My Design Secrets

The simple design of the Audrey Bedroom set works with many color palettes and styles. Plus, a platform bed means you don't need to buy a boxspring!

You have finally decided it’s time for some new bedroom furniture and you deserve it!  You are done with the lumpy mattress, sick of the broken drawers, and frankly you are ready to select furniture that suits YOUR style (even though the hand-me-downs were great at the time!).  So where do you go?  Well, sometimes when you shop at a furniture store that carries everything, it’s easy to get overwhelmed or distracted.  This is not the case at BedroomFurniture.com.  They specialize in, you guessed it, BEDROOM FURNITURE. 

Their site is super simple to navigate and allows you to search by the item or brand.  Their finish swatches are large and easy to see, so you know what you are getting.  They give you stock information right away PLUS you get free in-home delivery and set up.  They carry top brands like Stanley, Tommy Bahama, Lexington and Broyhill; and at great prices.  They have everything from luxurious canopy beds to bunk beds (I won’t tell the kids). 

I love the hand painted details on the Froggy Book Case. Imagination on the oustide and books on the inside.

The folks at BedroomFurniture.com would really like you to get to know them so stop by the site and have a look around.  And becasue they are so generous, they are offering this darling bookshelf to one our lucky readers.  A kid can never have too many books, but they can certainly have too many books on the floor.

Check out the hand painted details. The colors would work for a girl or boy.

Would you like to win this bookshelf for a kid you know?

To Enter Simply…

1. Visit BedroomFurniture.com and browse around.

2. Leave me one comment below telling me what item you would use to help create your Dream Bedroom.

If you are receiving this via email, go back to the site to enter.  Replies by email will not be accepted. 

One entry per person.  You have until 11:59PM EST on Tuesday, July 7th to enter.  One random winner will be chosen and announced soon after.

Are you following me on twitter?

~ Lorrie

Congratulations to our most recent giveaway winner, Jenny Gaskins!  Jenny won the Thompson’s WaterSeal prize package that was valued at more than $100!! 

As many of you know by know, I am a big fan of Thompson’s WaterSeal products.  Whether you need help with your wood deck or concrete patio, Thompson’s has got you covered! 

Thompson’s WaterSeal waterproofers protect your surfaces from the elements and provide the highest level of waterproofing protection available.  With the complete line of Thompson’s WaterSeal deck cleaners, depending on the deck’s condition and the cleaning level needed, you can choose exactly the right cleaner for the job.  Each product in the line satisfies a specific need.  Thompson’s WaterSeal Deck & House stains include their complete wood protection heritage combined with vibrant colors to keep your home looking great through every season.  Thompson’s WaterSeal Concrete Care provides a complete program to give your concrete the beauty and protection it deserves. Concrete Care provides superior products to clean, prepare, protect and beautify your concrete, masonry and stone surfaces.

Right now is the perfect time to buy Thompson’s Water Seal Wood Protectors!  Not only will you get a rebate*, but additionally, $1 per gallon will go toward Niagara Falls State Park, Yellowstone National Park and Glacier National Park.  This deal is only available until July 5th.

*Get up to $12 as a rebate by mail-in offer. $4.00 back on every gallon of Thompson’s® WaterSeal® Advanced Wood Protector or $3.00 back on every gallon of Thompson’s® WaterSeal® Waterproofer PLUS Wood Protector. Limit of 3 gallons and maximum of $12.

With the Deck Days offer, you can SAVE money on Thompson’s WaterSeal Wood Protector purchases and feel even better by helping to fund protection and preservation projects.  Now, that is a great offer!!

Have a great day! 

Lorrie

Farm Sinks are gorgeous and super practical. You can fit a roasting pan in them and when the suds overflow they don't touch your cabinets.

Quality Bath is the place to go for anything you need to create the ultimate bathroom or kitchen.  They have gorgeous tubs, sinks, vanities, faucets and accessories in the styles and finishes you need.  Whether you are going for a traditional look or crave something cutting edge, you will find it there.  Plus, they have all the creature comforts including towel warmers, steam showers and hot water dispensers.  Take it from a  designer, these are the little details that make your bathroom feel like a spa.

Inject some style into a small powder room with a vanity that has style and storage!

Take the time to relax your mind, body, and soul in a high-quality whirlpool from Quality Bath.

And I know we all like to save $$$!!  So it’s a nice bonus that there is free shipping on many of their products and no sales tax outside of NJ.

So, here’s the deal.  Quality Bath is giving away 2 Luxurious Bath Robes to two of our lucky readers.  Spa treatment, anyone? 

Would you like to win a Luxurious Bathrobe?  To Enter Simply…

1. Visit Quality Bath and browse around.

2. Leave me one comment below telling me what item you would use to help create the Ultimate Kitchen or Bath.

If you are receiving this via email, go back to the site to enter.  Replies by email will not be accepted. 

One entry per person.  You have until 11:59PM EST on Monday, June 29th to enter.  Two random winners will be chosen and announced soon after.

Are you following me on twitter?

~ Lorrie

I just wanted to take a break and check in with all my Dedicated Readers.  I don’t tell you this often enough, but I truly appreciate your wonderful suggestions and unwavering support.  As you can imagine, between my interior design business, the blog, and My Secret Database, it’s a lot of work.  Thankfully, it has become a labor of love.   Our readership has been steadily growing over the past year so we have decided that it’s time to make some upgrades to our site.

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My Secret Database

Sharing My Secret Database was the reason we started this website.   I thought that other people would benefit from being able to search through my sources by product and style and boy, was I right! 

You have created a well-worn path through My Secret Database….starting with Art and meandering into Lighting then cruising over to Furniture for a bit before you hop from Classic to Beach House and then jump to Modern.  

We are making some fabulous upgrades that will make it even simpler to find the sources that provide the products you want for your wonderful home!

Articles & My Favorite Things

We are sifting through all the great posts with an eye peeled for the super popular and tremendously helpful topics. This way we can bring you more of what you need and add some great new topics as well.  And don’t forget that suggestions are always welcome.

So please bear with me for the next few weeks as I spend some techy time behind the scenes.  I will not be posting as often but I will be checking and giving you some clues of what’s to come!

 Thank you for your patience!

~Lorrie

P.S.   At this point, I can only imagine how lovely some of your homes have become.  And remember, you are always welcome to send your photos to questions@mydesignsecrets.com.  I might just feature your home in a post.

Prefabricated houses have a long history in the United States.  In the first half of the 20th century alone, Sears, Roebuck and Co. sold more than 100,000 prefab homes.  For less than $2,500, the home buyer received a kit containing about 30,000 pieces – including everything from lumber to nails and hardware to paint and shingles — plus a book on how to construct the home. 

Since then, prefab homes have come a long way!  Personally, one of my favorite architects of prefab homes is Michelle Kaufmann.  Her firm, Michelle Kaufmann Designs, is a full service architectural design firm that specializes in sustainable, innovative, high-quality prefab homes.  Check out the following video to learn more!

Are you married to a slob?  Are your children sloppy?  Does your dog and cat spend more time on the couch than you do?  Coming home after a hard days work, would you be just as likely to find food on the floor as you would in the refrigerator?  If you have answered yes to one or more of these questions, then you need a copy of Slob Proof! Real-Life Design Solutions. 

Debbie Wiener, the book’s author, has a decorating style that is influenced by the World Wrestling Federation.  What does that mean, you ask?  In her own words… 

“My decorating style is made to survive whatever life throws at it, including incontinent pets, food fights between siblings, vomiting babies and extremely sloppy spouses (here I really mean husbands) who leave tomato sauce spots from pizza on the arms of the sofa.” 

Debbie’s basic guiding philosophy is simple- you shouldn’t have to work at keeping your home stylish and comfortable. Your home should work for you.  

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Would you like to win a copy of Slob Proof! Real Life Decorating Solutions?  To Enter Simply…

1. Visit www.slobproof.com and browse around.

2. Leave me one comment below telling me about the trials and tribulations of keeping your home clean.

If you are receiving this via email, go back to the site to enter.  Replies by email will not be accepted. 

One entry per person.  You have until 11:59PM EST on Wednesday, May 27th to enter.  One random winner will be chosen and announced soon after.

Are you following me on twitter?

~ Lorrie

One of the most compelling books that I have read in the last several years is Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things by authors William McDonough & Michael Braungart.  Guided by the principle that waste equals food, McDonough, an architect, and Braungart, a chemist, explain how products can be designed from the outset so that, after their useful lives, they will provide nourishment for something new.

Using a cherry tree as an example, they note how “wasteful” it is.  Each year it dumps a great pile of fruit and leaves on the ground to rot.  But all of this waste goes back into nature to be reborn as new trees, bacteria, and other parts of the natural ecosystem.  According to the authors, we should try to emulate this natural system instead of replicating the “cradle to grave” model that has been so popular since the onset of the Industrial Revolution.

The following video, which I highly encourage you take the time to watch, has William McDonough asking what our buildings and products would look like if designers took into account “all children, all species, for all time.” 
 

It is nice to know that there are forward thinking companies that have already instituted the cradle to cradle design philosophy.  Take a look at these beautiful pillows from LoooLo Textiles.

Every pillow or blanket  the company makes uses hand and machine knit biodegradable textiles.  You can even throw them in your composter at the end of their useful lives and they will biodegrade within one year.  That is truly eco-friendly!

Are you following me on twitter?

~ Lorrie

Have you grown tired of your living room decor?  Would you like to start with a fresh new look that doesn’t break the bank?  An interior redesign, which involves using your existing furnishings and accessories for the design, may be just the thing for you!  With a little creativity and some elbow grease, you can transform the look of your living room in less than one day, on less than one dollar.

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Are you following me on twitter?  You should be!

~ Lorrie

You do not have to be an aficionado of the  Arts and Crafts Movement to appreciate a Craftsman Style home.  The deep porch with distinctive square pillars and the gently sloping roof welcome you to the front door.  Once inside the family friendly home, you will marvel at the exposed interior beams and the built-in cabinets along with the Arts and Crafts style light fixtures.  It is evident that the crafts-persons who built these beautiful homes took pride in their handiwork.  And personally, it’s one of my favorites! 

SHED CHIC

Outdoor Buildings for Work, Rest, and Play

By Sally Coulthard 

The whimsical.  Like a treehouse, everyone is enchanted by the idea of having a garden shed-one’s very own private retreat.  Whether a room of one’s own for quiet, much needed “personal” time away from the family, a hobbyist’s den, or an extra play space for the children, these picturesque structures can accommodate any purpose.

The shed-that charming cottage-like outbuilding-is coming into its own, and this detailed and wonderfully illustrated guide will inspire anyone interested in adding a shed to their home or redecorating an existing one with its vast array of design ideas.  Whether you want a personal getaway, a studio for creative endeavors, a home office, or a traditional potting shed, this book is sure to inspire with details about planning, building, and decorating sheds.

Included are a series of sample cases highlighting the multiple uses possible along with wonderful interior and exterior photographs.

Would you like to win a copy of Shed Chic?  Simply follow the directions…

1. Visit My Secret Database and surf around. 
2. How can the database be improved?  (In our efforts to improve the site, could you please take 5 minutes to look around the database?  Please provide a thoughtful answer.  We value your input and appreciate your time. Thank you!!)
3. To enter, type your answer in the comments section below.  If you are receiving this via email, go back to the site to enter.  Replies by email will not be accepted. 

One entry per person.  You have until 11:59PM EST on Wednesday, May 20th to enter.  We will pick a winner soon after.

Are you following me on twitter?  You should be!

~ Lorrie