IdeaBooks everywhere

I've been a regular contributor to Houzz.com for the last couple of months and have been publishing at least two IdeaBooks a week with them.

Houzz.com is a terrific resource for home inspiration. I've been a fan for as long as they've been around and it's a singular thrill to write for them now. If you're a homeowner and you're looking for some ideas and pretty pictures, there are 75,000 indexed room setting in Houzz.com's library.

If you're a professional designer, I encourage you to upload a portfolio. Right clicks are disabled across the site and it's impossible to separate a photograph from its caption credit on the site. Your intellectual property's protected and at the same time, you can reach hundreds of thousands of people every month. It's a winning idea. If you're a design professional or an architect and you decide to upload a portfolio to Houzz, let me know.

Anyhow, here are three of my ideabooks. You can look through them as slide  shows here and if you click on the slide show itself, it will take you back to Houzz.com where you can see the images in full-size.

Add Some Glamour to Your Life With a Chandelier in The Kitchen

Houzz- Kitchen Design, Bathroom Design and More»

Find Home Improvement Professionals- For Example:

Los Angeles Architect · Los Angeles Interior Designer · San Francisco Contractor · San Francisco Landscaping ·

10 Reasons to Bring Back The Humble Kitchen Table

Houzz- Kitchen Design, Bathroom Design and More»

Find Home Improvement Professionals- For Example:

Los Angeles Architect · Los Angeles Interior Designer · San Francisco Contractor · Los Angeles Landscaping ·

The Unmatched Kitchen: Mixing Finishes With Style

Houzz- Kitchen Design, Bathroom Design and More»

Home Designs and Pictures:

Kitchen Design Ideas · Bathroom Design Ideas · Living Room Design Ideas · Bedroom Design Ideas · Dining Room Design Ideas · Patio Design Ideas · Landscaping Design Ideas ·

Houzz.com is running under a new editor these days. Sheila and the rest of us at Houzz.com are committed to building on the foundation the site sits on now and increasing its functionality and usefulness. 2011's going to be a great year at Houzz.com and if you have any ideas or suggestions for the site, feel free to let me know and I'll make sure your ideas end up in front of the right people. If there are topics you'd like to see covered specifically, feel free to make a request.

Spend some time in the Houzz, you'll be glad you did.

Joy and Janet move up to the big leagues --congrats!

Two of my favorite people in the blogosphere are Joy and Janet, whose always hilarious blog Moggit, has been a consistent crowd pleaser for the last couple of years. I'm proud to say I knew them when because they made the US television debut yesterday on the Nate Berkus show.

They've had a video series on HGTV.com since last year and their work for HGTV is well worth seeing. Here's a great example of it.




In the meantime, here's their clip from Nate Berkus yesterday. I have no doubt that Nate's producer's are thrilled with the ratings spike Joy and Janet's appearance brought with them.




Being part of this evolution in mass media is the coolest thing I've ever fell into and one of the best parts of it is watching people I know and care about do well. This is just the beginning for these two and if the production team at the Nate Berkus show has any sense, this won't be their last appearance.

A new social media webinar coming next month

Thanks to the great Leah Thayer from the website Daily5Remodel, I'll be speaking at an hour-long webinar on February 15th at noon. The webinar is called How I Mastered Social Media to Build My Business -- and How You Can Too and it's sponsored by Builder Link in association with Daily5Remodel.

This webinar will cover how I managed to turn this blog and my Twitter presence into set of tools that altered the trajectory of my career and more importantly, how anybody can use these same tools to do anything he or she wants. The session will have a definite skew toward the design and build communities, though anybody's welcome. There's no cost for this webinar and you can register by following this link.

If you've ever wondered what the heck this Twitter thing is all about, now's your chance to hear first hand what it's all about about. Join us on February 15th and don't put it off. Registration's limited and will close automatically when we reach our maximum number. Feel free to drop me a line if you have any questions. And go register now.

Patricia Urquiola's Mandarin Oriental deserves every accolade it gets

The Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group’s first Spanish hotel, The Madarin Oriental Barcelona, just won Interior Design Magazine’s Best Hotel Project for 2010. The Mandarin Oriental Barcelona is an astounding hotel, but its interiors by Spanish-born architect Patricia Urquiola place it into a class all its own. 

Patricia Urquiola is one of Axor's design partners and her award (and this hotel) add to the cachet surrounding the Axor brand of faucets and fixtures.

The hotel is located in the cultural and commercial heart of Barcelona and the building is a converted, former bank headquarters. The city of Barcelona is an architectural feast and wonders linger behind every corner. It’s a city where it’s wise to expect the unexpected. The Mandarin Oriental Barcelona fits the city where it’s located perfectly. Behind the linear, mid-century lines of the facade lives a world of Patricia Urquiola’s imagination. Colors, textures, sight lines and finishes combine to make up something whimsically modern and unique.

Barcelona is a lively, dynamic city and the Mandarin Oriental Barcelona is a perfect fit. Its 144 rooms are some of the largest in the city and their luxurious appointments make this hotel an ideal getaway.

You can read more about Patricia Urquiola's collaboration with Axor on Axor's website.

Go ahead, you know you want to be on Design Star

If you're a man and like to take off your shirt on TV.

If you're a woman who likes to take "artistic" mug shots.

If your qualification to be a designer consists of having once moved your mother's sofa.

If the idea of turning out offenses like this is your idea of a good time.

If having three, angry HGTV-lebrities tearing down your very existence is your idea of fun.

If you can cry on cue and are willing to have every embarrassing moment filmed over a four week period slapped on national (and international) TV.

If after all that and against all common sense, you win because you look "interesting," are you willing to star in a bad HGTV show of your very own? One shown during off, off, off hours and so poorly produced that you'll never be able to work in TV again?

If you can answer yes to all of these questions than you are qualified to apply to be on HGTV's next season of Design Star. Godspeed.