HOW-TO-VIDEO: How to make water change color for flower arrangements

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Cathy Hobbs, changing color of water, Design Recipes, design star, floral ideas, Floral Tips, flower tips, hgtv, how to make water change color for flower arrangements, Kenji Takenaka, master florist

HOW TO VIDEO:  How to make water change color for flower arrangements

WELCOME BACK TO FLOWER POWER FRIDAY!

Hi everyone, as the owner of the NYC based interior design firm, Cathy Hobbs Design Recipes each Friday,  Kenji Takenaka Floral artist and Master Designer at Noir Hanna International and I come together for what we call FRIDAY FLOWER POWER! Each week we not only provide step by step instructions for creating dynamic floral arrangements we also provide a corresponding How To Video!

This Weeks’ Topic:

How to make water change color for flower arrangements

When it comes to floral arrangements changing the color of the water in your arrangement is one way to not only make it stand out but to also make it more customized to your own taste and décor.  But what is the best way to achieve this look?

Yes.. this can be as simple as adding food coloring but another method is to use watercolor..

 STEP  1: Begin with several clear glass vases filled with water. We use Dr. Ph. Martin’s water color, which you can find at any art supply store.  Be sure to get the “radiant” concentrated water color.  We like it because it’s very vibrant, and there are hundreds of colors, so you can pick the one you like best.

STEP 2: Add 2-3 drops into the water and stir.  

STEP 3: Make a bouquet that matches the color of the water.

STEP 4: And finally, add a satin ribbon in the same color to create a vibrant, colorful and unique arrangement.

The result …a creative touch that you can add to any floral arrangement to create a colorful and unique bouquet!

The completed floral arrangements highlighted by the creative touch of colored water

Gorgeous!

The “secret” ingredient! Vibrant Dr. Martin’s Watercolor

CLICK HERE TO BUY!

http://www.docmartins.com/

contact info:

interior designer cathy hobbs

Cathy Hobbs Design recipes http://www.cathyhobbs.com

master florist kenji takenaka

noir hanna international http://www.noirhanna.com

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Thursday’s Travel To Design! On Location in Istanbul, Turkey!

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Cathy Hobbs, Design Turkey, Interior Design, International Interior Design, Istanbul, Turkey, Turkish Design, Turkish Interior Design

TRAVEL TO DESIGN: ON LOCATION IN TURKEY!

Turkey is one of those wonderful places that is truly mysterious and engaging at the same time. Istanbul itself is a divided city in which depending on where you travel, one can have a different experience.
The popular, and typically spot on Lonely Planet Travel Guide does a great job describing just what this means.  http://www.timeout.com/istanbul/features/304/istanbul-area-guide

Interior Designer Cathy Hobbs in front of Turkey’s Blue Mosque

If you are looking for creative, in some cases over the top design this is the place. The awe inspiring Blue Mosque is a must do, in fact I traveled to Turkey in the summer of 2002 on my way to Greece just to see it.

 Let’s talk interior design!

Turkey has for decades been known for it’s vibrant rug trade.  When it comes to quality selection and price, Turkey is hard to beat.  One caution, know what you are looking for and have some knowledge of rugs, for example even the basics such as hand knotted vs machine made products is helpful. EVERYONE in Turkey is talking about rugs, so finding a place to buy one won’t be a challenge and if I must say there is truly a lot of beauty to be found under foot!

Superb craftsmanship is a big part of what you will find when purchasing a rug in Turkey

Finding quality rugs won’t be a challenge, as rugs are in abundance. Just know what you are looking for and go armed with a basic knowledge of rugs.

As I mentioned I visited this beautiful country in 2002.  Since then, I am proud to see an emerging furniture market in Turkey. In fact there is an entire organization now promoting Turkish made furniture.  Click this link to learn more: http://www.turkey-furniture.net/

Turkish made furniture

In addition to an influx of furniture into what has been a dominant rug industry, there have been a host of major hotel groups that have opened hotels here with a distinct hip vibe that blends Western aesthetics with traditional Turkish themed accents.

W Istanbul

W Istanbul

W Istanbul

As far as what to buy here, both relating to home decor and beyond, the bazaar is not to be missed! Needless to say there are numerous boutiques and small shops in which one can buy reasonably priced, one of a kind items to bring home.

A typical turkish bowl

Looking for a list of local shops? LOVE THIS LIST FROM HOUSE BEAUTIFUL!

LIST OF GREAT PLACES TO SHOP FOR HOME FURNISHINGS IN ISTANBUL, TURKEY

http://www.housebeautiful.com/shopping/best-stores/istanbul-shopping#slide-1

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Cathy’s Home Staging Secrets: Living Area

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ASID, Cathy Hobbs, decor, design, Design Recipes, DIY, effortless, Home Stager, Home Staging, Interior Design, living room, netural, secret, style, tip

Wednesday brings us to another week and I’m so excited to reveal one of my personal home stagings! I think the living room is one of the best places to remodel or redesign if you are limiting yourself to certain areas. One reason is because it is typically the most visible area, so it makes the most sense to invest money (if needed) here.

This living room breathes effortlessly because of how open it is and how clean the lines are. Keeping furniture neutral or one color makes a huge difference. This white sofa is in the middle of the room but your eyes are drawn to the small yet colorful pieces surrounding it. This keeps the feel simple yet smooth. If it were a brightly colored or patterned piece, your eyes would be drawn to so many different parts of the room. Very distracting.

As we can see, there are really only two colors used. The light green and the deep red. As we all know, red and green are complementary colors so they work well in this room together. By having two colors, you can pull in accent pieces that reflect one or both of the colors. The pillows on the two side chairs pull in the red from the vase and couch pillows nicely.

Once you have your staple pieces set in neutral tones (the couch and side chairs) it is easy to restyle or redesign your room or space. You can swap out accent pillows and décor effortlessly to match your mood or desired look!

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Cathy’s Tuesday Tip: Dining/Kitchen Area Inspiration

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affordable, budget, Cathy Hobbs, Design Recipes, dining, ikea, kitchen

Kitchen and dining areas are some of my favorite spaces and give off such great energy when decorated properly! Decorating well doesn’t cost a fortune either. I’ve pulled together some wonderful, basic kitchen essentials from Ikea that double in function. They can be used to serve food and they also look beautiful alone!

Serving Bowl | So pretty and simple. Use for a great salad or side dish when hosting a party or store fruits and vegetables when on display!

Vase | This vase can be doubled as a water pitcher or a means for displaying your favorite fresh cut blooms. Hello Spring!

Cake Stand | Cake stands are so beautiful and versatile. Use it in your bedroom to store jewelry, fragrances, etc. Keep it in the kitchen and arrange candles on it for your family (or self!) to enjoy.

Design Recipes Feature!

Check out this fabulous kitchen that I’ve styled, decorated, and made accessible to you!

If you’re interested in getting the recipe on how to create a room like this one, please check out my Design Recipes! I’ve redesigned my website and I’m excited for you to check it out. Each Design Recipe is only $3.00! Talk about affordable.

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Project of the Week: Transforming a traditional Amish Shed into a Modern Studio

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Affordable Design, Affordable studio, Amish Shed, Cathy Hobbs, Interior Design, pre-built studio, Pre-fab house, Pre-fab studio, tiny house

Hi everyone and welcome back to our project of the week!

Project of the week: transforming an amish shed into a modern studio

If you have been following this blog then you know that over the last month — I have taken on the unconventional design project of creating a modern studio from a traditional amish shed. What I now realize I have taken on the task of creating a “tiny house” that is essentially a pre-fab structure.  Because of zoning rules and regulations I can not install a bathroom or have plumbing but I can certainly design a space with lots of light and high ceilings!

Pressed for time and realizing traditional CAD drawings are not required in order to build…I roughed out some very “rough” sketches to pass along to the shed manufacturer GreenTree Structures of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Here they are! Be sure to return to the blog next week when we select a contractor to transform our shed into a beautiful studio!

basic design drawings:

Front Exterior Elevation (including notes to my assistant)

East Exterior Elevation (LOVE the idea of a sliding glass door PLUS a transom above — creating almost an entire wall of light)

Back Exterior Elevation (This is the back of the structure — this will be a dormer off the back similar to the photo below so we have light coming into the structure from all four sides)

Amish Shed inspiration for my modern studio

West Exterior Elevation (This will actually face the forest and will be internally a wall that will be used for a desk and work space — the transom will be above allowing for the illusion of a window!)

Long Front Elevation (interior) — This long interior elevation really shows how the front of the structure will have (4) windows — there won’t be much wall space for artwork (what a shame) but there will certainly be lots of light (which is great!)

 

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Cathy’s Spring Flowers and their Vases

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Cathy Hobbs, Floral Tips, Flower design, flower ideas

April showers bring May flowers! Well Spring is already in full bloom, and I can’t wait to see what May brings! I wanted to do a quick feature on some inspiring pictures I’ve seen this week. Displaying flowers is one of the easiest and quickest ways to decorate. There will always be color, life, and freshness in your room if you have freshly cut blooms!

The two images of vases I chose to highlight were from Ikea and Jonathan Adler. I love both of them and they have great unique functions. I love the Ikea ones because they are affordable, adaptable, and simple. They can be kept in groups of three or used alone like the image to the right featuring pale pink peonies.

The Jonathan Adler vase is a little bit more of a display piece. Keep the flowers simple and minimal with a vase like this. A few tall stems will really accentuate the vase and bring the focus point together.

New York City is blooming with life right now! Have you taken some fabulous pictures yourself? I’d love to see them! Tag me @cathyhobbs and @designrecipes on Twitter or find me on Instagram at @designrecipes!

What are your favorite flowers? What is your favorite way of displaying them?

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Home Staging Secrets: Teen Bedroom

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Cathy Hobbs, class, Design Recipes, DIY, Home Staging, Interior Design, LOS ANGELES, redesign, teen bedroom, teenage, tips

So as you all know, I’m a home staging expert and I teach classes across the United States! If you would like more information about when and where my next class is, please take a look at my newly redesigned website! Every Wednesday I’ll be sharing photos and tips from home stagings that I have personally done my self and ones from my students.

This week, we’re going to take a look at one of my students who home staged a teen bedroom in Los Angeles!

The tricky thing with teen bedrooms is that the span of “teenage” years is quite long! This means your teen is likely to change his or her opinions, thoughts, likes, etc frequently as well. This is their time of development and you would have to agree that you grow an immense amount from when you are 13 years old to when you are 19!

Problem Area One: Stuffed animals can be of sentimental value but more than likely, they just get left on the shelves because you forget to store them! Once your teen doesn’t actually have as strong of a a tie with them or they are just maturing, it’s best to put them in a box and either store them in a basement, attic or closet! You aren’t throwing them away, you are just tidying up the room and making it feel more adult-like. Check out the difference it makes!

The display of books, candles or any other things that your teen likes makes it feel more sophisticated and mature.

Problem Area Two: While the bedding in this photo isn’t too different from the after photo (see below), the choice of pillows and placement makes a big difference. This seems a little thrown together, there are many colors, and again the stuffed animals on the rocking chair add a kiddish feel. They also swapped out the artwork to make it feel more modern and grown-up. Take a look at how my students decided to redo the room!

Not too much has been changed as you can tell! I love that because that means that you can implement similar strategies in your home without buying tons of new items or going crazy with painting/redecorating! They kept one of the toss pillows on the bed, angling it to provide symmetry. The bed is also much more kempt giving it a polished feel. No stuffed animals and a modern piece of art. Voilà!

These great neutral paint colors from Mythic Paint are great options for a teen bedroom as they will mold to whatever preference or taste your teen has throughout the years! Mythic Paint is human, pet, and eco-friendly!

I hope you’ve found these home staging tips to be helpful. Please visit my new website and find other great home staging and interior design tips as well as my Design Recipes!

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Cathy’s Tuesday Tip: Wooden Accents

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Cathy Hobbs, designing with wood, ideas with wood, teak, walnut, wood ideas

I’m back with another Tuesday Tip!

One of my favorite things about nature is the beauty of trees and wood. Incorporating wooden accents into your home can make it feel cozy, natural, and rustic. Wood can fit into any environment so take these tips and see how you can liven up your living areas!

Be creative! Using this wooden ladder to display guest towels is a beautiful way to bring in nature. Not only is it practical it’s also sleek enough to fit into any mood or atmosphere.

Side tables… No matter whether your house is modern or classic, using side tables like these add more character to your home and will definitely set you apart from your neighbors. It is sleek enough to be modern, but looks so beautiful and like it was taken right from a forest!

Click here to purchase it!

Lamps… Having a lamp with a wooden structure really impacts the way the light brightens up your room. Because lamps often become a focal point it’s great to pull in fascinating features to highlight that piece even more. Check out this beautiful light fixtures that works in all types of homes-it is from West Elm! Lovely!

I hope you’ve thoroughly enjoyed this Tuesday Tip! Stay tuned for tomorrow’s Home Staging Secret! Tell me – How do you incorporate wood into your home?

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Project of The Week: Creating a Modern Studio from an Amish Shed

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amish built shed, Amish Shed, amish structure, budget design, Cathy Hobbs, duratemp, Interior Design, PENNSYLVANIA

I am totally thrilled with the progress I have made thus far relating to my most recent interior design project, creating a useful, modern, and creatively designed studio from a traditional Amish shed.  Since my last posting, I have secured an Amish builder for my project.  GreenTree Stuctures in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Not only will I save money by buying “Amish direct” it will allow me to create a totally customized structure in which my “shed” will be built from a set of contract documents and delivered as essentially a pre-fab structure.   Now the challenge. A typical wood shed has siding made from a material called DuraTemp which is an affordable low maintenance plywood siding.  As I wish to have the shed look and feel more like a little house, using anything other than a traditional siding, I do not believe will achieve my desired look.

In speaking to GreenTree Structures, we both came up with the idea of actually using the same type of siding that one would use on an actual house! My first choice is to use Western Red Cedar, as this is the color of our actual home. But the reality is, I will need to keep costs down, so instead of making the shed/studio with Western Red Cedar siding, I have elected to use White Pine, which is more budget friendly.  The plan is for me to send actual gallons of Arborcoat stain to GreenTree and have them stain the White Pine the same color that was used on the Western Red Cedar on my main home.  So far so good! Be sure to check in again next Monday!

DuraTemp Plywood Siding

A shed with DuraTemp siding

Amish Shed inspiration for my modern studio

This shed which is the inspiration for my structure shows DuraTemp siding hung  horizontally

A photo supplied to the Amish builder showing the overlapping siding detail I desire.

GreenTree asked me to provide a photo of the side view of the Western Red Cedar on my main residence in order to determine what type of White Pine to purchase

O Magazine Features Interior Designer Cathy Hobbs In May Issue!

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Cathy Hobbs, Green Design, ikea, Lisa Ling, O, O Magazine, Oprah Winfrey, the life improvement squad, The Oprah Magazine

Interior Designer Cathy Hobbs as featured in the May issue of O, The Oprah Magazine!

If you happen to grab the latest issue of O, The Oprah Magazine, you’ll find this feature, offering readers some great tips on how to live a more sustainable lifestyle.  I am currently the national green expert for a wonderful year long campaign involving IKEA, O, The Oprah Magazine and OWN called “The Life Improvement Project” in which IKEA is highlighting various ways everyone can live a more functional, sustainable, and affordable lifestyle. Be sure to check out http://www.thelifeimprovementproject.com for useful tips and ideas!

A BEHIND THE SCENES look at my magazine shoot for O, The Oprah Magazine and IKEA’S LIFE IMPROVEMENT PROJECT

Some of the props for the shoot!

The initial set up, creating a mock IKEA kitchen

Tweeks by the IKEA and O Magazine team

The final set..they loved it.. I loved it!

Testing the lighting!

All dressed and ready to go! It’s almost showtime!

Touching up make up! They did an awesome job!

The shoot in action!

The final spread on news stands right now featured in the May issue of O, The Oprah Magazine!