I'm still LOL after seeing this outrageously expensive outdoor TV in the July/August 2009 issue of Traditional Home.
It's the Runco Climate Portfolio, and it will only set you back $8,995 to put this 42-inch LCD TV outside on your porch, patio or lanai. Oh, and probably another $150 to $300+ for installation.
If Nine Grand to watch TV outside is not in your budget, here's what we did on our lanai: We put a 32" Westinghouse LCD flat panel TV (720p) in the middle niche, behind a one-way mirror. For less than $1,000.
We're only 700 yards from the ocean, and this TV is working perfectly, 3 1/2 years later. I'm going to finish off the space with some tile or stone, but you get the idea.
See my DIY Mirror TV in action in the video below and this 2008 post gives you all the DIY details.
I've been MIA on the blog for two months, working nonstop to transform our rarely-used bonus room into a media room complete with 100-inch big screen TV.
Long story. But here's the first installment: the "befores" and a bit of the work-in-progress. It's almost done, and as soon as a few final elements are added, I'll post it here and on Rate My Space.
UPDATE: It's done! Complete info in this post. Suffice it to say, this is now my favorite room in the house!
First, the bad news: It looks like the geniuses in the U.S. Congress may postpone the digital TV transition.
Now, the good news: This allows plenty of time for the man in your life to get his humongous new Big Screen HDTV, and for you to try one of my creative solutions for integrating (camouflaging?) it into your decor!
My new 3-minute high definition video above shows you, before & after, how DH and I turned our 50" Samsung DLP TV into a Faux Fireplace and the focal point of our living room.
UPDATE: There are some pretty bad (and expensive!) TV solutions out there. I just found this one for $9,200: A plasma TV on a lift that hides in a very fake looking fireplace. Yuck.
To celebrate the digital transition, I've given the blog a facelift - a photo of DH's ManSpace with his 42" Vizio 1080p LCD, perfectly hung on the wall (by him!) It's technoclutter for some women, or worse. But it's ART for geeks like me!
When you have to count twice, you know you have a lot of TVs - we have 9 for 2 people. LOL!
I've been eagerly awaiting the HD changeover for years, so I already have 7 HDTVs: 17," 20," 2 @ 32," 2 @42," and 50." Two old standard definition TVs (not shown) are stashed in closets and will go to the Salvation Army store soon.
The Magic Mirror TV
Whether you like it or not, Big TVs are here to stay. And designers say treating them is a major challenge. I've come up with a few creative ideas of my own. Above is one of my 2 do-it-yourself Mirror TVs. This one, a 32" Westinghouse LCD, is outside on my lanai. When the TV is off, you just see the mirror. Click to play the video and see it in action.
At left, the 20" Mirror TV over the tub in my master bath.
I do believe I did the mirror TV before HGTV's Candice Olson! If you're curious, my DIY Mirror TV how-to is here. Oh, and by the way - men LOVE these TVs!
TV as Faux Fireplace
Here's a video of my great room's 50" Samsung DLP TV disguised as a fireplace, as featured in HGTV Ideas Magazine last summer (We did it ourselves; how-to is here).
If you have a favorite Big TV solution, please email me. I have a few more big screens to hide!
I haven't been blogging or browsing Rate My Space lately due to a lot of commitments, meetings and vacation prep, but I'm so glad I checked out the main page this morning.
Tom (aka "naddhee"), a late 20-something grad student, has posted his first apartment in L.A. and it is amazing. And it's the top ranked and most viewed space.
I'll just show a couple photos here because it's well worth your time to go and view all 12 photos and read each description. What Tom has done with $1,200 at IKEA, West Elm and Home Depot - and boundless creativity - will blow you away.
Tom says, "I also made all the weird art pieces on the walls (~$30 each) from styrofoam and snap-off blade knife." I would say weird is a poor choice of words!
Enjoy Tom's space here and don't forget to rate it!
Jim and I are thrilled that our entry was chosen as one of 20 semi-finalists in the True Value D.I.Y. All-Star Contest! We entered Jim's ManSpace, AKA "Our DIY Den & Wine Bar," shown above (DIY details in my blog post here; see more photos and rate it on HGTV's Rate My Space website here).
The prize is a 2-hour in-person project consultation from Steve Watson, host of HGTV's "Don’t Sweat It," and up to $5,000 to spend at a True Value store. After the Atlantic hurricanes coming our way this weekend, we may need a lot of stuff and some repair advice!
Online voting will select the 4 Finalists. So today, I humbly ask for your vote. Thanks in advance for your support!
UPDATE: Thank you, friends! I appreciate your support and kind comments. We didn't win, but a young RMS-er with a great kitchen redo did!
Everything old is new again. It's true. "Move your stuff" is my best advice to friends who say they're just bored with their interiors.
20 years ago, I learned this decorating secret from my neighbor Marcia, who had an extraordinary gift for accessorizing. Several times a year, Marcia would call me to come over and help her move furniture. And a lot of other stuff. The results were always amazing.
When I moved to a Florida-style house from a traditional Southern-style house, I wasn't sure how much of my stuff I'd be able to work into the new place. But much to my surprise, I found places for almost everything, and the coolest part was WHERE things ended up.
I liked my gold mirror in the old dining room, right, but I LOVE it over my great room TV now.And I had planned to put it in the new dining room...
My foyer, right, was one of my favorite spaces in my old house. The new house doesn't have a foyer. So the wrought iron mirror was supposed to go over the TV mantel in the great room, but it didn't fit. So it moved into my new dining room and I can't imagine it anywhere else.
The antique botanicals from Branca Chicago were perfect in the foyer vignette, along with my majolica plates. But I like them all so much better above the hutch in the new kitchen.
The antique pine dresser moved easily into one of my new guest bedrooms.
You don't have to wait to move to a new home before you recycle your stuff. Try it today. Everything will look brand new to you in its new location. You can always move it back, that's the beauty of it. And of course, it's FREE!
This was my most fun and challenging faux project ever!
Our hallway bathroom, just off the kitchen, is your builder’s standard full bath, so my design objective was to make it look more like a powder room.
IOW, distract from the white tub and commode with tropical faux rattan walls and an unusual monkey-patterned shower curtain complete with cornice and tassel fringe.
I adapted this faux treatment from the grasscloth finish in BH&G’s “Decorative Paint Techniques” (My favorite faux book - see Amazon link on sidebar). I worked with the Sherwin Williams "Blonde" color that was already on my walls (and I didn't like it!) It’s fun to see people touch the walls and insist it’s wallcovering.
Here’s how to recreate this unique finish in YOUR home...
you'll need...
Base coat paint (Sherwin Williams Blonde, flat)
Clear faux glaze (Behr)
Floetrol, to extend glaze drying time (optional)
Tube of acrylic colorant (Burnt umber)
Painter's rags
10” Plastic squeegee
Exacto knife or paring knife
Pencil, ruler
Carpenter’s square
Level
2" Scotch Blue Painters Tape – Delicate Surfaces*
Roller Lite roller, medium nap covers (3/8” nap)
Angled 1 ½” paint brush
Foamcore board for practice, optional
now paint & glaze!
Tape off the ceiling, doors, windows, base moldings.
Base coat the walls with the roller, cutting in corners and edges with the brush
When dry (24 hours), tape off 27" vertical sections. 27” is similar to wallcovering width and is not too wide for the squeegee step.
Remove the handle and notch the squeege blade with v-shaped notches about 1/8" wide and deep. Space notches 1/2" apart. See photo below
Tint the clear glaze with burnt umber acrylic colorant (both from Home Depot). I add an ounce or two of Floetrol. I experimented with what worked for me and then wrote the formula down. You don't need a lot of tinted glaze. My proportion was about 1/2 tsp colorant to a cup of glaze. I prepared up small amounts at a time. Make a sample board to test your results.
Roll on a 12-15 inch horizontal band of glaze across the 27" section. Drag the squeegee through the glaze, working across the section.
Repeat from ceiling to floor until you finish the entire section. Wipe the squeege after each pass
Your first squeege pass across will be easy if you use the ceiling or crown as your guide. After that, you’ll need a fairly steady hand, but you can overlap the squeegee as a guide, as I did (don't drink a pot of coffee before you do this)
If you make a mistake, quickly wipe off the glaze!
Glaze every other section. Remove the painters tape not more than 45 minutes after glazing. Unless you’re an experienced faux-er, toss it. Retape tomorrow with fresh tape.
When the glaze is completely dry (24 hours), retape the alternate sections
Repeat the above glazing steps on the unfinished sections.
a few tips
With a scissors, I cut my squeege into two sections, 6 ½ and 3 1/2 inches wide. The shortie comes in handy for tight spaces and touch ups.
Imperfections are fine, even uneven lines. See the detail photo above. Don't be too critical of yourself. Stand back to assess your work. Remember that faux finishes are not meant to be viewed with a magnifying glass! The overall effect will be organic as in nature, and that’s what you want. My walls have light orange peel finish (bumpy), so they're blotchier than if you have smooth walls, which would be easier to do.
*Very, very important: ALWAYS use Scotch blue painters tape for DELICATE surfaces. Accept no substitutes. Scotch is more expensive, but will never peel your paint off if you remove it within 45 minutes after painting.
Please ask if you have any questions and I appreciate all comments. I’d love to see your before and after photos. Good luck!
My friend Patty actually watches more HGTV than I do. She saw this amazing DIY product, Flatwire, on "I Want That!"
Flatwire solves the problem of exposed cords or hard-wiring electrical sconces and A/V components. Especially if you live in a home or apartment with concrete walls. All you need is an accessible electrical outlet.
From Flatwire's website: With FlatWire, home theater installations are easily completed by professionals and do-it-yourselfers alike! Installing flat wire uses no special tools, because the wire is bendable, paintable, and paper-thin.
Gizmodo and Lifehacker have more details, plus pros & cons from actual users.
Here are photos of actual installations.
Flatwire sells a variety of sconces in kits.
Seamless installations for lighting and home theater
Not exactly the most stylish photos, but you get the idea. Be sure to watch the video, above.
Grasscloth wallcovering is notoriously hard to work with, not to mention, it's expensive.
I can't wait to copy this great idea from House Beautiful's August 2008 article, "An Easy, Breezy Florida Home."
The grasscloth panels in the dining room? Woven grass yoga mats from Pearl River!
According to Pearl River's website, the mats cost a whopping $1.50 each! Add another $50 or less for the molding from your local home center store, and you have an incredible designer look.
I'd been planning to do a faux painted grass cloth accent wall in my lackluster "Tommy Bahama" guest room. But this would be much faster, easier, and more fun.
The main reason I started this blog was to share my DIY projects in detail, which is near impossible on RMS due to the limitations on comment length.
I'd email people my instructions and then later wonder if I'd forgotten anything! And then I'd worry... "What if they actually do it the way I told them and it turns out crappy or something?" Then I'll have people I don't even know HATING me. Bummer.
I'd also wonder, after sending lengthy emails, "Did I just do all that typing for nothing?" I type fast, but how do I know these folks are as nuts as me and will actually take the time to do this messy work?
So what a treat it is to see gumby's finished product. Please visit her space, rate it and leave a nice comment!
If you're in the mood to put a golden glow on your ceiling for the coming holidays, here's the complete faux painting how-to.
"Vanities Revisited" I just spotted this wonderful restyled vanity on Rate My Space, uploaded by fleurlvr. But wait 'til you see what it looked like before...
Here's my builder's basic breakfast bar, between the kitchen, great room and breakfast nook (photos taken in different light). "Before," it was nondescript beige drywall with some white woodwork. Very nice corbels, but it was just plain...plain!
It didn't go with the rest of the kitchen, or the great room, for that matter. The cabinet people wanted over $1,200 for real wood panels. So for less than $50 in paint and trim, I created faux panels in a day. Here's how to do it...
supplies
Paint & primer, brushes
Dropcloth
Miter box and saw
Level
Straight edge, square or long ruler
Molding, amount determined after measuring, below
Hammer & finishing nails, or better yet, a nail gun
Carpenter's glue
Caulk or spackle
Clear faux glaze (I use Behr)
Acrylic colorant to tint the glaze (I used burnt umber)
Rags for removing glaze, old t-shirt pieces work well
choose your finish & color I wanted to coordinate with my living area's creamy white cabinetry, so I used Sherwin Williams Alabaster gloss latex. (happens to be the color of all my woodwork). Don't worry about too much shine because the glaze takes care of that. I prefer the scrubbable gloss finish in this area because people unconsiously kick your bar (I know because I'm doing it right now as I type).
measure Plan your panel widths. I did several different widths because of the corbel placement. Otherwise, you can space them evenly. But I think the different widths add interest.
For the height, use the same spacing at the top and the bottom of the panels. Using a level and straight edge, pencil your panels on the wall. The level is your best friend in this task. Now you know how much molding to buy (+ some extra for boo boos).
miter cut & apply molding I used shelf edging from Home Depot for my molding. It looks like 1 1/4" wide mini chair rail and has nice contours that catch the glaze. Make sure you "measure twice - cut once." When all your pieces are cut, apply glue to the back and nail them in place at your pencil lines. You don't need a lot of nails because the glue will do the job. Wipe off excess glue with a damp rag - it drys FAST.
prime & paint You'll need to prime you moldings if they weren't pre-primed. Then paint the entire area with a brush. Paint a second coat 4 hours later if needed. Let dry 4 hours, and get ready for the fun!
glazing Mix a small amount of faux glaze plus a little water, tinted with a very small amount of burnt umber acrylic colorant. You will have to play with it until you get the darkness you like. A little glaze goes a long way. When you have a batch you like, WRITE DOWN THE RECIPE.
Brush on lightly in and around the crevices of the molding. Remove most of glaze with rags until you have the definition you want. You can always add more. I went for a slightly distressed look because my drywall has orange peel texture and my barstools are very distressed. You'll get the feel of glazing quickly and you can always remove it and start over. After all, it's just paint!
you're done! Your finished wall should look something like this. If you're really daring, make it look like stained wood. There are some fairly easy faux techniques for simulating real wood with just paint color and glaze.
If you'd like to see more, here's a video tour of my kitchen. Go here for a great example of how you can transform a stock bathroom vanity.
If you try this, I'd love to see your before and after photos!
It's called "Recycling French Style! & How To Do IT!!!" MariEli'sAmi explains how she transformed a standard vanity into a French masterpiece. Please don't forget to rate it. Easy to do when you're busy leaving nice comments!
DH Jim's dream had always been to have a simple ManCave with a big screen TV, thick green shag carpeting, a Lazy-Z-Boy recliner, and two lowboy refrigerators for end tables.
Designing women would not be welcome. I would not be allowed in there to do any decorating whatsoever. To clean? Maybe.
Well it's still just a dream, because the den space in our new house is just off the foyer, completely visible from the living area - so we compromised :)
Jim's James Bond 007 photo provided inspiration for a more sophisticated space and he suggested we create the wine bar.
Here's how we did it...
details First, I want to make this perfectly clear: The man is blessed to be married to a woman who's a TV freak, ok? Most women hate big TVs...but I digress.
Here are the details of just about everything that went into the space. Scroll down the page for info on how we "built" it.
color The faux suede walls are the most popular feature of the room with our female guests. Ralph Lauren Suede paint, 2 coats applied exactly according to Ralph's instructions.
Pioneer's Mesa (SU82) on the walls
Faux panels colors are Plaza Blanca (SU 51) and Cordova Cream (SU 59); one shade as the base and the other as the second coat
Anyone, with time and patience, can do this faux finish - one of the simplest I've done
Other surfaces: Sherwin Williams paint
Trim & cabinetry, Alabaster, latex semi gloss (SW 7008)
Ceiling and inside of closet painted by builder: Navajo White, flat (SW6126)
EasyClosets.com DIY closet system (melamine, ivory)
Target baskets
Steinmart poker set
Office Depot file cabinet
Bed Bath & Beyond wireless closet lights, plexiglass picture frames
Photo with Tiger Woods after a round with him - priceless
"before" This photo shows the basic layout of the den space during construction 3 years ago, viewed from our foyer. It's 12 1/2' x 14' with a useless 13" bumpout along half of the left wall.
Before the transformation, two sets of big white doors, at the entry and closet, dominated the space.
My plan was to use more white woodwork to unify the space with the doors, running it around the room. This also allowed me to drop simple rope lighting behind the crown molding for a beautiful effect at night.
I'm still amazed at how closely the project followed my original drawing, with only a few modifications done on the fly, out of necessity...or was it design inspiration (of course!)
construction zone On day 1, we hit Home Depot and then Jim started building the "boxes" that form the "guts" of the cabinetry on the floor in our great room. This was our second project doing built-ins. (See our first, the great room media wall, here).
On day 2, we went granite remnant shopping, just like they do on Designer's Challenge on HGTV. We found this small slab at our second stop, Continental Granite & Marble in Bunnell, FL. Their crew came out to make templates and later delivered and installed the two countertops for us. We got a much more exotic granite for 40% less than the builders' standard varieties offered by the big box home center chains, and we still got the dealer's full service.
there's a reason people hire TV installers Jim hung the TV before the wine bar was anchored permanently in place by the granite installers. We never anticipated how hard it would be. It took him half a day to get the TV hung, perfectly centered inside the panel (that one semester of engineering at Rutgers must have been beneficial after all.)
I ran all the cables behind the wall to the cable box hidden in the lower left display cabinet. Wine fridge slides out for cord access. The TV works perfectly and I love how it seems to float over the bar. But then again, I'm a flat panel TV junkie (catch video of my DIY mirror TV in action here).
finishing touches If there was one thing we'd do differently, it would be the way we installed the mirrors. But they look fine now - the one on the right took over an hour just to fit it in the space, due to my slight measuring error (memo to self: measure twice, cut once is especially important when it comes to mirrors).
Finishing the space after all the construction took much more time than I thought it would. Just touching up white after painting brown was a big job.
under cover office The final area in need of a woman's touch was the closet. We love EasyClosets.com and did all our closets ourselves using their high quality closet organizer products. I designed the system for the office to be flexible: We can convert the right side to double hanging space in the event we need to use the room for guests.
When the shelving was in, Jim's stuff still got piled up haphazardly. So I went to work organizing one day after a trip to Target and Staples. While he was out playing golf, his clutter miraculously came under control, and he has maintained the neatness. Thank you, Mission Organization, for the inspiration.
the reveal It's fun to see the reactions of friends who saw the room before and now see it finished, kind of like on HGTV when you can tell the homeowners never peaked. It's not exactly Queen for a Day excitment (dating myself), but people are pretty amazed.
I have to say it turned out just as I envisioned it back when I did the drawing. I know we saved a ton of money and got exactly what we wanted. And the satisfaction of doing it ourselves is priceless!
Next on the project calendar: the WomanSpace, which is our upstairs bonus room where I do all my geek stuff, computer, sewing, crafts, cool stuff like that. I'd like to go contemporary since the rest of the house is very traditional. Ikea, here I come!
There are a lot more photos of the finished ManSpace here on HGTV's Rate My Space website, and if you like it, please rate it!
I'm still LOL after seeing this outrageously expensive outdoor TV in the July/August 2009 issue of Traditional Home.
I haven't been blogging or browsing Rate My Space lately due to a lot of commitments, meetings and vacation prep, but I'm so glad I checked out the main page this morning.
Tom says, "I also made all the weird art pieces on the walls (~$30 each) from styrofoam and snap-off blade knife." I would say 
choose your finish & color
glazing
