One of the topics that I write about weekly (twice-weekly actually) is interior design. I try to come up with creative ideas for home design which I write about in picture-rich ideabooks over at Houzz.com. Houzz is a good site where you can sign up to collect pictures of projects that you might want to do (and you can add notes to yourself or others in text if you want).

I’ve made a whole lot of different collections through the site. I like exploring all different areas of home decorating. I’m always changing up my own house. Lately I seem to be following a new theme though – a theme of making your home fun. Two of my recent ideabooks were on using polka dots and making your home feel Hawaiian.

I think that this is a sign that I want to do something more fun with my home. I’ve made the bathroom and kitchen pretty fun. The bathroom is a flirty style and the kitchen is a retro look. Now I’ve got to move on to the rest of the apartment. I’m a little more stuck there as to what I want to do. I know that I want it to be colorful but I’m just not sure how colorful or in what style. I’ve got some thinking to do!

Tags: decorating, fun design, houzz, Interior Design

As you might know if you read this blog regularly, I’ve been putting together ideabooks on different home decor topics over at Houzz.com. I thought I’d share the links to some of my favorite ideabooks in case you have an interest in this topic.

Links to the best ideabooks I’ve written:

• Sophisticated and Fun: Good Design Can Be Both
• How to Add a Jacuzzi to your Home
• Home Design for the TwentySomething Person
• Save Old Furniture with Bohemian Chic Decor
• Awesome Stairway Ideas

Links to some of the best ideabooks by other Houzz authors:

• Not Exactly Roughing It: Fancy Camping by Kit Pollard
• Workspaces that Stimulate Creativity by txranchgirl
• Favorite Front Porches by Becky
• Decorative Bedding Done Right by Rachel_M
• Warm Up to Fireplaces by jerrifarris

Does anyone else use Houzz? Share your Houzz URL in the comments.

Tags: home, houzz, Interior Design, Link Love

I used to really enjoy taking baths. After all, settling down into a hot bath filled with bubbles is a great way to relax at the end of the day. Add some candles and a book to read and you’ve got an idyllic evening. However, I almost never take baths anymore. The reason is because I really don’t like my bathtub.

Some of the reasons I’m averse to bathing in my tub include:

• It’s too small. I’m a small girl but I still like getting lost in a big tub. Mine’s just a bit cramped. A deep clawfoot tub would be so much better. (See some cool clawfoot tubs here.)
• The water doesn’t stay warm long enough. My hot water runs out too quickly in this building so I can’t fill a full tub with hot water; it gets lukewarm before it’s done filling up.
• The shower head leaks. When only the tub water is going, the shower head spits water out at me so it’s not very comfortable to get in the tub when the bath is still filling up.
• The tub gets dirty too fast. I try to keep it clean but I swear this tub attracts dirt like no other. It’s not appealing to take a bath in a tub that’s no sparkling clean.

Someday I’m going to have a better bathroom. I’m going to have a really cool shower with dual shower heads. And I’m going to have a separate whirlpool tub!

Tags: clawfoot tub, houzz, Interior Design, kathryn vercillo, tubs

My kid sister has a really cool talent of making her own decorative pillows. She embroiders the fabric with designs that never fail to impress me. (She once did Starry Night on a pillow by hand.) I think that the pillows come out really gorgeous and mentioned that she should try selling them to make some extra cash. This got us to start looking at pillows that are for sale online. What we learned is that there are some people out there making a pretty penny by selling pillows that are rather pricey.

Here’s a look at 5 expensive pillows we came across:

1. Eiderdown Pillows by St. Geneve. These pillows are supposed to be really comfortable and really healthy for you. I would hope so since they sell for over $2000 each!
2. Silk Aubusson Pillows. These pillows are nice. They’re made from silk. They’re handmade. They have pretty designs on them. But are they worth $500 – $1000 dollars each?
3. Lessage Silk Pillows. Silk pillows with pretty designs are apparently a popular choice among people who like expensive pillows. These ones go for around $500 each for a decorative square pillow.
4. Egret Velvet Pillow. There’s a pillow maker called Dransfield & Ross that puts out a bunch of pricey pillows. One example is this red velvet pillow decorated with an egret. It’s about $500.
5. Snoozer Pillows. These are ergonomically designed pillows that are supposed to help people with back problems and discomfort related to pregnancy. If they really work then maybe they’re worth the price which is in the $100 – $200 range.

I happen to think that a pillow’s value lies just as much in how it decorates the room as it does in how comfy the pillow is. And I think you can get pretty pillows for a lot cheaper than some of these go for! How much money would you pay for a good pillow?

Tags: decorating, expensive pillows, home accessories, houzz, Interior Design, kathryn vercillo, pillows

I’ve lived on my own (or with various roommates) off and on for more than ten years. I’ve moved a few times and rearranged my bedroom a few times more than that. I think I’ve finally figured out how to create a bedroom that is truly ideal for a single woman.

Here are the five key features of a great bedroom for a single gal:

1. It feels safe. I think it’s really important for single women to feel safe in their beds (especially if they live alone!) Safety could mean lots of pillows to cuddle up with or windows that lock or lights that are easy to reach from the bed. It means different things to different women but I think it’s always important.
2. It’s pretty. I like having a bedroom that’s pretty. My definition of pretty has changed over the years and grown up a bit over time (or at least I’d like to think so) but I’ve always tried to pretty up my bedroom in some way.
3. It’s also comfortable. Pretty and safe are important features but mostly the room has to be comfortable. It has to have good energy. The bed has to be comfy. It’s the place where you spend at least eight hours of each day if not more so it should be a place where every seat feels totally comfortable.
4. It serves multiple functions. Almost all of my bedrooms have served multiple functions (especially when living with roommates). Most often, it’s been a bedroom as well as a library and office. It’s also usually had a sofa in it that people could sleep on if they stayed over.
5. It’s up to date. I don’t mean that my bedroom has to have trendy furniture and modern art. Instead, I mean that it needs to be up to date with me. My bedrooms always reflect my current passions, moods and beliefs. I think that this is important.

What do you think are the most important features of a bedroom for a woman who lives alone?

Tags: bedroom, decorating, houzz, Interior Design, kathryn vercillo, rooms, single, women

My dad recently re-did the floors at my sister’s house. Dad is a custom woodworker who also does urban harvesting and sells that wood to others. He had a bunch of extra wood because of this and was able to use this reclaimed wood to create my sister’s new floors (as well as a really great new wooden door for the front of their home). The new floors themselves are such a work of art that they dramatically altered the style and mood of the house.

This got me thinking about how floors can be used as fifth walls to really shape their space. A truly wonderful floor can be a style foundation for the home. Bold rugs, painted floors, unique tile options and the placement of large sculptures directly on floors are all ways that you can start to use a floor as the canvas for a room’s design.

I’m not sure yet what this means for my own home. I live in an apartment that already has wood floors. They’re nice but they need to be cleaned up. Plus I think that they need a bit more than just their own selves to be truly beautiful. Perhaps some rugs? Maybe some art propped against the walls to bring the eye down to floor level? I’m not sure yet but I’m hoping to figure it out. Or to at least have fun trying!

Tags: decor, design, floor, hardwood floor, home, houzz, Interior Design, kathryn vercillo, style

I was just compiling pictures of canopy beds for a design article over at Houzz.com. I’ve never had a canopy bed but I used to really want one when I was younger. I can think of a few reasons that I’d still like to get a canopy bed.

Canopy beds seem great because:

• They’re playful. They just look like a lot of fun. Entering a room that has one feels exciting!
• They create a safe place. If you have to spend the night alone then it’s nice to get all tucked in. A canopy bed enhances that.
• They’re romantic. If you’re not spending the night alone then the flirty enclosure of a canopy bed could help set the mood.
• They’re private. If you have to share a room with others then a canopy bed could be a great way to shut them out when you’re ready to sleep.

Although I don’t have one, I can see some great reasons to get a canopy bed. Do you agree?

Tags: bedroom, bedroom design, beds, canopy beds, decor, design, houzz, Interior Design

One of the easiest ways to start being green is to re-use items instead of trashing them or even recycling them. This is great not only because it reduces waste but it also encourages you to start thinking more creatively about the stuff that you already have in your home. If you’re looking to revamp your rooms then turning your eyes towards the bohemian chic style of decorating could be a great way to start re-using some of the old stuff that you’ve got.

The basic idea behind bohemian chic decorating is that you have the ability to combine the eclectic old stuff that you already have with some modern touches to create a space that is lovely and fascinating. If you have several pieces of old furniture then you are ready to get started. If you also happen to have plush fabrics and curtains to add to the mix then you’re well on your way to redecorating without spending a dime.

Most of us just aren’t sure how to incorporate our old pieces of furniture into a room without it looking like junk. The trick seems to be to layer up with textures – fabric throws, scarves draped about, colorful pillows, wallpaper. Try to stick to a similar color scheme with these things and you can bring the look of the room together even though it’s filled with disparate old pieces.

Tags: bohemian chic, decor, decorating, houzz, Interior Design, kathryn vercillo

I have lived and stayed in a variety of different types of housing. This includes rural, urban and suburban homes in various parts of the country. It includes big houses, small houses and apartments. And what I find is that I’m comfortable in all types of different homes but that there must be decen natural sunlight in whatever place I’m staying in for me to like it.

I’m lucky because the place that I’m in now gets great sun all throughout the day and that’s really special in a place as foggy as San Francisco. One of the major reasons that I haven’t thought seriously about moving to a new apartment is because there aren’t too many places in my price range here that get great natural sunlight.

I was recently daydreaming about getting even better sunlight as I looked through design photos of skylights. I’ve got someone above me in the apartment here so I’m not going to be getting a skylight anytime soon but I do definitely like them. Bathrooms and kitchens in particular are places that I think should have skylights.

What do you think? Do you like skylights and big windows or are you a drawn-curtains kind of person?

Tags: decor, home, houzz, Interior Design, lighting, skylights

I’ve just been writing about eclectic wall art displays over at Houzz.com where I frequently collect photos of different interior design themes that I’m interested in. I love the idea of creating entire wall displays of art that doesn’t necessarily go together but that’s made to look right together because of the way its hung, framed or complimented by the room’s furniture. The overall look ends up being one that is truly better than the sum of its parts.

I have something like this going on in my house although I’m still working on making it look just right. There are three different art displays that I’m toying around with:

1. Pinup art display. I have French doors between my bedroom and living room. Each of the doors has ten glass panels that needed to be covered up to give my room some privacy. I created a display of pin-up girl artistic prints. To tie it together, I chose a stencil of a flower and printed it on pink and grey paper to add to the display. The other art and the furniture in the room incorporates these colors as well. This is the section I’ve done the best with in terms of completing the look.
2. Postcard art on my door. I have another bedroom door that has different panels on it as well. I’ve added a couple dozen postcards to it. These are very colorful pictures that have a sort of magical theme to them although the images and designs are different on all of them. The symmetry of the layout seems to make it work well.
3. Painted magazine images. I’m working on a new series for the section over my desk. I’m taking bold images of people in magazines and pasting them on to canvas. Then I’m painting around and on the images with bright colors. These are all different sizes and I’m not happy with how it’s worked out so far but I like the individual pieces so I think I can make it work.

In addition to this, I do collage art that I hang haphazardly in my art room and it’s kind of got its own theme to the display.

Tags: art, collage, decor, eclectic, houzz, Interior Design, kathryn vercillo, wall art