What a transformation. This is one determined couple. Those stripes took a lot of work. Interior designer, Christopher Coleman, did a really fantastic job transforming this room for a couple who share this office. Both husband and wife have outside offices, but can opt to work at home – a growing trend. It’s estimated that 38% of the work force is mobile. That makes the efficiency and décor in a home office even more important. So what should you keep in mind when sprucing up that mess and preparing your home office for steady work?

As I always say, choose the paint last. But you can select colors as a starting point. Once you’ve chosen the furnishings, you can tweak your paint choices to match, if that’s what you’re going for.

Just planted, these looked terrific. We lay down black plastic to keep the weeds down and lay pea gravel on top.The ground was graded to allow for proper drainage.

By last year the trees had really filled out. The bluestone path looks good with the pea gravel mixing in the cracks. This year the trees need a lot of pruning and soon, they’ll be taller and we can carve a bow underneath like a little tunnel.

Looks a little better in just 3 short years, doesn’t it? Can’t wait for next year. Speaking of later, don’t forget to stop by tomorrow. I’ll be featuring a variety of planters for outdoors.

Send all your applause to misterarthur. Leave it in the comment box and I’ll be sure to pass it along to him.

Ron is the host of Small Space, Big Style. He agreed to redecorate a woman’s living and dining room for free with a budget of only $1,000. Did she appreciate getting saving a $6,000 design fee? Not.

To read the article and see more images, follow this link. But first, here are some of my favorite bits from the story.

Mr. Marvin offered solutions for nearly all of her design problems, all for $1,000. Ms. Sperling, however, seemed upset. “I don’t want to totally say no,” she began, before pessimistically questioning nearly all of his recommendations. When told the dark sideboard would be repainted white, she asked “what kind of white?” When Mr. Marvin said the top of the dining table would be replaced with glass, she asked, “Isn’t glass expensive?” And as for the coffee and end tables from Ikea, Ms. Sperling wanted to know, “Is it made well at Ikea?”

later…

He was also perturbed that Ms. Sperling suggested spending more money. “She was being so detailed and picky about the whole budget,” he wrote in an e-mail message to this reporter, and now she is “adding more things!”

still later…

The next day, Ms. Sperling e-mailed back a lengthy explanation for why she wouldn’t be able to make it to Ikea for another week, how she didn’t like any of the three rug options Mr. Marvin sent, and why, according to her calculations, the mirror or a lamp would have to be cut.

Jeez! Thankfully, she liked “99%” of the finished room. I’ve been so lucky to have had great clients. But, there was this one lady….

Fellow blogger, Candy Glendening, sent me this photo of her chaise DIY project. Candy bought the white slipcover to go with her Ektorp chaise, then dyed it the perfect color green with a water colored mottling. Cold water dyes work best to prevent shrinking.

Here's a photo of the chaise in her family room. I love the red curtains with those dark blinds. You can read the details of her room makeover on her blog by following this link.

Do you have a DIY project you’re proud of? Send it my way. In the meantime, lets all pat Candy on the back for her project. A job well done – and brave! But then, Candy is an expert in the art of dying fabrics.

We’re well into summer, but it’s never too late to bring the feel of summer into your home. Paint is one way to accomplish a new look. But you have to live with that all year round. A better way to makeover a room instantly, and one that can change with the seasons, is to throw a slipcover over the sofa and/or arm chairs. Even the dining room will brighten up with a set of relaxed slipcovers.

In a few months, when winter rears its ugly head and you’re longing for something more cozy, simply remove the slipcovers and you’ve got yet another instant room makeover. Plus, the original upholstery will seem new again after living in seclusion for several months. Here are some slipcover ideas and resources to guide you.

1. Custom Slipcovers

Here’s one of my own projects. The fabric on this wing chair (from Cowtan & Tout) was beautiful and in great shape. But the room was undergoing a total makeover, which meant a new color palette. A slipcover was a great solution. We have our new look without having to sacrifice the original fabric.

A custom slipcover was the way to go here. We wanted to choose just the right fabric and the unusual shape of the chair eliminated any ready-mades. Also, we could style the slipcover any way we liked. Here are some tips to custom slipcovers.

• Find a workroom by searching on Angie’s List or your local fabric shop. Ask to see their portfolio before you hire them.
• Create a work order for the seamstress or workroom. This lists all the details of the work to be done, such as the style you want. Include a photo, if you can find one, and any details such as welting, etc…
• Labor for a slipcover, like the one shown above, will cost about $300 and use about 9 – 10¬† yards of fabric.
• Save on fabric by selecting a solid. You won’t have to match repeats. I found this white twill at JoAnn Fabrics and took advantage of their frequent 40% off sales to get a great price – about $11.00 per yard. That’s better than any designer discount.
• You can dress up a solid fabric by adding a toss pillow.

2. Semi-Custom Slipcovers

If you love IKEA furniture, but want a new look, Bemz is the way to go. Based in Stockholm, this creative company offers a wide variety of excellent fabrics, including Marimekko. The slipcover, above, sells for $279, including shipping.

3. Readymade Slipcovers

There are a few companies that sell ready-made slipcovers. Of them. Surefit has the best selection. The wing chair (above) is the best of what I saw. It sells for only $49.99. Definitely a look for less.

Dining chairs ($14.99) from Surefit seem like a good option. I like the bow. Make sure you measure your chair before purchasing. Surefit has a guide as well.

Another resource is Pottery Barn. These slipcovers ($24.99 – $39.99) seem more skimpy than Surefit’s – the tie in the back especially so.

Of course, you don’t have to remove the slipcover. You might find that you want to enjoy summer all year long.

Have you bought slipcovers? As always, I’m looking for before-and-after photos of your projects. Do you have a resource to add? Do you have a slipcover tip? Share it with us here.

Here are the before and after photos taken last year before and after we planted several Variegated Willow trees in said gravel pit. To read the second exciting episode, follow this link.Our little trees have now grown and are well on their way to becoming a beautiful all?©e.

What a difference a year makes. We bought these at Detroit’s Eastern Market – the place to go for all kinds of plants at great prices. Be sure to go early on Saturday to get the best choices.

Later this week I’ll post some photos of our neighbor’s roses. He’s got a golden green thumb that even Mr. Pigglesworth would admire.

Creating a metal fireplace surround

We first got the idea to cover our brick fireplace from a design magazine years back. This was a stainless steel fireplace with a curved design. So we went to Supermarche du Metal, in Lachine, Quebec City, to see what they had. The bottom line was we couldn’t afford to copy the exact design. It was waaay too expensive.

Before: boring brick and a tired brass firescreen

Then, we saw they had sheets of the polished gridplate that was in our budget. We bought two sheets and the very nice man from Supermarche directed us to a place where a guy could bend the corners. Luckily, we had exact measurements. We had the two sheets bent and delivered to our home.

The two metal sheets meet in the middle

We screwed the metal sheets into the brick with small screws on the side and middle. You can barely see the screws. If we ever get bored with it, it can easy be removed. We also sprayed the brass fireplace doors using heat resistant black paint to give it a more modern look.

Elisa did an excellent job, don’t you think? The end result looks very professional. Having perfect measurements is the key to a job well done. Thanks for sharing this with us Elisa!

If you’re interested in ordering sheet metal online, try McNichols.

Do you have a DIY project you’re proud of? Send me the photos via the “contact” link.

The couple bought this bungalow after it had been a rental for ten years. That was brave. Fortunately, most of the molding was still intact.

I think the 2 things that make this room so beautiful are (a) the lighting detail over the mantel, and (b) the historic green color teamed with the dark brown trim. Well done Julio!

Scoot over to Rejuvenation and vote. Get some styling ideas while you’re at it.

(Contests seem to be everywhere all of a sudden, don’t they?)