TheDesignFile

Halloween procrastinators: Paint your pumpkin

You've done it yet again. You've waited too late to delve into the messy job of cutting open a pumpkin, digging out the guts and carving in a spooky face.

But never fear! You can still greet your trick-or-treaters tonight with a festive pumpkin using just markers or paint.

The photos at right are from the Better Homes and Gardens web site, where you can find all kinds of ideas for Halloween decorating.

Personally, I kind of like these no-cut styles, in part because they'll last longer than the ones that are carved and have a candle burning inside. Plus, it's a little easier to be creative. You can use stencils or glue on jewels or other objects.

See more photos and ideas at BHG's "Quick & Easy" photo gallery.

And then come up with your own ideas for a spooky or just stylish Halloween pumpkin.

Thanks to BHG for allowing The Design File to feature these photos.

New book helps you achieve 'comfortable' decor

It's hard to browse the Mitchell Gold+Bob Williams web site and not wish you could have those guys just come redo your decor with all their beautiful furnishings. But let's face it. For most of us, that's pretty unlikely.

With the pair's newest book, though, you can have the next best thing.

"The Comfortable Home: How to invest in your nest and live well for less" provides readers with great ideas and even step by step instructions for turning your home into the place you truly want to live.

"Our spirited quest for global comfort continues with our latest book," Mitchell and Bob say in their promotion of the book. "Within, we teach you how to love your home. We share our sense of style, insights, experience and practical knowledge so you can make your home one that is designed - and designed for living."

The hardcover book is 224 pages with more than 200 new, full-color photographs and is a celebration of 20th anniversary of Mitchell Gold+Bob Williams. It was published by Clarkson Potter/Melchoir Media with writer Mindy Drucker.

 

The reason I'm running right out to buy the book is that it provides the kind of step by step help that I really need! The photo series above is from a section of the book about achieving a clean-line, traditional look.

Learn more about "The Comfortable Home," watch a video with Bob & Mitchell talking about the book and see more excerpts here. And watch the blog next week for some tips from "The Comfortable Home."

Thanks to the folks at MGBW for letting us post photos from the book at The Design File.

Find your pumpkin's inner beauty

Jack-O-Lantern tips from plastic surgeons!

You've got just a couple more days to get your pumpkins carved for Halloween and I thought you might find a bit of inspiration from this fun video created by the folks at Metromix, a publication of The Indianapolis Star.

Metromix challenged three plastic surgeons to do what they could with three somewhat homely pumpkins. Click on the image below to watch the video...

Home tour: Original details highlight historic house

 

Sometimes it's best to let the gorgeous architecture of a home take center stage and that's just what the owners of this place near Fountain Square in Indianapolis have done.

The furnishings here are simple and enhance the home's inherent beauty. Check out the fireplace, the extensive built-in cabinetry and the amazing stained glass windows.

The home was built in 1910 and has nearly 4,000 square feet. It's on the market now for $200,000. Thanks to Realtor Joe Shoemaker, owner of MacDuff Realty for making the photos available for me to share.

"We all dream about finding an old beater and fixing it up...just like on HGTV," Joe writes in the listing. "But we all know that few of us have the time, energy, money or skill required to actually make that happen. So why not just get honest about that reality and visit this place. The work's all done and you can begin enjoying this lovely home in its pristine condition from the first day you move in."

Indeed! Enjoy the rest of the home...

Etsy pick: Personalized art makes a statement

Recently I attended the Hoosier Artisan Holiday Boutique, an event in suburban Indianapolis that allowed Indiana Etsy artists to show off their wares. I found out about the event from Kris Davidson, the artist behind the Etsy shop called Art*iculate. It was a great event and I loved seeing Kris's work in person.

Kris creates fun, custom art out of greeting cards and from photographs she takes to resemble letters.

I adore the greeting card idea (see at right). She takes your pile of cards -- from maybe your wedding, a shower or a birthday -- and makes a real keepsake. "This 11x14 matted greeting card collage art is a special way to display the heartfelt imagery given to you in a card," Kris writes on the site. "This is a great anniversary gift to your spouse."

She can cut the cards into different designs like the butterflies above or use simply squares. You decide.

The collages cost $70-$75.

Kris also creates custom art out of a library of professional letter art photography. "Art*iculate's personalized word photography caters to anyone who tends to look for a unique gift that you cannot find on a registry," she says.

All prints can be customized with colored borders, quotes, birth dates, wedding dates, etc.

The prints cost $30 and framed art costs $50-$175 depending on the size.

Check out the Art*iculate site for more information and to see what Kris can do with your name or with the name of someone you love!

Tip: Use smaller pieces to make larger art

Earlier this month I posted about using dominant art to create a focal point in a room. But not everyone has an especially large or vibrant piece of art and it's not always cheap to buy one.

So try this: Use smaller, similar pieces to create a dominant look.

Check out the way this set of nine photos (at right) create an amazing single piece of art. The room comes from HGTV.com and is a great example of how smaller pieces can combine to be larger than the sum of the parts.

Check out the room below. In this space from HGTV.com, designer Candice Olson uses three smaller florals over a bed, creating a single look that keeps your eye moving up above the headboard. Gorgeous.

Finally, at bottom, you can see a room from an older Crate & Barrel collection that shows how you can use mirrors to create the same look of dominant art.

Now look around your house and see what you can combine into something special.

 

Spotlight: Whimsical chair incorporates @ symbol

The @ sign -- also called an asperand -- has become so much a part of our every day work, writing and speech that it's no surprise the ubiquitous email symbol has now made it's way into furniture as well.

Thayer Coggin, an international leader in contemporary furniture, unveiled the new Claes chair at the International Home Furnishings market in High Point, N.C. last week and it includes a nod to the @ typography.

"The asperand has become a part of our lives and is a unique part of our global, visual culture," said Coggin, who works with typographical forms on a daily basis as a graphic designer.

"The @ symbol has evolved from modest usage in Renaissance mercantile descriptions to an omnipresent sign in our digital, 24/7 culture," he said. "With users today giving it numerous nicknames, from 'the curl' 'whorl,' 'rose,' to 'twiddle,' the asperand has clearly entered into our collective consciousness."

Not surprisingly, Coggin said he's been influenced by pop artist Claes Oldenburg, whose sculptures included colossal buttons, gigantic clothes pins and over-sized typewriter erasers. Oldenburg "magnified and monumentalized the objects of his time and place," he said.

Now Coggin has done something similar with his chair.

"It's whimsical while maintaining the critical elements of our design and defined lines that have driven our brand," said Royale Wiggin, chief operating officer of Thayer Coggin.

Go here to learn where to purchase Thayer Coggin furnishings.

Make your entryway a little spooky for Halloween

For those of you still scrambling to get your house decked out for Halloween, I'll have a few posts this week to try to help out.

Today, I'm sharing this great looking "Sinister Sideboard," which was featured on MyHomeIdeas.com, a site that includes content from Sunset, This Old House, and other great magazines.

The creators of this spooky vignette combined a few readily available Halloween buys with some pretty standard household items, including mirrors, vases and backyard branches -- to create an area sure to delight trick-or-treaters who get a peek inside.

See more photos and details about the vignette here.

You can also see a terrific video about creating the "creepy branches" shown above on the ends of the sideboard.

And you can find lots more seasonal decorating ideas at MyHomeIdeas.com.

Chicago split-level has eclectic, mid-century appeal

Chicago Home+Garden magazine and its corresponding website is a fantastic source of inspiration, especially for those of us who live in the Midwest.

I was particularly taken recently by a feature about a 1950s split level home in suburban Chicago.

The article by Robin Angell Carroll and photos by Nathan Kirkman tell the fun story of Bob and Sally Faust's move from the city into a suburban house with a pool.

The couple embraced the home's mid-century aesthetic while assembling what the story calls an "offbeat collection of inherited and salvaged objects."

"Bob’s Italian heritage reveals itself in a number of prized family pieces, from a Capo-di-Monte lamp to a cast-plaster Jesus statue handed down from his grandmother," the story says. "The Fausts are equally content pulling something from the trash (a living-room coffee table was plucked from a Dumpster, the poolside LOUNGE sign rescued from a hotel demolition) as they are making a purchase from Luminaire."

The Fausts own their own graphic design firm and "applied to their home the same creativity they bring to clients’ projects," the story says.

“Our mission is simple—just create great design," the story quotes Sally saying. "Our style has always been very informal.”

There's lots more information in the story about the home's design and the Fausts' terrific entertaining space out back. Plus, you get a gallery of amazing photos.

Thanks to the folks at Chicago Home+Garden magazine for letting us post photos here.

Fun, stylish nursery caps off modern home

When I showed you a terrific modern house in suburban Indianapolis last week, I admitted that I left something out -- the nursery. I decided to save the fun room for a post today.

I think it's just cool.

I love all the textures and details and the way they blend for a sophisticated space.

If you read last week's post, you already know I'm a big fan of the textured wall. This house had a similar one in the living room but done with a different pattern.

The furnishings have modern, clean lines with a little bit of whimsy and the brown and blue color scheme is a great background for the orange accents.

And even the other kid toy colors look great. How cute is the little Elmo chair?

If you like this room, you've got to check out the rest of this great house. And thanks to Realtor Joe Shoemaker, owner of MacDuff Realty, for making these photos available.