DIY Modern Design

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My house is typical of a house built in the 1980’s. It was filled with carpet and vinyl. A few years ago I put bamboo floors on most of the first level of the house. But it just doesn’t work to have a bamboo floor and carpeted stairs.

Staircases are hard to change. Unless you want to rip out the whole staircase and start over, there are some real limits. If you are lucky, you may have a staircase that is made with hardwood. If you steps are carpeted, however, you will probably find some rough looking wood underneath.

I was able to get a good result with a combination of bamboo and some low-nap carpet. I used the same bamboo flooring to create risers (the vertical back part of the step).

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Many people have requested more photos of the metal stair rail. It is remarkably difficult to get good pictures of a staircase, but here’s my best attempt:

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Granite is not the only valid choice for a counter top. It doesn’t make you cool or stylish. It is the mindless safe choice. There is nothing wrong with granite if you choose it because you like it; but don’t choose it because it is “the best” and expect to impress anybody.

Likewise, having all stainless steel appliances does not make you better than everyone else. Okay, stainless steel is durable and bacteria-resistant. That makes it a good counter top (as in many commercial kitchens), but why does that make your refrigerator better than mine, which is a very durable, easy to clean white — which has never shown a fingerprint. Why are stainless steel appliances high end but a stainless steel sink kind of red-neck? That’s not logic; it’s just being snobbish.

Make your own choices. Choose what you like, not what someone else tells you is good. What is this, high school?

I wanted to have a way to display photos that could be changed easily. Of course, I didn’t want a cork board or one of those puffy frilly boards with crisscross pink ribbons to hold pictures. I wanted something with a modern edge.

It was destined for a wall in the living room, the same room with the metal railing, so I opted to continue the metal look.

The solution was to use some simple galvanized sheet metal. I made two different displays: one small one and one long narrow one.

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This is a metal stair rail I made for my house. It uses electrical metal conduit, a very cheap material, to create a very nice modern look.

The old staircase was a typical wood railing with turned wooden spindles, a look that is boring, overly frilly, and not at all what I wanted for my house.

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Do you want to live surrounded by contractor white paint for the rest of your life?

Are you forever watching home improvement shows hoping for inspiration?

Perhaps you are looking for your perfect design — the design to end all designs. (Hint: if you find it, it will be out of style in a year anyway)

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I love the look of glass mosaic tile. It has such a clean, crisp feel to it. But try pricing it at your local tile store. Once you are able to stand back up and recover, you will realize that the only way to use it may be to greatly downscale the square footage you intended to cover. Glass mosaic can easily cost $40-$50 per square foot and more, depending on the style.

I found a place on line that has it much cheaper. In fact, there is a whole range of colors available for under $12 per square foot!

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I had the opportunity to interview Shannon Kaye, one of the stars of the new show Blog Cabin, which premiers this Thursday, August 16th on DIYNetwork. Shannon was one of the interior designers for the series. She also has her own show Fresh Coat also on DIYNetwork.

DIYMD: What interested you to be part of the Blog Cabin project?

SK: The concept of Blog Cabin is so innovative and intriguing; I just had to be a part of the fun! Amy Devers shines in her shows. I couldn’t wait to jump in and work with her. And, of course, the best part was reading the blog and learning about the voters’ interests and ideas. I was eager too, to see if I could meet their expectations.

DIYMD: What was your role on the project?

SK: My role on Blog Cabin was to take the voters choice for solid paint and find colors that would bring welcome warmth to the space without fighting its natural earthy elements. I implemented a few simple decorative painting techniques too because I wanted viewers to see that decorative finishes don’t have to be overwhelming or complicated. A simple touch can bring life to a surface.

DIYMD: How was the experience of building something with input from so many people?

SK: I love a creative challenge and this proved to be a good one! I had to consider their votes for paint AND every other element of the cabin. I can’t wait to see what they think!

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DIY Network will soon be premiering a new show starring Amy Devers of Freeform Furniture, about which I have previous written.

Viewers voted on the specs of a log cabin. The show is about the construction of the cabin. And you could have a chance to win it!

Here’s a small teaser of Amy enjoying some of the realities of the rural building site:

<a href=”http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/pac_ctnt_988/text/0,2829,DIY_24936_57710,00.html”>BlogCabin</a>

Look for the show on DIY network. It will be premiering Thursday, August 16th at 9 pm. Check out the show’s site www.diynetwork.com/blogcabin.

The easiest way to find out if something works is to try it. Sometimes it will work as you hoped. Sometimes it will work in a totally unexpected way. Sometimes it won’t work at all.

I am a very visual person and I can imagine a lot. But I am constantly surprised by the results when an idea leaves my mind and takes shape in reality.

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There is a great TV show on DIY Network called Freeform Furniture.

The host, Amy Devers, has a great eye for modern design and she is a master of using different materials. She has used stainless steel, plastics, laminates, leather, concrete, resins, glass tile, cork, and more.

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A guest bathroom is a great place to do something really interesting. It doesn’t have to be as practical as other bathrooms where you need to shave and brush your teeth. It is pretty easy to keep things minimal without limiting the functionality of the room.

The room is very small, so I wanted to keep things light. My solution was this bamboo column sink.

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Nine times as useful as a normal toilet paper holder!

Make this unique toilet paper holder and your guests will never run out of paper!

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This is a simple entertainment center which keeps the A/V equipment protected and out of view behind smoked glass. You can still see the display lights on the components and the components can see the remote control.

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One of the staples of good cheap modern design is to use materials in a unique way. Your local home improvement store has all sorts of materials: wood, metal, plastic, glass. They look pretty normal if you use the products the way they were intended. But they can look exotic and cool if you use the materials for an entirely different purpose.

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When you are looking for a product, it is important to look in the wrong department. If you shop the department where the product is sold, you will end up with one that looks just like everyone else’s.

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