, survived breast cancer and has designs that are my style like the little girl’s room above. I love a modern twist to the traditional look.

Check out her before and after corporate office designs below. In the premiere preview clip, they feature her talking away trying to do a segment about herself in less than 30 seconds, while the other designers roll their eyes. Oh… this season will be goooood!

Design Star premieres tonight at 9pm/8c on HGTV

What’s your favorite show?

P.S. – I’m traveling this week to do some work behind the camera as well! It’s NOT HGTV, but still a pretty cool thing. I can’t wait to tell you about it. I’ll be crazy busy and super nervous, but will try to do some updates on Facebook.

Disclosure: This post is part of a sponsored campaign by Crafterminds and HGTV Design Star. My opinions are my own.

Be sure to join Amy on Facebook for more fun!
Also, be sure to check out Printables by Amy! Find easy and affordable digital files to download and print at home or at your local quick print shop. Each product is custom designed by Amy, a professional graphic designer. Amy makes do-it-yourself projects a breeze!

Creative Design Tour – Kids Craft Room

Amy — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 13:04:19 +0000

I recently met Margaret Norcott, Principal of Milieu Design Group through the Martha Stewart Dreamers Into Doers Community. I was wowed by the Kids Craft Suite she designed for the Atlanta Symphony Show House and Gardens. Can you imagine having this in your home? I think most of us would rather have this for ourselves… forget the kids! ha!

I love meeting amazing talent! Margaret has inspired me with some fabulous ideas for our new tree house. Enjoy this creative design tour…

Paint by: Atlanta’s Paint Doctor (Archie Deese)
Window Treatment by: Giordano Window Treatments (Donna Giordano)
FLOR Tiles by: InterfaceFLOR (Atlanta Showroom)
Chairs & Desk Lamps by: Room & Board (Atlanta Showroom)
Womb Chair & Green Stones by: Knoll Furniture (Atlanta Showroom)
Folk Art provided by: Matilda’s Cottage
Custom Recycled Violin & Recycle Sign provided by: re-Inspiration Gallery
Fabrics: Kravet Fabrics, Duralee and Trina Turk for F.Schumacher

Thanks for the great inspiration Margaret! Have a great Friday everyone!! -Amy

An Amazing Home Tour

Amy — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 01:27:35 +0000

I love meeting up with other bloggers and have made some wonderful connections with local Dallas girls!

A while ago, Laurie of Tip Junkie and Holly of June Cleaver Nirvana hosted a DFW blogger meet-up at Holly’s home. Little did we know Holly is a gifted decorator with an insanely gorgeous house for us all to oooh and ahhh over!!!

Here we are seated around her gigantic round dining room table. Don’t you just love the curved couches?

After dinner, we got the grand tour! Thanks Holly for opening up your beautiful home to us. You are one talented lady! I want a house like yours when I grow up:-)

Okay, now go take the tour! You will be so inspired by Holly’s creativity. She’s amazing!!!

Click a photo to browse through the slide show or click on “View with PicLens”.

[Show as slideshow]

[View with PicLens]

I hope you enjoyed touring this home as much as I did! To see more of Holly’s home visit this post about our DFW meet-up.

Tablescape Design Tips

Amy — Wed, 13 May 2009 11:06:24 +0000

I recently got back in touch with a friend from high school via Facebook. I’d always wondered what happened to Chad. He was always so classy, fashionable (no 80′s mullet for him!) and ahead of the times, I should have known he would turn into a fabulous designer! I’m so impressed by all the talent my little home town produced:-)

When I saw his beautiful work, I couldn’t wait to ask him to write a few things for my blog!! So today I want to introduce my long time friend, Chad Renfro, who is now a fancy smancy interior designer in Palm Beach and principal of Chad Renfro Design.

Chad has clients in Palm Beach, The Caribbean, The Hampton’s, Manhattan, Nantucket, and Naples. He’s here today to give us tips on how to wow people with our table decorating skills! Now I need to have a party so I can experiment:-)

Please give Chad a warm welcome in the comments. We want him to come back… I really need some new ideas for my home!

Don’t be afraid to use color!

If you are apprehensive about using color refer to a color wheel and use two colors which compliment each other. Table cloth one color, napkins, flowers the other.

Mix & Match

A table scape does not have to match your decor. In fact you can use it as an escape and create your own little world on your table. Some examples are the beach or sea, or a particular country to go with your menu. One of my favorites is a mixture of various china and silver collected from garage sales and small glass vases and silver containers filled with garden flowers. You can then mix and match everything and can serve great comfort food with this look.

Think “Outside” the Box

Dressing your table does not have to have to cost tons of money. I love using finds from nature no matter what time of year it is. It gets you out of the house and in to nature and it’s “green”, the only carbon footprint it has is your own in the snow or on the lawn.

Rent

Always check your local rental company for fun things that you can rent to add to your own. It is an inexpensive way make your tabletop.

Experiment with Flowers

Buy flowers in bunches from the grocery store. Use recycled vases or containers or look for deals on square vases and stones or marbles to add a contemporary look. Cut flowers short and keep them tight in the vase. This way they take up more water and don’t block the views of your guests.

Rehearse

Do a run through with your family. They will be surprised and YOU won’t when it comes time for the real dinner party or event.

Thanks for the great advice Chad! So happy you could be here today.

-Amy

Photos by Lila Photos

Apron Giveaway & Small Home Decor Tips

Amy — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 10:00:30 +0000

I’m excited to announce one of my new sponsors!

The Jewel Box Home was created by Genevieve, a wife and mother of two teenage boys living in an 1,800 square foot home. A few years ago, she was obsessed with moving to a bigger house. Her struggle with big-house envy is now in the past and she realizes the most important feature of a home is not its size, but how it makes people feel.

Be sure to visit The Jewel Box Home for great tips on decorating, entertaining and living happily in a smaller home!

A Fun Giveaway!!

Through out the month of April, you’re invited to contribute personal anecdotes about small home living to the Jewel Box Home. Stories about downsizing, big-house envy, beloved smaller houses, or small beautiful rooms in a larger house are all welcome. Click here to see example small home stories.

3 winning entries will be announced in May. Winners will each receive the ‘Jenny’ or ‘Genevieve’ handcrafted apron from Practically Necessary, a $65 value that is perfect for upcoming Spring parties and entertaining. You will also get your story published on The Jewel Box website!

Important: Be sure write Living Locurto at the bottom of your entry to be included in this apron giveaway.

Click Here to enter your story.

Good luck! I look forward to reading your stories!

6 Tips for Creating the Jewel Box Look

Put Rooms on a Diet

Get rid of pieces that aren’t needed to satisfy the main purpose of a room. This opens up natural walkways and creates space so that a room can harmoniously function as intended.

Downsize Furniture

Although super sized furniture might be trendy and look terrific in a magazine photo, large pieces overwhelm small spaces. Smaller scaled furniture not only creates the right balance for modest sized rooms, it is also less expensive. For seating, use a love seat instead of a sofa, and for an entertainment cabinet, use a buffet instead of an armoire.

Flower Power

Flowers are an important often overlooked accessory. These are living works of art that automatically add color and beauty to any room. Find at least one place in your home for fresh flowers and plan to change these often.

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

A well placed mirror adds depth to a room and reflects light; making the space brighter and appear larger. Just make sure the mirror reflects something other than a blank wall. Try a large rectangular mirror over the dining room buffet, or a floor mirror in the living room beside a favorite chair.

Show a Little Leg

Let the legs show on all your upholstered pieces. This creates a feeling of space and light by allowing your eye to travel across the room and see ‘through’ furniture.

Don’t Overdress Windows

Keep window treatments simple and clean so that natural light can fill the space. Use sheer fabrics rather than heavy draperies. To visually enlarge a room, hang curtain rods above the window frame. For an elegant clean look, choose a beautiful curtain rod and drape fabric only over the rod.