Libby’s Basement Makeover Ideas:

Summer’s over and it’s time to cover the grill, store the porch furniture and head indoors. All outdoor relaxing during the lazy days of summer has now turned to watching football on TV, curling up under a cozy throw and reading a great book or watching a wonderful movie. Fall is the perfect time of the year to makeover your basement, it’s a manageable project, there are simple things you can do that will completely transform it and it creates an entirely new area to gather when activities move inside the house. Roll up your sleeves for a couple of weekends and add valuable square footage and comfy living space to your home.

Anything trendy right now in small spaces?

Colors? Kinds of decorations? 

A big trend in small spaces right now is color, people used to think everything had to be white to look larger but they are realizing that a creative layout can do the trick and they can enjoy color at the same time. Some colors I’m seeing are consistent whether you’re in a small space or large – chocolate brown, caramel, aqua, bright orange, citron green, icy gray blue. The accessory used primarily in small spaces is artwork; it adds life and style to a room without using up valuable square footage.

Some of the spaces on the series are the homes of professional interior designers. Can non-professional homeowners create high-end decor for a small space within a modest budget? Any tricks for those with a modest budget?

Everyone can live in a beautiful space no matter the budget; you can absolutely create that high-end décor look without spending a fortune.I always encourage people on a budget to begin with paint, pick a bold color and begin there; it’s definitely the fastest, least expensive way to transform a room.

What concrete ways do you suggest to actually create more space? What are the most common problems and solutions dominant in small spaces?

The best way to create more space other than adding an addition onto your home is to create storage. By creating places to store things you get them off the floor, tabletops, desktops, counters and that adds square footage.

Libby’s Fall Table Décor Ideas:

Fall Cocktail Napkins: Dress up plain paper cocktail napkins by using a large leaf stamp and a gold stamp pad.

Pumpkin Vase: Cut off the top of a small round pumpkin, scoop out the seeds and pulp, place a small plastic container inside (cup or paint container), fill the container with floral foam and water. Arrange seasonal flowers, dried leaves and berries!

Libby’s Favorite Fall Food: These are just a few of my “crowd pleasers”!

Pumpkin Ravioli in Sage Butter – easier to make than you think, seasonal and delicious.

Polenta with Fresh Corn – the perfect way to use that last crop of corn from the farm stand

Grilled Cheese – It’s an “oldie-but-goodie” for a reason, it always has been and always will be the perfect combo to soup. Have fun and experiment with different cheeses/ breads – gruyere and French bread, or fontina and focaccia or Brie and pumpernickel

Entertaining alternatives to Thanksgiving tradition

Libby’s Fun, Fall Entertaining Ideas:

Autumn has arrived and invigorating weather is setting in, this is a perfect time to look forward to getting back to cooking hearty, savory dishes, catching up with loved ones after summer trips and taking in all the beauty the fall season has to offer. Whether you’re looking for an excuse to reconnect with friends and family or just to cook up some good old comfort food, just realize you don’t need a reason but instead some fun, fall entertaining ideas!

What ways do you suggest to help create the ILLUSION of more space?

1. In a small space use full height doors for closets and rooms; anytime you can have an element go all the way up to the ceiling (bookcase, drapes, doors) it draws your focus up and visually creates the illusion of a larger room. This is also wonderful with closet doors as you’ll gain all that extra storage space that otherwise would be wasted.

Q&A WITH HGTV’S SMALL SPACE, BIG STYLE'S EXPERT DESIGNER LIBBY

Q: What is driving the statement that “Small is the new big”? Is there a backlash going on to the McMansion fever? If so, to what do you attribute this new trend? Are small spaces becoming more popular? What do they offer that larger houses do not? Any stats on how this has become big? 

Tips for a Fun and Fabulous Last Minute Dinner Party

Situation: Your husband calls to say that your in-laws are coming over for dinner Friday night—and it’s Friday morning. And your mother-in-law is on a diet (again). 

Ask the Expert: Add a Volleyball Theme to the Room

Q: I need ideas for my daughter’s room with painting a volleyball mural or just adding a volleyball painting. Thank you. Lisa

A: Something neat you can do for your daughter’s room that would be less of a time commitment and less permanent than painting a mural would be to take some digital pictures of all things volleyball; the net, the ball, the court, maybe even her playing volleyball.

Ask the Expert Question: Daughter's headboard

Q: I want to decorate my daughter’s bedroom but I am having difficulty deciding where to hang things. If my daughter’s headboard is not straight, can we still hang pictures or paintings or even decorating shelves above the bed? What would you suggest I do? Thanks for your help,

Libby’s Inside Track to Sag Harbor

Blooming Shells: Great way to dress up your house for the summer with gorgeous shells/ starfish and coral…not to mention cool sari tops and casual white cotton skirts that are the perfect segway from the beach to a beach party!

Libby’s Insider Secrets –Interior Designers Tricks of the Trade

- Think Contrast rather than “Matchy-Matchy” – Designers combine contrasting colors in a room where most other people say “will that go with everything else in the room” or “is it going to match?”. Sometimes when everything “matches” or is in the same color tone the room can look a little blah but if you bring in a hit of a lighter tone or a darker tone it can add depth and dimension to a space, as well as a little personality! (Faxon Living Room afters – HC&G Bedroom afters) 

Ask the Expert: Convert Bedroom into Office

I want to convert our front bedroom into my home office. It measures 8’x12’ and it has three doors! One door leads to my bedroom, the other to the family room and the third to the veranda. There is one window facing north. How do I place the furniture? My husband and I would be the only ones using the space.

Ask the Expert: How to use Wicker wisely!

Wicker has not only made the leap from outdoor to indoor but the new updated styles can have a fresh, sleek, modern look… we are definitely not talking your Grandma’s old time wicker. 

There are now pieces in woven banana leaf, twisted sea grass, and all sorts of other interesting versions that can work with all different design schemes.

Insider Secrets: Interior Designers Tricks of the Trade

Summer 2007 VOX magazine article

It seems that almost everyone loves good “Before” and “After” pictures of someone’s home. It’s satisfying to see the transformation from an atrocious unfeeling space (and let’s face it in the makeover world they start with the worst of the worst) into a gorgeous, warm, inviting room that you could see yourself living in and loving. I’ve learned along the way that there are a few tried and true secret tricks that Interior Designers use when designing a space to overcome a rooms shortcomings or simply to breathe some new life into a tired dwelling. Some of these ideas are based on rules discovered by trial and error and what simply works well in a given space. Some of these tips are just based on confidence to trust your instincts and surround yourself with colors, furniture and objects that you love. The number one rule is that there are no rules, what one person adores the next may hate, (I guess that’s why they make chocolate and vanilla) but there are a few things you can glean from the pros to help you to create your own perfect look.

Ask the Expert: How to use Wicker wisely!

My home is an “open space plan” house. The living room, dining and kitchen are all seen immediately when you walk into it. I have a good direction with the color scheme in all three rooms so that they all relate to one another. However, the problem is that the foyer and living room ceiling is 18 ft. with a catwalk separating the two spaces.

Ask the Expert

Q: I have an open living room and kitchen area. The only thing separating the spaces is the bar. I was wondering if I could use two different colors in the two spaces and have it not look tacky. I was thinking about red for the kitchen and maybe a caramel/gold-ish color in the living room.

Libby’s Dorm Décor Ideas:

Bed's and Sofas

If you have two twin beds push them up against opposite walls facing each other. For each bed buy 4 king size pillows, (or two kings and one long “body” pillow) lean two up against the wall and set one at the head of the bed and one at the foot of the bed. This creates the feel and look of a sofa, and can really be pulled together if your bedspread and pillow case match. Fill in with a few smaller throw pillows and you have a great place to lounge and read in addition to sleep!

Libby’s LifeStyle - Why We Love Kick-Ass Sheets and the Men Who Love Them

We love that sexy look you give us when your head is tilted and you smile at us out of the corner of your mouth. We love it when you gently push our hair off our faces. And we really love that you’ve come to adore Pratesi Signature Three-line pattern 430-Thread Count Egyptian Cotton Sheets.