Thursday, May 22, 2008

Designing Spaces room makeover


Here's what I did with my spare time (not!) before Quilt Market! Flew down to Florida to do a special baby segment for the DIY show: Designing Spaces. Three days of design, install and film for 12 minutes of film!

Thanks to the help of my talented sister Mindy and the top notch crew from Designing Spaces it all came together.

It seems it always comes back to food, in this case the camera crew fuels up on coffee and donuts patiently waiting for the next stage in the makeover.


camera tips from a pro

Collette the expectant Mommy (very patient as we invaded her home!) me, and Debbie Marie the hostess with the mostess (there's a reason they refer to her on set as the talent!)
The secret ingredient for all of this is liquid starch and of course fabric!
My sister Mindy is the one that taught me all that can be done with starch. She covered her bathroom walls, then 3 kids and 10 yrs later she took it down (in 15 minutes!). That's the beauty of it; so easy to remove and it doesn't harm the walls. Perfect for rentals, dorm rooms, furniture. Note the hanging lampshade: EASY! No more spray adhesives and toxic fumes.
simply cover the surface with undiluted starch, smooth the fabric over the surface then apply another coat, thoroughly soaking. Smooth out air bubbles with a paintbrush or my preferred method; fingers (if you liked finger painting you'll love this).
And just for fun
Check out this great crib sheet tutorial from Joanna of Stardust Shoes fame.

25 comments:

Patty Young said...

What a great show, Kathy! The room looked awesome and it's such a fun decorating tip. I'll have to try it soon. Thanks for sharing!!!

Abigail said...

I love the fabric on the walls idea!! You gave great tips on putting it up, but just mention that it's easy to remove. Please share how to remove it as well!

Name said...

Oooh, what a fun idea!!

Anonymous said...

What a cute room!!! Thanks for the tips on the starch. You could probably do a whole show or series on what could done with it, sounds like. Was so glad to see SOMETHING NEW on your blog :D
cjnid

MMF said...

Hi Abbydawn, thanks for your comments and thanks for reminding me to elaborate on how to take it down. Simply peel a corner back with your finger just to get a hold of it to get it started then just pull and it will all peel off. trust me, this is amazingly easy and quick! The surface underneath will be unharmed. you can even wash and reuse the fabric for another project. My daughter did this in her dorm room, on the day she moved out she left it till the very last moment to rip it off as she walked out the door!

Andre'a said...

Oh my! My daughter is getting a room make over soon and I'm thinking of trying this. Maybe half paint(on top) and line the bottom with fabric and ric rack along the edge. Thanks so much for the inspiration!!

-Andre'a

Jenny said...

WOW!! such an awesome idea! I totally am going to do this.

Unknown said...

Hmmm, you got me thinking about this. How did you deal w/ the selvedge and lining up the rows of fabric? And you thought you were done w/ this tutorial? I want to try it!

Liesl Gibson said...

Oh, fun! Hey, did you see this dress made from the same fabric and from one of my patterns?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/myinspiredheart/2507773177/in/pool-oliverands/

Vacuum Queen said...

Nate Berkus JUST talked about this last week on the Oprah and friends XM radio show. Too funny to see it for real right after listening to it.

Megan/Brassy Apple said...

It's just adorable! What a fun room and lucky little baby!

Anonymous said...

The room looks amazing! That technique sounds really cool, too. I wonder where I could use it around my house ... LOL!

Erika said...

Thats fantastic! I am always praising the starch on walls technique. I'm so glad to see someone actually doing it!

Heide said...

Seriously?? It's really that easy?? Oh my, the possibilities... Thank you (and your sister!) for sharing your genius -- you have made the world a better, more fabric-covered place!

Anonymous said...

I met you at quilt market in Portland and I am a big fan:)

This is such a cool idea and especially appealing to me because I am really into interior design. I did it for years before I started sewing children's clothing. I am moving into a rental house in California next month and I was totally dreading the white wall, but you gave me the perfect solution! Thanks!

~Chelsea

Anonymous said...

I met you at quilt market in Portland and I am a big fan:)

This is such a cool idea and especially appealing to me because I am really into interior design. I did it for years before I started sewing children's clothing. I am moving into a rental house in California next month and I was totally dreading the white wall, but you gave me the perfect solution! Thanks!

~Chelsea

erin said...

Love the room and thanks for the great ideas!!!

Bonus Mom said...

You gotta love the starch! My mom did this a lot when we were kids :)

Rosewort said...

Question: can heavier fabrics be used for this process as well? For example, a drapery or polyester indoor/outdoor fabric (like you would use for patio furniture)? Would it hold up and how would you modify your technique to "make it stick"?

Fulvia said...

How good to see all the photos of the room in transition. The photo of the 3 of you is lovely as well.

Fulvia
www.fulviastudio.com

Anonymous said...

I made everything for my oldest son's crib and bassinet...and cutting out those corners works perfectly! For a bassinet sheet I just sewed elastic around each side and voila! It worked beautifully! Actually, I used those sheets through 2 kiddos

Anonymous said...

What a great way to make sure that the kid has sleep issues...

Vincent said...

I'm moving next weekend and can't wait to try this in the new place!!! Thank you for sharing!

Anonymous said...

I used this 'GREAT' method using seasonal wrapping paper (Christmas)to decorate the kids bedroom doors. The only problem was I used the foil type paper...went up great but I'm still scrapping it off!!! Water can't penetrate the foil and that's what helps to remove the paper. A lesson learned. I've used this method again this Christmas but used the right type paper.

Anonymous said...

Hi, I am wanting to do this in my daughter's room, but we have bought an older home and her walls are all stained wood paneling. Does anyone know how the starch and fabric will adhere to the wood? Thanks for any advice :)