The winner of the Lilly Pulitzer gift set is….

Shahida!

Congratulations! I’m giving Shahida the preppy name of Curly, after the woman who built our home, Curly Ledyard. She was the ultimate prepster. So, Curly! Your gift will be winging its way to your home on Monday.

The winner of the Paint Style book is….

Jeanne!

Jeanne is not in to pink and green. I’m sure she’ll find some excellent ideas to paint her home beautifully. Congratulations!

Next week, I’ll have two more giveaways. Stay tuned on Monday for the big reveal. Have a great weekend.

First up is this lovely set of Lilly Pulitzer photo frame Christmas ornaments. They’re from Grosse Pointe’s own Lilly shop, The Village Palm. To enter this giveaway, simple leave me a comment with your top-notch preppy name. Mine is Tucky. Feel free to borrow ir.

Next, is this fantastic book from Benjamin Moore. Paint Style is a real decorating book with lots of tips on how to paint and how to achieve different effects in your home. To enter, just leave a comment and let me know you wnat Paint Style. Or, let me know your name is Buffy and the Help will be needing that book. I’ll enter you in both!

The winner will be drawn at random tomorrow. So you have until the end of Friday to enter. Everyone living in the US and Canada is eligible. Good luck!

The book is filled with tips for creating your own finishes and a perfect paint job. If you know someone who’s planning to take the holiday between Christmas and New Years to spruce up the house, this would make a great gift. Maybe it’s you!

The contest runs all week and I’ll announce the winner, chosen at random, on Saturday. I ship to the US and Canada.

To enter, simply leave a comment under any of the Paint Style giveaway posts and give us your paint tip. Or, ask me a painting question and I’ll answer it.

Good luck!

The subject was online decorating as a profession. I think you’ll find the article interesting. You can link to it here.

For those of you who know me, you know I like to run Design Dilemmas where I redecorate spaces completely from photos. I wish I could do more of them and plan to in the future. It’s a time consuming thing and right now my time is crunched! I would only do these as a freebie and always underscore the importance of checking color options in real life. The reason? Because, as you’ll read in Rachel’s article, computer monitors do not reflect real life. Never assume that colors will match in real life because they do in Internet Land.

That doesn’t mean we can’t run a business long distance. But it has to involve the US mail.

Would you hire an online designer? I’m really interested to know if you have ever considered it.

How did you paint that armoire?

Ann wants to know what paint I used for this armoire. Originally, it was plain pine. Here are the steps to do this yourself.

1. First, primed the furniture with a low VOC primer. Or, you can use Kilz. Have the paint shop tint the primer for you.
2. Painted the furniture with Benjamin Moore’s Chili Pepper (#2004-20). You can use latex, but an oil-based paint will show fewer brush marks. Alternatively, you can use a sponge roller, but I can’t vouch for the results since I’ve never done it this way.
3. Yet another idea is to ask an auto body shop if they can do it for you. I’ve had furniture painted there, but I used Bondo and car paint. I don’t know if they can set up latex.
4. Expect to use 4 coats to cover; that’s typical with red paint. The warmer the red, the fewer the coats.
5. Please remember that colors vary widely from monitor to monitor. The red you see might not be the exact red you want. Any deep-based red you like will work fine.

How did you make that metal wall?

I created this metal-clad, magnetic wall using perforated, galvanized steel from McNichols. I ordered the sheets online and had them cut for me. Here’s how to do it.

1. First, choose the perforated style you like. If you want a magnetic wall, you must use galvanized steel. Stainless won’t work.To see the selection, follow this link.
2. Make sure you choose a perf size with holes large enough for your mounting screws to fit through the holes.
3. Measure your wall carefully to create a template. McNichols cut the sheets to fit my template. For example, I bought 3 sheets. Two were flat. The third was cut to fit over the wall and then over the door.
4. Paint your wall the color of your choice.
5. If you live in a humid climate, the steel might rust, so you’ll need to prep it by spraying it with a clear coat of Rustoleum.
6. Mount your sheets you will need flat metal pieces I bought at the hardware store. I used those to frame out the edges of each sheet. Then, I used flat screws, up the middle, to attach the panels to the wall more securely.

Now, have fun buying all kinds of magnets. You can use hooks for hanging calendars and hats. I like this idea because your child (or you) can change out the decor easily. My son is not longer interested in space and ships. He’s 16, so what do you think he has on the wall now?

By the way, if you’re wondering why my portfolio isn’t on my site, it’s coming soon! I’m planning a redesign to launch in January.

Do you have a DIY project you’d like to share? Have you seen something somewhere and need ideas on how to make it yourself? Contact me and I’ll create a plan.

Here are a few rooms to inspire you.

Gray is the grounding color. Pink is the accent. The touch of gold is also important. Notice the matte paint on all the trim as well as the walls. The matte finish is perfect with the unfinished, matte floor.

This is a photo from the new restaurant in the Parisian Hotel Vendome. Grays and pinks mix with the boldness of the black and white houndstooth – the print-of-the-moment.

I love the mix of textures here. The gray wallpaper with the floor is nice.

This is a warmer look. The warm gray, matte again, is relaxing. And the rosy pink gives an inviting burst of color.

I like the painting hung by the bath here. Love the chair as well.

Matte gray with fuchsia is lovely. But you know, it looks like the stylist covered the cushion on the settee with that fabric. I think the bed skirt is new as well. You can see the creases – fresh out of the package. No matter. The point is the color combination – and it looks great.

These flowers are really a fuchsia. But on my screen they look more like purple. At any rate, the statement is clear – gray as a grounding color with pinks as accents makes for a lovely room.

If you’d like to try this color combination at home, I suggest using Benjamin Moore’s Gray Shower and Shadow Gray for gray (obviously). Pink Pansy is nice and soft. Crushed Berries is my Fuchsia choice.

Time to vote! Which look is your favorite?

images: Ricardo Labougle, Nicolas Matthias, Anna Trench

Their overall theme was Balance, translated into four distinctive influencers: Farm, Order, Escape and Tribes. Benjamin Moore’s forecaster, Andrea Magno painted the picture for us.

Farmville

No doubt, last year’s economic crisis has affected all of us. While not stating this overtly, the link is obvious. Benjamin Moore believes our fears will translate into greater importance being placed on hearth and home with both at least one foot planted firmly in reality.

Earthy browns form the backdrop for milky whites and pale, buttery yellows. Hay and terra cotta mix with “varietals” such as aubergine, pumpkin, tomato and, of course, green. Tints are baked in the warm sunshine.

Beyond pure color, life on the farm includes fabrics suggesting the handmade. We‚Äôll see macram?©, irregular knits, and burlap. Tea-stained effects, tie-dyes and hand-stenciled patterns all suggest a desire to appreciate the simple things in life. Luxury is out.

Order

From the chaos of last year, comes a desire for a sense of order. Benjamin Moore interprets this as a return to basic primary colors applied to a monochromatic scale of blacks, grays and whites. That means lots of red with black. Blue, yellow, green – even pink are paired with grays. No more neon.

Patterns are geometric. Rectilinear shapes, circles and triangles are stacked and molded into larger shapes. Clean lines are the order of the day.

Escape comes after the jump.

Escape

But a girl has to dream, right? Benjamin Moore sees a feminine Mad Men world where “things aren’t what they seem.” Our dreams are filled with optimism and hope.

This means pearlescent and shimmery finishes applied to pastels paired with a ground color. We’ll see rosy pinks with carbon, lavender with brown, and pale green with camel.

Dreams are wispy, and so are fabrics. Benjamin Moore predicts feminine fabrics that are soft, sheer and draped.

Tribe

As we return to the simpler things in life, so too we’ll place more importance on our communities, or “tribes”.

The bold colors of the Masai and Native Americans are the order of the day. Rich berry tones, fire orange, saffron and cinnamon are paired with brown, bronze (a major metallic), and charcoal.

Tortoise shell is a new texture. Beaded elements, the human body and community-themed stencils find a place in the tribal world of 2011.

This is Benjamin Moore’s forecast of things to come. Do you like what the weatherman is saying? I have my own opinion, which I share next week. What’s yours?