Our new decorating blog launched today!

We are pleased to announce the launch of our new decorating blog , Digging Decor.

Our new blog will cover interior design much more extensively, including design products, design ideas and design news. Think of it as a huge addition to this web site, which will still be updated regularly by our staff.

We'll hope you'll come visit soon. It's a great looking site, we're very proud of it!

Hgtv Dream House so Desirable

Why is HGTV dream house so desirable?

HGTV dream house is a house of dreams as it includes all the pleasures that are sought after in a world class home. The living room of this house includes a modish décor. The interior décor of this home also includes a formal touch.

Hgtv Dream House: House for You

This home can be counted as one of the most stylishly and elegantly designed homes in existence so far. The living room of this home is designed in soothing blue color palette. The furnishing is also of great quality that makes the visitors feel like being in a world class home.

Hgtv Dream House: Dream House from Stone and Wood

Talking of the dining room, it includes boldly colored walls. The dining room is decorated with abstract art and rustic acessories. One of the most alluring aspects of the dining room decoration is that it includes traditional as well as European style furnishing for impressing the guests like never before.

Hgtv Dream House: Your Desirable House?

The outdoor area of this house is also as attractive as the inner. Exclusive arrangements are made in the outdoor of the house for parties. There is an outdoor refrigerator and oven where one can store edibles for the guests attending the outdoor party in this house.

Hgtv Dream House: Living Room

The kitchen in this home is also as attractive and efficient as expected. The kitchen looks attractive with inclusions such as Victorian-style cabinetry. There are two quartz-topped islands in the kitchen as well.

Hgtv Dream House: Small Bedroom

The kitchen in this dream home includes extensive storage space, kitchen appliances made of state of the art technology and built-in wine cabinets that collectively makes the cooking an easy task for hostess

Dollars and Scents

Okay, I realize this post may seem a bit out of the ordinary, yet if you've visited with me for very long you know how much I enjoy finding inexpensive little pleasures. So I thought I would share.
Have you ever bought these delightful bottles of linen water at the dollar store?
They are wonderful for spritzing on your clothes when you iron. But being the non-ironing gal that I am, I've found another use for them. I love to spray them on my sheets and pillows right before I go to bed at night. The scent is very delicate yet it still freshens the bed and the room. Aaahhhh, talk about feeling just a bit pampered, smelling a little L'essence de Provence just as you drift off into dreamland!

Lettuce With a Touch of Ketchup

Last summer we built this table from an old door and stair balusters. It was designed to fill an awkward space between a window well and a set of stairs on our patio. It's tall so that it can function as a sofa table behind my wicker love seat. I originally painted the top red, (remember my ketchup and mustard theme?).In my effort to transform my patio into a more restful spot, I thought it was time to give the table a little paint makeover with a beautiful leafy green, reminiscent of a luscious head of lettuce. Then of course I distressed it with sandpaper and a paint scraper to unearth it's past. This little door has not only been red in it's former life, but has also dawned the colors white and baby blue.

Oh how I love a piece with age and character!

Improving your Backyard with HGTV

Improving the backyard with the HGTV dream houses

There are many people who want to like spending their free time in the backyard of their house either gardening or just enjoying the warm sun while reading their favorite books.

Hgtv Dream House: Your Backyard

If gardening is your favorite hobby and want to improve the backyard of your house then HGTV can definitely help you with all the necessary information about the gardening and taking care of the gardens of your home. The shows of the HGTV are basically dedicated in helping the viewers to make the most effective redecoration of not only their houses but also the gardens.

Hgtv Dream House: Choose your Backyard

If you want to redecorate the backyard of your homes then there is lot of research to be done before taking the final decision. Apart from the shows of the HGTV dream houses which provide you with all the information and the innovative ideas which will help you in redecorating the backyard of your house easily.

Hgtv Dream House: Design your Backyard

You can also keep an open eye viewing the backyards of your friends and neighbors. You can always take an idea from the backyards of their homes. You can also take some of the ideas from the botanical gardens and the local parks where you will be able to view the most stylish and the beautiful forms of the various ways of the gardening and the landscaping.

Hgtv Dream House: Your Dream House Backyard

There are other options apart from just adding the flowers, plants or the trees in your backyard. You may add a deck or the backdoor patio, if you don’t have one in your recent backyard. You may even add a greenhouse or a conservatory. All the additions in the backyard depend upon the size of your yard.

Overview of HGTV Dream House

Overview of HGTV Dream House 2009

The 2009 HGTV dream house is positioned in Sonoma, also known as the California Wine Country. Sonoma is famous for its outdoor activities such as mountain biking and hiking, indulgent spas and indeed for its luscious wine.

Hgtv Dream House: Master Bedroom

Layout of HGTV dream house 2009

The HGTV dream house 2009 is a huge double story farmhouse style residence covering about 3600 sq ft of comfortable and convenient living space. The foremost floor of the house includes a family space, the dining and living rooms along with a gourmet kitchen with eating nook and also a study room.

Hgtv Dream House: Room to Work in

The second level of the house incorporates two bedroom mini suites, the master bedroom with a magnificence spa inspired bathroom plus its personal sitting space and laundry area. There is a separate two-car garage as well.

Exclusive features of 2009’s HGTV dream house

The California’s Sonoma wine country is the most eye-catching place in whole United States and 2009’s dream house take complete benefit of the impressive settings. There are back and front wrap around porches for taking pleasure in the gorgeous scenery a true pleasure. HGTV’s 2009 master bedroom is lined with panes appearing out over the rolling hills and the forests.

Hgtv Dream House: Family Room

2009’s HGTV dream house kitchen

The decorators of HGTV dream house 2009 used the stunning Sonoma, California settings at its best for entertaining and emphasizing family. For instance, the grand kitchen incorporates two islands for preparing a huge party simpler, particularly if there are loads of people to assist. Two refrigerators in the kitchen makes the storage of food easier both after and before you fete. Since, the HGTV 2009 dream house is in the Wine Country, two wine refrigerators are also there.

Hgtv Dream House: Start building your House

Sweet, Petite, and Beat

You know there's nothing like finding a few thrifty treasures to make one feel great again! I found this petite metal table while thrifting this past weekend. It was only four dollars and can you believe that I actually had to think about buying it. I'm trying to be selective with my purchases, asking myself where the item will go in my house. Once I decided the new home for this sweet table I bought it and brought it home and beat it with a hammer. You know me, I like things to show a little age and character and this table looked like it had just been spray painted. I'm hoping that now that I've knocked off some paint and chipped it up a bit, it will begin to rust a little too.
And as for it's new home,
it looks quite happy to be joining my finished metal chair.

HGTV Dream House Rooms

HGTV dream house rooms

HGTV dream house is a house of dreams as the interiors are designed exclusively to make the fascination of modern man come true. You can feel like being in heaven once you get into this house. The rooms are just so beautiful and well equipped that you will be left speechless and hypnotized by the finish.

Hgtv Dream House: Potting Room

Living room- The living room of this house is made more chic than formal. You can get a contemporary feel after getting into this room. The décor of this room is made more beautiful by the neutral and discreet furnishings and soothing blue color palette. The lustrous artwork and fanciful accessories make this room look attractive and highly appealing for the guests.

Hgtv Dream House: Dream Room

Dining rooms- The dining room of this house is as beautiful as it should be in a palace. The dining room includes formal décor that can attract attention of the guests by the traditional and European style furnishings. You can feel attracted also by the appealing and loud wall color paint. The abstract art and rustic accessories are other aspects that make this room look beautiful.

Hgtv Dream House: Working Room

Family room- The family room of HGTV is made equally beautiful by the modern art pieces. The most alluring attractions of this house include gas and shag rug fireplace which provide warmth into the room. You can feel a cozy feel inside this beautifully decorated room designed exclusively for the guests coming with their family. The family room is designed exclusively to make the guests feel as comfortable as their own home.

Cheap Art

THANK YOU,
thank you, thank you for all of your well wishes and prayers! You truly warmed my heart and I can happily report that I'm feeling back to normal (although I'm sure my sons would likely say that I never have been "normal"). In fact, I felt so well that I managed to do a little thrift shopping. I was on the hunt for some cheap art for my back patio. In my effort to make the patio an extension of my home, I thought it would be wonderfully unexpected to display a few pictures and oil paintings.
I thought this vintage floral, along with the dream sign, would be ideal.
A few weeks ago I found this oil painting of an ocean landscape. Now when the weather gets too hot, I can sit on my patio with a tall glass of lemonade and envision myself at the ocean.
And this past weekend I found this charming floral oil painting.
The painting spoke to me. The frame did not, but I knew it would be a quick and easy fix. I removed the painting, put on my paint mask and sprayed the entire frame, cloth inset and all, a pretty shade of apple green.Now it looks fresh and fun and will be the perfect addition to my cheap patio art.
Linked to: Thrifty Treasures and Metamorphosis Monday

White Decor-So Refreshing

Did you see the latest issue of Elle Decor? It features the home of Monelle Totah, vice president of design for Williams Sonoma. We thought it's worth a feature post because it's such a refreshing style that is so achievable. By that, we mean you can find everything in the home quite easily. Not like those features where the owners alway tell us they brought home these chandeliers from some Paris fleamarket on their backs, you know? For some reasons a Paris fleamarket always sounds more glamorous. What's wrong with a flea market in, say, San Jose?

Anyway, you can find most of the items in the feature (from Williams Sonoma, of course, but other sources as well).

Here is a picture of it:



To see the rest, click here...

The Five Most Tiresome Decorating Trends

You know how when you get too much of something, it becomes tiresome really fast?

Take reality TV for example, how many permutations of it can we take? Does anyone care about Jon and Kate, or the Real Housewives of whatever?

Sidenote: Eventhough this has nothing to do with home decor, here is an interesting article from the NY Times about reality TV.

Home decorating is kinda like that too. Once a trend is caught on it spreads like a virus and next thing you know, everyone is doing it.

Which leads us to the most tiresome decorating trends ever (in our humble opinion)...

Here they are:

1) The Faux Tuscany look. We see this in almost 50% of the household we go to. Usually they are McMansions. The kind that you see in Real Housewives of Atlanta or Orange County, for example. Lots of faux-finished walls, heavy Tuscany-inspired brown wood furniture, lots of fringe, lots of big rooms no one ever uses, lots of heavy drapes in jewel tones, lots of pillows on the bed, lots of granite counter. It's so dated!

2) The faux Hollywood Regency look-this trend was started by Kelly Wearstler & Jonathan Adler a few years back and now it's everywhere. Once you see it in Z-Gallerie, you know it's time to NOT get into it. This looks consists of a lot of fake white lacquer, lots of bright colors, lots of funky patterns. It could be fun (but only for a minute and a half).

3) The W-Hotel look-do you know this look? All the furniture looks like it's from the W-Hotel, and if you've been to one W-Hotel you've been in all of them. They are all brown and white and straight-edged and black and white and boring.

4) The faux-loft look-everybody is building "lofts" nowadays. But instead of authentic lofts that were converted from old buildings, the new lofts are cheap condos built without walls. It usually goes with the mandatory minimalist furniture that looks absolutely cold and uncomfortable.

5) The faux-Asian look. We were at this gorgeous, 7-million dollar home the other day and we swear, there was a Budha in every room. What is up with the Budha? One or two is okay, but lots of it, combined with everything Asian is an overkill. Like lots of red color, lots of bamboo, lots of elephants and horses! It just looks kitschy...

What do you think? What trend do you think is tiresome?