Image from House Beautiful

To avoid headache & achieve precision, hire a professional art installer to hang art & mirrors in your home.  Large scaled and heavier pieces can sometimes require special hardware to hang properly.  Professional installers usuually charge by the hour.   To make it worthwhile, be organized & have several pieces that need to be hung throughout your home.

First Saturdays in Celina warehouse sales will resume THIS Saturday!  Get ready to load up because our warehouse is packed with loads of goodies!  This is the sale that all of your friends & neighbors talk about!  Furniture, art, rugs, accessories & more all up to 90% off.  If you’re decorating on a tight budget, this is certainly a great way to get name brand furniture & accessories at amazing prices.

Details:
When:  Saturday, February 6, 2010
Where: IBB’s Celina Warehouse
200 S. Louisiana
Celina, TX 75009
Time:  10:00-4:00

We are officially extending the deadline for the Sony Handycam giveaway.  Due to the technical difficulties we had on the blog last week (while incorporating some new features & updates), I thought it was only fair to extend the opportunity to win the video camera.  So, good news ~ you still have a chance to win!

For all of the details on how to win, click here.

The drawing for the winner will now take place on Tuesday, February 9th at 5:00 PM.

Good luck everyone!

You may have noticed that we had some technical difficulties over the past few days on the blog.  We are in the process of updating & making a few changes to make your experience on the Designer Detective blog better & more interactive.  Don’t be bummed my decor devotees, I have lots of great updates & fun stuff in store for you this week.   I will also be re-posting last week’s content!  I appreciate your patience while we work out a few kinks.  Thank you!

If you’re looking for that special something to liven up your decor, a fabulous chair or pair of chairs can easily do the trick!  I recently highlighted my top 5 favorite chairs of the moment for Good Morning Texas.

Watch the video here.

Favorite Chair #1

This leather & hair on hide upholstered chair with antique brass nailhead trim would work wonderfully in a study featuring a rich warm brown color palette.

Favorite Chair #2

I LOVE this jewel tone beauty from John Richard!  The rich colors paired with gold leaf detail make this chair such a luxurious treat!  This has been a very popular chair at IBB.

Favorite Chair #3

Now, you all know that I am a sucker when it comes to a fabulous piece featuring eglomise!  So, it’s no wonder this stylish number (again from John Richard) made my list of faves!

Favorite Chair #4

The color of the year for 2010 is turquoise, but how about a richer deep teal for a pop of color?  Use these comfy chairs to add style to a family room, study or swanky sitting area.

The embroidered branch pattern on this Sherrill chair is to die for!  We contrasted the outside of the frame with a sumptuous chocolate brown velvet & then added some additional eye candy by using polished nickel nail head trim to finish off the look.

**All of the above chairs are available at IBB Design Furniture Showroom**

It’s time for a make-over!  It’s a mini project for me.  I’ve finally had it!   My office at IBB is in major need of some TLC.  You see, we’ve been at our current location for more than five years now.  I was pregnant with my daughter & super busy at the time of the move, so I decided to put the task of “officially” designing my office space off for a later date.  Well, five years later, things are still super busy around here (Praise God!)  & my walls are still bare (with the exception of a print of the new studios I was given when I started at Good Morning Texas).  My desk chair is oh-so-comfy, but a MAJOR eye sore!  My guest chairs for clients & other business guests are pretty, but they’re just not me.

Last weekend while I was up here working on a client project, I finally reached my boiling point.  Part of creating inspiring interiors, I believe, is surrounding ourselves with things we find inspiring.  My office, where I spend a great deal of time each day, falls very short of awe inspiring.

I whipped out some fabric books & my Benjamin Moore paint deck & picked out some fabulosity for my new digs.  I wanted something fun, girly, young & hip.  I will be using hints of fuschia (because I love pink & I think my fiance would kill me if I ever tried to use pink in the home we’ll soon be sharing!)  I’ll be re-covering my desk chair & the guest chairs, painting the walls, adding some art & lighting & switching out the big bulky armoire for a sleek mirrored console.  I’ll be keeping my desk unit (even though I probably should eventually update that too) because I love it’s functionality & quite frankly I just don’t want to spend the money right now.  I’ll be tackling this in stages (in my spare time:  note to self; find spare time! ~ LOL!) so I will post the after pictures when it’s complete.  For now,  check out the color palette as well as some before photos below.

These are the fabrics I’ve selected.  Since you haven’t heard me shut up about my excitement that turquoise is the 2010 color of the year, are you even surprised that I’d be using it in my own surroundings?  I’m contrasting it with the rich midnight blue velvet.  I’ll be pulling in hints of my favorite color pink through the fuchsia in the stripe fabric as well as some accessories.  I”ll show you & explain where everything is going in the After post when the room is complete.  Gotta let the reveal be a surprise…

Desk Unit before

Desk chair before
I know, I know.  Hideous, right?  I use that cozy turquoise throw everyday ( It’s always so dang cold in my office! ), but it actually helps disguise my ugly desk chair too ~ LOL!

My chunky clunky armoire is getting the boot.  It’s really just serving as a storage unit for JUNK!  Hasta la vista baby!

This shows off the wall color before.  I’ll be changing it to a bright white for a cheery update and to bring some life into my office.  I have no windows in here, so I’m ready for a light bright feel.  As of now, I’ve selected Benjamin Moore white dove.  I’ll be painting a test sample this weekend.

I’ll be recovering these chairs & adding some cool detailing to give them a fun playful update.

If I’m feeling a little frisky, I will probably chronicle this makeover via twitter, so make sure you follow me here.

Greetings design lovers!  It’s still winter time & there’s nothing better than a cozy environment during the cold winter months.  Today on Good Morning Texas, I gave a few pointers to help you create a warm interior for your home.  I showcased a yummy sofa from Century in a leather/fabric combination, a rustic (yet sleek) coffee table from Henredon, & two different chair options to help bring the look together.  The whole setting makes me want to escape to the mountains in Aspen or Vail!

Click Here to watch the segment.

Have a fabulous & cozy weekend everyone!

I found this recipe on the Food Network’s website & it’s on the menu tonight at our house…

Ingredients

2 pounds ground chicken, coarsely ground preferred
3 tablespoons chili powder, plus 2 teaspoons
1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15-ounce) can white beans, drained and rinsed
2 (28-ounce) cans diced fire roasted tomatoes
1 medium sweet potato (about 10 ounces), peeled and shredded
1 (15-ounce) can low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup instant tapioca (recommended: Minute tapioca)
1 to 2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce with seeds, chopped
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon onion powder
2 teaspoons granulated garlic
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch ground cloves
1/2 to 3/4 cup lager-style beer, optional
Toppings: Sour cream, shredded Cheddar or Jack cheese, chopped scallions, and chopped pickled jalapenos

**Note:  I’m taking out the chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (only because we didn’t have any) & I’ll be using Blue Moon for the beer (because that’s what we had!)  The tapioca sounds a little crazy to me, but we’re gonna give it a try…**

Directions

Put the chicken in the slow cooker. Add 3 tablespoons of the chili powder and all the rest of the ingredients, except the beer. Stir everything together, cover, and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours.

Just before serving, stir in the remaining 2 teaspoons of chili powder, the beer, if using, and season with more salt and pepper, to taste, if desired. Divide the chili among warm bowls. Serve with the topping of your choice.

Know-How: Stirring in chili powder right before serving brightens the flavor of the chili.

Copyright (c) 2007 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved.

Remember, my 2 P’s tip to instantly update your home?  Paint & Pillows!  Well, I just have to share this new pillow line I came across last week at the Dallas Market.  It’s called Square Feathers.  The hand sewn works of art are made from high quality linen, jute & fleece.  Ron’s signature design is the unexpected combination of jute & fleece.

I had the pleasure of chatting with the very charming creative force behind these fabulous pillows, Ron McIntyre.  What’s even better is that he’s a Texas boy ~ located in the heart of Austin, Texas.  I put him on the spot & had him record a quick video tip for using his pillows for all of my readers to enjoy.

Ron even has an amazing coffee table book out full of eye candy for the pillow lovers.  You can get it on Amazon here.  His collection is vibrant & very chic.  He has even implemented the ever so popular bird trend into a few of his designs.  Take a look at some of his marvelous masterpieces & let me know what you think.

Vibrant Rose bud pillows from Square Feathers liven up a white chaise lounge.  Notice Ron’s fab coffee table book at the edge of the chaise.

One of the most popular pillows from Square Feathers is their monogram pillow shown in the upper left of the photo.  The collection also offers designs featuring kid friendly designs incorporating puppies & fun frogs.  This wall also showcases some of my favs including the floral & cherry blossom designs.

My guest bedroom at my house has a Parisian flair, so I know exactly where I could use the Eiffel Tower pillow.  The pillow next to it reminds me of Audrey Hepburn & who doesn’t love her???  The bottom shelf features the Rose Bud pillow in a cool blue with contrasting neutral khaki rose buds.  Switch out the rose buds to one of the 15 colors offered to compliment any color palette!

It’s time for another giveaway for my fabulous readers!  In honor of my recent upgrade to feature more video for the Designer Detective readers,  I am giving away a video camera!  You could be the lucky winner of this Sony Handycam video recorder.  Capture all of your precious memories on video!

* Hi8 Handycam camcorder with 320,000-pixel CCD

* 20x optical zoom lens (digital zoom to 990x) with manual focus and image stabilizer

* 2.5-inch rotating LCD and black-and-white viewfinder

* Low-light recording settings and built-in white LED light

* NP-FM30 InfoLithium Rechargeable Battery

To enter, simply leave comments anywhere on the Designer Detective blog between now & Tuesday, February 2nd.  How easy is that?  Please keep your comments “content focused”.    Join in the fun & the design conversations.  Whether you’re a design novice,  professional, or simply a blog lover your design comments are welcomed!  Tacky, tasteless, or inappropriate non-content focused comments are frowned upon & will not be considered in the drawing (so sorry to even have to mention that, but unfortunately there are a few crazies out there on the world wide web & the intent of the giveaway is to reward a lucky reader).  Make sure a valid e-mail is posted along with your comment.  I will be contacting the winner via e-mail to obtain shipping information for the Sony Handycam.  One entry per valid e-mail.  All vaild e-mails will be put into a drawing to select the winner.  Entries will be accepted until 5:00 PM Central time on Tuesday, February 2nd when the winner will be selected.  Good luck!