Tag Archives: books

Design Books: The Gift That Keeps on Giving

Posted on December 2, 2011 by Sara | Leave a comment

The great gift search is on! Everyone’s looking for that perfect gift to give to their friends, wife (hint, hint), family members, etc. We have the perfect solution: Design books! What better way to inspire, entertain, and keep you going all year long. Below are some of our favorite picks:

Downtown Chic

The Novogratz family reside in New York, have their own design show, run their own design company AND have 7 kids. Their personal collection of antique, rummage sale and consignment finds are amazing. Even more amazing are the ingenious ways they incorporate them into their design space.

They’re my inspiration and they have an incredible idea book that I can’t wait to get my hands on. They do a fantastic job blending modern, contemporary, shabby chic and vintage together to make a space feel personal and homey.

Domino: The Book of Decorating

Have you checked out the Domino Decorating book yet? For those of us who fell in love with Domino the magazine and cried real tears when it was discontinued, this book is a great reminder of all the things we can do to our spaces.

There are some design books that offer pretty pictures of perfectly decorate homes and then there are others, like this one, that offer the pretty pictures but they’re realistic enough to actually replicate in your own homes. Now that’s quality!

Design Sponge at Home

Now here is a must have book for any DIY home designer: Design Sponge at Home. AMAZING! The book is written by Grace Bonney of the popular blog Design Sponge. This 400-page book is full of unique ideas from people who have submitted their own DIY projects over the years to the blog. These projects can really be done in your own house!

Thanks to Leslie and Katie who gave it to me for my birthday, I have had endless hours of fun perusing through the pages of this awesome book.

The Gardener’s A-Z Guide to Growing Flowers

Have anyone on your list who loves everything gardening? We’ve featured Eileen Powell a couple of times on our blog. She is Del Ray’s local gardening guru and has written a wonderful book titled, The Gardener’s A-Z Guide to Growing Flowers from Seed to Bloom. She shares her secrets to having a thriving garden and all the things you can do year round. What better way to support our community than to give this fantastic book to a green thumb?

And for even more book ideas, check out Leslie’s favorite small-space design books.

These selections are a sure way to make gift giving easy and fun. Happy shopping!

Posted by Sara

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Posted in Favorite Finds, Holidays, Interior Design

Tagged books, decorating, design books, diy, gardening, gifts, green thumb, home, home improvement, projects

Let’s Get Organized! Creative Storage for Small Spaces

Posted on November 11, 2011 by Sara | 2 Comments

Undoubtedly, the subject comes up in all of my conversations with folks from the Del Ray area — I can’t get organized because I don’t have STORAGE! Well my friends, I’m here to report that we have options!

We have had the great opportunity to tour many houses in the Del Ray area and have gone through our own houses to offer you some easy solutions for organization and storage. So sit back, take notes and apply:

Books

What to do with all of your books (because we’re all smart, we have so many). This is a built-in bookshelf in the entryway, jammed with books, DVDs, and CDs. A great use of space.

Why not color-code your books while you’re at it and make it a piece of art?

We’ve seen this idea fulfilled in two home tours, the perfect book shelf for small homes. In one, the homeowner took out the upper railing and installed a bookshelf with a new railing. In the other, the stairway has become a bookshelf on both sides. Ingenious!

Toys

What to do with all the kids’ stuff. This is the number one complaint I hear. My motto is hide, hide, hide. Or else neatly organize into baskets dedicated to one type of toy, like the musical instruments shown here, the tried and true toy basket.

I even have a covered basket of toys that I keep upstairs in our “formal” living room where it’s hidden from visitors but convenient for the kids when I’m making dinner.

These fun storage bins, keeping toys under control, are from a post we did on a creative playroom remodel.

What a great idea to use this small wooden box with drawers from IKEA to organize small play things.

This is my toy closet mecca. We were lucky enough to move into our house with this amazing closet in the unfinished basement (weird I know). When we finished our basement and made it a rec room, I turned this closet into the toy closet with doors we can close to hide everything. I used storage bins, totes, hanging sweater holders and a clothes hanger to organize my boys’ books, toys, dvds, art supplies, puzzles, and dress up clothes. It has been a Godsend for me and my – I don’t want people to think my house has been taken over by monster trucks – OCD complex.

Kitchenwares

Take advantage of the basement stairwell by hanging pots and pans on the stairwell wall.

Still my favorite utilization of space for wine in our kitchens.

Take advantage of small usually unused spaces in your kitchen (mine is between my fridge and wall) by constructing simple build-ins for spices or, once again, wine!

Here’s another example of making normally unused wall space in our small kitchens into usable storage.

Shelves purchased from IKEA are an easy way to add extra shelf space to your kitchen and dining area.

There are even solutions to utilize ALL the space in cabinets. I got these space savers at The Container Store for a song and look how much I can fit in my cabinet now! I’ve also used for linen cloesets and under the sink storage as well.

Don’t forget about corner cabinets and shelving. They nestle into corners rarely used otherwise and add ample amounts of storage for cookbooks and dishes.

Closets

Where did all my closet space go? We all need more closet space but chances are we just have to use what we’ve got. Here are some clever ways to use multi-purpose furniture to add more storage.

DIY mudroom to store all sports things and rain gear that you don’t use on a regular basis.

Don’t forget about using the space under your bed to add rollaway storage carts or rubbermaid bins.

These days its so easy to find cheap closet solutions and install them yourself. This is the perfect way to utilize a corner in your utility room by your washer and dryer. You can get the racks cut to size at Home Depot.

This storage bench is a great way to corral the smallest of the children’s shoes, keep them close to the door, and offer extra seating at the same time. No one has to know what’s under their bum.

This go-to storage bench serves so many purposes. Fun place to curl up and read a book on a rainy afternoon, extra seating in the dining area and AMPLE space to store linens, blankets, or whatever else you just can’t find a place for.

We hope these ideas have inspired the creativity that we know you have. Take a look around your house and see how you can use wall space, corners, awkward space gaps, space underneath beds or couches or just reorganize your current closets and cabinets to fit more in.

Posted by Sara

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Posted in Advice, Small-Space Solutions

Tagged books, closets, kitchen, organization, storage, toys

Finding Inspiration in Small-Space Design Books

Posted on July 13, 2011 by Leslie | Leave a comment

My guilty pleasure is to page through beautifully designed home décor books with gorgeous photographs and gaze at the photos and read the captions. I often scan the rows of home renovation and décor books at our local Alexandria City library branch in Del Ray. I return again and again to some favorites on small-space living. These are a few of my current favorite titles for design inspiration. You’ll see that my style leans toward the contemporary although my own home would probably be described as eclectic – some vintage, some modern.

Family Living by Judith Wilson

When I spend time with this book, I’m reminded of the constant need to declutter and simplify.

As with many books like these, the examples are homes that went through a complete remodel to open the space, maximize light, and create innovate storage, as well as cool ways of displaying books and personal mementos or collections.

But I also find inspiration for my as-is house. And it’s fun to dream (plan) for the future, for example, for the wall of bookshelves I’ve always wanted.

(Click thumbnails to see larger images. Comments below from left to right.)

Nice small-room layout. The bench doubles as storage for videos, DVDs, and CDs. Modular sofas work well in small rooms as well. I like the easel because I love to display children’s art in various ways.
Clever storage solution for children’s room. The little girl gets to show off her collection of horses and books, and there’s also room in neatly arranged baskets to store much more.
The author emphasizes making the outdoor space comfortable for families by providing various seating options. And she advises on how to conceal kids’ play equipment. I also love the small built-in sandbox in the wood deck (bottom right).

How to Live in Small Spaces by Terence Conran

Conran is a reputable British designer and prolific author. (I’m going to order his book Essential Children’s Rooms soon, which turned me on to him in the first place.)

The best thing about this book is it’s all about living in 1,000 square feet or less. I got ideas for maximizing my space and making the most of light. I’m also learning a lot about color theory.

Conran’s designs are most useful though if you’re planning on renovating from the studs out.

(Click thumbnails to see larger images. Comments below from left to right.)

Unique storage solution that makes clever use of an alcove.
Obvious small room in urban setting with nice arrangement of furniture. Conran is showing how to make most use of an alcove or recess to keep the central area of the floor clear. Also, the horizontal lines of the couch make the area seem more spacious.
What a wonderful way to renovate the first floor of a typical row house. The open area offers a restful view which balances out the busyness of the shelves above.
An enviable wall of books and cabinets. Conran often recommends using built-in storage with clean lines that hide clutter. He (and Wilson) recommend using color for the cabinets and shelves that match the walls to make the built-ins less intrusive visually.

The Alexandria library has 2 copies. (They carry several other titles by him as well.)

Bohemian Modern: Living in Silver Lake by Barbara Bestor

I found this one in the used (fabulous, by the way) bookstore, Book Bank (1510 King Street).

This book features homes in the fashionable Silver Lake neighborhood in Los Angeles, with designs by famous L.A. architects.

The style is modern, but the owners put their own mark on their homes by adding their own artistic touches.

The homes weren’t staged for the photo shoot (no bowls of lemons or pears or whatever is the latest trend in that regard). I love the cartoon sketches too (and let my daughter color them in with colored pencils).

(Click thumbnails to see larger images. Comments below from left to right.)

How I wish a shared bedroom could be this clean, bright, and clutter-free.
Imagine creating this doorway on one end of a small living area. The first floor of this house is only 800 sq. ft. The large pane wall is made of a fiberglass material called Ornite, which makes the windows opaque when shut.
Nice small-room layout and ingenious use of mounted shelves and lighting underneath.
Charming art in the book.

The Alexandria library doesn’t carry this book (yet).

DIY Del Ray would love to hear what books inspire you so we can create a DIY Del Ray bibliography to go with our blog roll.

Posted by Leslie

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Posted in Favorite Finds, Interior Design

Tagged books, decor, design, home, inspiration, review, small-space