This is why I blog

HGTV Rate My Space: Stylish, Colorful Dining Room

From the "Copy me, please" file. This gal nailed it. 

My own curtains are below left. My curtain how-to is here.

Thanks, Desiree,

Desid on RMS, for pointing me to this wonderful new space on Rate My Space by mediavisionds. 

Looks like my Old World Dining Room may have provided some DIY inspiration for this space. And that's why I started the blog. To share my ideas and motivate you to try my DIY techniques.

Above: Beautiful faux-painted gold ceiling. I love this! Really motivates me to get going on the faux alligator breakfast room ceiling.

Below: Detail of my gold ceiling. How-to is here.

I wonder if Candice Olson gets a huge kick out of people like me trying to copy her? Naw!

the next designstar?

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!

take great photos for rate my space, part 1

Digital photography has made it almost easy for amateurs (like us) to take great photos. And we don't need a lot of fancy equipment to publish on sites like HGTV's Rate My Space. I haven't had formal training, but I've always enjoyed taking pictures of interiors - for my websites and for realtor friends - with my 6 year old Sony.

So it was a real treat for me to watch a professional photo shoot in my own home, for HGTV Ideas Magazine. Now I pay more attention to the photography on Rate My Space, the good, the bad, and especially the great spaces that could look so much better.

The New York Institute of Photography's website features a great article on "How to Photograph Interiors." It details 3 guidelines for better interior shots. I'll summarize them here, but it's worth your time to read the whole NYIP article.

Guideline 1 -Make certain that you select the best possible portion of the room to photograph. Show the best view of your subject.

Guideline 3 - Remove Distractions.

Distraction 1: Too much stuff. After you take your photo, look at it as others do and then edit, edit, edit.

Distraction 2: Vertical and horizontal lines that are crooked. The sense of tilt can be very distracting. See NYIP photo at right.

Distraction 3: Bad Interior Lighting. Don't use your flash. It will make the room look strange. Instead, turn off your flash.

Here are two examples of beautiful RMS kitchens. Both have wonderful layouts, cabinetry and accessories. The major difference, IMHO, is the quality of the photography. 

Kitchen One is on its way to being the #1 MOST VIEWED space ever on HGTV's Rate My Space website. Jfell took the photos herself and they look professional, but not "staged."

Compare with Kitchen Two below:

1st photo - note the angles, lighting, view, stuff

Photo 6 - a better view to show first?

Kitchen Two has great bones. Though reposts of RMS spaces with few changes are generally not well received, I would love to see better photos of the kitchen above. I think it would zoom past its current 3.9 (excellent) rating and its 32,900 views.

In part 2, I'll talk about NYIP's Guideline 2, which asks "How can I give emphasis to my subject?"

favorite space: a passion for detail

When Susan, aka MoonlightandMagnolias, posted her back porch on Rate My Space in July, the space skyrocketed to top ranking on the front page. It reminded me of one of my favorite decorating books, "A Passion for Detail," by super-designer Charlotte Moss. Susan's RMS spaces display her unique ability to create beautiful vignettes that don't look "staged."

The sign says it all, "Summer Breeze makes me feel fine." I love the ethereal quality of this outdoor room.

The vaulted ceiling, fans, sheer curtains and wicker furniture contribute to the airy feel.

Now here's attention to detail: Susan says, "I painted this hutch three different times with three different colors of green paint (2 coats each) until I finally got the "right" shade of green."

Susan's tablescapes should be in a magazine. (Hello, Southern Accents!)

I'm available for lunch on the porch...anytime!

So you can imagine how honored I am to receive this blog award, left, from such an accomplished person!

Susan's great blog, "Between Naps on the Porch," is here. After you visit, you will , no doubt, wonder when she has time for naps! View and rate all of her RMS spaces here.

Now my task is to select some of my favorite blogs and pass it on.

Thanks so much, Susan!

AD: designing first ladies

The White House is certainly one of the most re-decorated homes in America. And First Ladies Jacqueline Kennedy and Nancy Reagan were known for their personal taste and style. Architectural Digest's December 2004 issue gave us look at the private rooms decorated by these elegant women.

My first visit to the nation's most famous house was in the years after Jackie led a major restoration. I loved it and I loved her too. My first "coffee table" book was "The White House: an Historic Guide," a treasured Christmas gift from my parents with a forward by Jackie.


I'm amazed at how timeless the Kennedy family's sitting room is, 40+ years later. Jackie wanted the West Sitting Hall to resemble her Georgetown living room.

The First Lady’s Bedroom—which she also wanted “the same as it was in Georgetown”—was done by Sister Parish.

The feminine dressing room is cozy and elegant at the same time. I love the large screen and the leopard throw.


First Lady Nancy Reagan (in the Red Room, left) and I share her famous love of red (and a last name). And I've always admired her elegance.

At the start of President Reagan’s first term, she and designer Ted Graber updated the private White House rooms. She brought a sunny California look to the West Sitting Hall, above. I can picture the family relaxing on those comfy sofas.

AD: A 17th-century coromandel screen decorated the antiques-filled Central Hall. For this and other areas, Mrs. Reagan personally culled stored furniture that had been used by previous first families—“beautiful pieces that were deteriorating and needed to be restored,” she noted.

President Reagan’s warm private study contained many of his own possessions. The "Reagan" red print curtain panels add a touch of color to the neutral, masculine room.

Be sure to visit Architectural Digest online for more photos and the complete article. My post on current White House decor is here.

All photos: Architectural Digest

favorite space: the white house

I resubscribed to Architectural Digest after a number of years away, and I'm so happy I did because the March 2008 cover story featured the newly redecorated White House.

No matter what side of the aisle you sit on, a visit to America's favorite home is an awesome experience. So much history, impressive architecture, art and beautiful antiques. And so uniquely American.

My first White House tour was as a child with my parents in the years after First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy's restoration. My next trip was a real honor - a visit to the Oval Office. I was Miss Junior Achievement - that's me standing next to President Nixon (in the dress).

First Lady Laura Bush, the daughter of a home builder, worked with Fort Worth designer Kenneth Blasingame on the extensive redecoration, which included the Oval Office. I remember the intricate moldings shown here and in my photo.

The Green Room is Mrs. Bush's favorite - and mine. For the rooms that have historical significance the First Lady and Blasingame worked with a team of nonpolitical experts: William Allman, the White House curator, and the 17 active members of the Committee for the Preservation of the White House.

“You only do the things you need to do,” says Blasingame, and Mrs. Bush’s team changed only those rooms that needed changing, where the colors were fading or where, as in the Lincoln Bedroom (above), the furniture was historically inappropriate.

Sometimes referred to as the West Garden Room, The Palm Room offers access to the West Wing and to the Rose Garden.

The West Colonnade leads to the Oval Office.

Be sure to visit AD's online version of this feature to read the full article and view all 21 photos.

All photos, caption text: Architectural Digest

florida design: coastal modern

I await the arrival of each issue of Florida Design like a kid counting the days 'til Christmas. I've stockpiled 5 years of back issues that I carefully loan out to my friends like a librarian. My treasured FD collection occupies more than half of my magazine cabinet. FD runs over 350 pages and the ads are almost as good as the features. 

Each issue runs the gamut from sleek Miami Modern to ornate Perla Lichi Traditional. AD, Southern Accents, Traditional Home, Domino, Veranda and Coastal Living will come and go in my collection, but Florida Design is forever.

The winter 2008 issue, Volume 18 Number 1 (issues have numbers only) is my all-time favorite because it's cover story featured an incredible modern home that's just 15 minutes up A1A on my favorite local beach. Tucked between the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic Ocean, the home has amazing views that you can only guess at when you drive by.

I love everything about this "Coastal Modern" home (minus the buddhas), by interior designer Larry Wilson and architect Mike Walburn, both of Jacksonville. It's "comfortable" modern, which I'd love if I didn't have so much traditional stuff. 

The living room overlooks the ocean. The pool (top of page) is actually in the front of the house, overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway.

The painting above the antique Asian cabinet was done by the wife, who is an artist.

My cat would love this stairway. I love the texture of the concrete. And it's perfect for the sandy beachfront lifestyle.

Perhaps my favorite feature of this large 3-story home is how it looks from the beach. The husband stated it best, "From the beach, the house presents itself as a single story structure with a low profile that appears to rise naturally out of the sand."

Read the entire article and see more photos here. And even if you don't live in Florida, check out Florida Design.

Now that Tropical Storm Fay is gone, I think I'll head for the beach!

All photos: Florida Design, Joseph Lapeyra, photographer.

me on hgtv, 5:30 pm today

If you missed it, here's your chance to see a great episode's of HGTV's Rate My Space TV show: the "Lackluster Kitchen" makeover (HGTV, 5:30 PM Eastern). I was honored to have my kitchen chosen as an inspiration space by homeowner Andy.

Before, Andy's kitchen looked nothing like the rest of his sleek mid-century modern home.

Photos: HGTV

The makeover was dramatic, especially when you see the new open views into Andy's living and dining spaces. The pine hutch in my kitchen was the inspiration for the choice of a beautiful  Chinese red lacquer cabinet to serve as a pantry and buffet.

Here's the web page where you can comment and rate designer Angelo Surmelis' makeover.

Interesting tidbit from Angelo's blog, Design Geek, iTunes has $1.99 downloads of all Rate My Space episodes here. This episode is missing from HGTV's watch-on-line-for-free episode page.