The Decorating Diva - Trends, Decor, Eco Living and Interior Design
We love everything about decorating, from picking paint colors to sewing the trim on a pillow. If it has anything to do with decorating and home beautification, you will find us in the midst of it.
Sharing our love of decorating and helping others create the homes of their dreams has been our driving mission since 2000. In 2002 our parent company C & S Innovations LLC decided to spin off a sister company of Room In A Kit LLC by launching Decorating Divas workshops. At the Decorating Divas Training Center, students learned everything from how to faux paint to how to accessorize like a professional decorator.
At each workshop, without fail a handful of students would ask about online decorating and buying resources. Sure one could find decorating information in conventional venues, you know bookstores, television, etc. As decorating junkies we all agreed TV was great, with our favorite shows being Trading Spaces and just about any decorating show on HGTV. The television shows were great for inspiration but the Decorating Divas' students needed more and preferably something they could print out and look at later. After all who takes notes while watching their favorite decorating and design show? Ok, so we do occasionally but that's not the norm. Born from those requests for online decorating and design resources came the idea for the creation of "thedecoratingdiva.com" website where decorating divas come to learn about design, style and decor.
Enjoy and Happy Decorating!
Carmen M. Natschke
Editor
The Decorating Diva LLC
Decorating Advice & News
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byThe Decorating Diva's Favorite Sites
- The Decorating Diva
- The Decorating Diva.com is a decorating blog covering the latest trends in home design, Green design, color, home decor and healthy home living, as well as, reviews of a variety of home decorating products - written by design industry insiders.
- decor8
- decor8, decorate, design tips, design blog, advice, articles, ideas, reviews on topics relating to design. accessories, furniture, stationary, graphic design, interior design, industrial design, independent artists, architecture, art, photography, tech gadgets. specializing in vintage and modern des
- Design*Sponge
- reviews, articles, features, rant and raves on all things design related. product, furniture, jewelry and graphic design. specializing in independent and local brooklyn and new york design.
- Apartment Therapy - New York
- From AT: Los AngelesOur site that covers SoCal •House Tour: Megan's Manhattan Beach Cottage •Barnacle wall storage •Atypyk Cheese Sponges •CANstruction competition
29 Sep 2006 %uFFFD 6:31 PM
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Decorating Books I Own & Love
Anyhow , I hope that my reviews and opinions help you decide which book is best suited for your home decorating needs.
Ruby & Begonia's Christmas Style
I love this book for two reasons, first it was given to me as a gift from the author Jo Packham. I met Jo in NYC at the 52nd Annual Gift & Decorative Accessories Awards Gala where both of our companies where being honored. I was honored to meet Jo because she was the person who inspired me to create the captivating visual display vignettes that earned me a spot among the best of the best in our industry.
Of course, the second reason is that this book, like all of Jo's books, is filled with beautiful inspirational photos and descriptions of stunning and unique Christmas decorating ideas. This book will definitely help stimulate your creativity and creativity is the most essential ingredient in decorating and design.
Amazon Price: $21.24 (as of 07/12/2009) 
Nina Campbell's Decorating Notebook: Insider Secrets and Decorating Ideas for Your Home
Gorgeous pictures of the author's apartment and her clients' homes fill this 176 page book. Nina's Notebook sections are used by the author to explain her design motivations behind each room's design. The author uses an idea akin to a designer's sample board and design notebook to give the reader a taste of the different decorating elements she used to create the finished room.
Amazon Price: (as of 07/12/2009)
Mary Gilliatt's Interior Design Course (Decor Best-Sellers)
This is a well organized 224 page full color design book, which is an excellent reference resource for the design professional and the aspiring interior decorator. This book provides the reader with decorating terms defined, design principles explained and images of beautifully decorated rooms are analyzed.
Amazon Price: (as of 07/12/2009)
Use What You Have Decorating : Transform Your Home in One Hour With Ten Simple Design Principles -- Using the Space You Have, the Things You Like, the Budget You Choose
I consider this book a classic and encourage my students ( specially the ones attending my "High Style/Tight Budget" workshop) to make it part of their decorating libraries. Lauri Ward proves that you can create beautiful decor with quite a bit of what you already own through careful floor and design layout planning.
Amazon Price: $11.53 (as of 07/12/2009)
Room Redux: The Home Decorating Workbook
Practical decorating advice is offered throughout the 263 pages of Room Redux. This artist illustrated book is a good basic design resource for those new to the world of decorating. Room Redux delivers on the promise of providing the reader with basic design principles. And the workbook format is also a wonderful learning tool for the do-it-herself decorator as she is actively engaged in the process.
Amazon Price: $29.95 (as of 07/12/2009)
Find Home Decor Treasures on eBay
There are many treasures to be found on eBay. The key thing to a successful "shopping expedition" is to not give up. Keep checking back often and you might just "happen" across the item you were looking for.
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by thedecoratingdiva
Carmen Natschke is an interior decorator, lecturer, freelance writer and co-founder of both roominakit.com an online home decor shop and thedecorating...
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