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HGTV Star Frank Fontana’s “Dirty Little Secrets of Design” Book Signing This Week

Published on December 13, 2010 in Decor, DIY and Shout-outs. 0 Comments

Hiya kids!  Have you met Frank?  Chicago-based celebrity designer, HGTV host, Today Show design expert, Home & Style contributor to Oprah.com, and regular super nice guy (with great hair)?

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Welp, now’s yer chance.  Frank Fontana will be signing copies of his new book, “Frank Fontana’s Dirty Little Secrets of Design” this Thursday, December 16, 2010 from 4 – 6:30 P.M. at the glistening (*ping!*) showroom of his pal, Ken – AKA founder and creative director of Kenneth Ludwig Home Furnishings, located in Chicago’s Merchandise Mart, Showroom 1510.  Can you say GUH-REAT Christmas Gift Idea for your favorite DIY-er??  And, as if meeting Frank in person and picking up a copy of his new book wasn’t reason enough to rally and brave the tundra that is currently Chicago, check out the eye candy in Ken’s showroom:

Um, hello giant ottoman upholstered with an antique rug.  I would like to put my feet up on you whilst I spoon my rugged, lumberjack boyfriend in a cabin in the woods.  In front of the fire.

Check out those luscious, velvet-y tufted chairs…  the cream leather headboard…  the Turned White Table Lamps by Barbara Cosgrove…  those intricate light fixtures that look like Santa’s little elves snipped them out of a piece of construction paper on fast-forward (!!)

Ooooh.  Hello, Notre Monde antique mirrored glass pendants, crafted by none other than Dawn Sweitzer – bomb diggity artisan and cool chick extraordinaire.

In “Dirty Little Secrets of Design,” Fontana provides his essential do’s and don’ts, dissects the individual design components of each room, and applies his “Look for Less” principle to gorgeous spaces to help readers build their own look on a budget.  The book also includes do-it-yourself (DIY) projects that are accessible and do-able for readers of different skill levels, as well as advice on how to be a savvy shopper when looking for home decor items or furniture.  We likey.

To make matters more fun, Kinzie Chophouse (YUM) is catering the event and – timeout – have you met Ken?  He’s what my grandparents might call “a real card.”  Dapper, knee-slapping-ly hilarious, and almost always either pop-collar-clad, or sporting one of those little pocket hankies.  To know him is to love him.

Frank and Ken have been buds for several years, working together on TV spots (like this one where I get to help them move furniture in Aunt Bunky’s dress…  mmmgoody) and various design projects, including style features in this book.  “I am so proud of Frank for taking the time out of his busy design career to express thoughts on design.  He has truly created a resource that will help everyone, even a seasoned designer with new ideas.  We are excited about sharing this wonderful resource with our design clientele and customer base,” Ken gushed.

So, come sip some holiday cheer, nosh on some apps, peruse the sparkly showroom that is a sea of swirly twirly gumdrops and design candy, snag a signed copy of Frank’s stellar new book (hello – great Christmas gift!), and hobnob with the good people of the Chicago design community.

PS:  “Frank Fontana’s Dirty Little Secrets of Design” is currently available in bookstores nationwide and on Amazon.com.

See you there!

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DIY Pillow Project

Published on December 8, 2010 in Decor and DIY. 2 Comments

After ooh-ing and ahh-ing over Calico Corners here and here, I finally scared up a few yards of my faaaaaavorite, swoon-worthy fabric – Thom Filicia’s City Square in Mistymorn – and busted a move on some throw pillows.

I whipped ’em up chez Bud & Ruth (the GP’s) over Thanksgiving.  As you can imagine from the photo below, a trip to their house is never anything short of entertaining.  Bud taught me a lot of neat tricks when I was a kid, like “pull my finger.”

I had 2 yards of City Square, but instead of using all of it to recover two oversized throw pillows, I used an inexpensive, faux charcoal velvet (that feels like butt-ah) on the back of the each one.

This is a smooth move for two reasons:

1.  If the fabric you’re working with is pricey, “backing” it with a coordinating, less expensive fabric means you only have to buy half the amount of fabric, or can save some for your next project.  This also works with upholstered pieces, like the ones below.  Designer Kristen Cox used Quadrille’s Contessa (about $200/yd) only on the backs of these slipper chairs.

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2.  “Party-in-the-front/business-in-the-back” pillows are also a cozy (and practical) move, because come nap time, you can flip ’em over to the part that feels like a Snuggie.  Plus, you don’t have to worry about drooling on the pretty side.  These pillows are currently making the living room in my little Chicago greystone so happy.

Now, for the SEWING HOW-TO:  I’m deferring to THESE D*S INSTRUCTIONS for THE best (and easiest to follow) ABC/123 for pillow-making that I have ever run across, because those are the ones I follow.  They do this whole sew the fabric together with a loose stitch and seam rip it after the zipper is in thing that’s totally genius.  Grace Bonney and the crafty girls over there know what they’re talkin’ about.  Click here to bounce over to Design*Sponge’s step-by-step instructions.

And check it:  my silly goose of a dog, Gus, is already putting them to good use.  CLEARLY he didn’t read the part about flipping it over to the velvet-y side and not drooling on the Thom Filicia side.  But seriously, who cares – look at that little nugget!

Goodwill Hunting note:  that little white gourd lamp (on the right in the photo of my apartment) was $4 at my top secret favorite thrift joint in Muncie, IN – the Walnut Street Baptist Mission.  Hollar.

XO!

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