DIY Archives - Brock Design Group

April 26, 2013

DIY – Add Height To Your Room

April 26, 2013 by Lori Leave a Comment

Portland OR. Interior Design Blog

Most of us have 8 to 10 foot ceilings but would love to feel like they were 18 feet. Before you tear off your roof, here are some easy tips to visually add height to any room.

Hang curtains higher than the top of the window

Image via Casa Decorada

Using an oversized mirror will reflect to add height

Image via The Residences Chicago

Vertical stripes will elongate the room

Image via Brides.com

Continuing cabinets and molding to the ceiling will draw the eyes up

Image via Mueller Nicholls Cabinets

Need more ideas to create a visually appealing space? Call us for a consultation and we can help make it happen.

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Filed Under: DIY Tagged With: add height, add height to a room, bath design, brock designs, decorating, design, diy, do it yourself, height, home, inspiration, interior design, kitchen, kitchen design, lori brock, oregon, portland, projects, retreat, rooms

March 22, 2013

DIY – Easter Crafts

March 22, 2013 by Lori Leave a Comment

Portland OR. Interior Design Company

I love putting a little handmade touch on the holidays. With Easter being just around the corner, I thought I would share some easy tutorials on some fun projects. Let’s put our creative skills to work and have some fun!

Image and Tutorials via Alisa Burke

Image and Tutorial via A Pumpkin and A Princess

Image via Craft Sisters

Image and Tutorial via My Poppet

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

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Filed Under: DIY Tagged With: bath design, brock designs, decorating, design, diy, do it yourself, Easter, family, holiday, home, inspiration, interior design, kitchen, kitchen design, lori brock, oregon, portland, projects, spring

March 15, 2013

DIY – Give New Light To Your Lampshades

March 15, 2013 by Lori 2 Comments

Portland OR. Interior Design Company

One of my favorite accessories for a room is a beautiful lamp. Obviously functional, a lamp can shed light as well as pull a room together with color and pattern. I rarely buy a lamp without having to customize the shade. Many lighting companies are now capitalizing on this bright idea. However, you don’t have to be restricted to what you see ready made online. We have found a fantastic tutorial from the House of Fifty by Janell Beals blog that shows us how to recover a lampshade to make it fit perfectly in your own decor.

Image via House of Fifty

We have some wonderful fabric vendors that carry unique designs for that special piece. There are hundreds to choose from, these are just a few from Greenhouse Fabrics. Let us know if you would like to order your fabric for this or any project.

Give this a try and let us know how it turns out. Send us your photos – we can’t wait to see what you’ve accomplished!

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Filed Under: DIY Tagged With: bath design, brock designs, decorating, design, diy, do it yourself, home, inspiration, interior design, kitchen, kitchen design, lamp, lampshade, lori brock, oregon, portland, projects, recover lampshade, style tips

March 8, 2013

DIY – Refinish Your Drab Bathtub

March 8, 2013 by Lori Leave a Comment

Portland OR. Interior Design Company

If you are getting tired of your outdated bathroom? Don’t quite have it in your budget yet for a full re-model? I have found the perfect DIY post for you! This super creative DIY’er has used a product called Airstone to update her boring bathtub face to look custom and amazing!

“Airstone is an innovative, ultra-light product that transforms a complicated construction ordeal into a simple wall-covering project. Indoors or out, our patent-pending Airstone system offers the same look, feel and durability of real stone, but weighs 75% less.”

Take a look at The Lovely Crafty Home blog for full instructions on taking your boring bathtub and turning it in to an eye-catching centerpiece to your bathroom!

Image via Lovely Crafty Home

Do you have any projects that you need help with? Let us know at BrockDesigns@gmail.com!

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Filed Under: DIY Tagged With: airstone, bath design, bathtub, brock designs, change, decorating, design, diy, do it yourself, home, inspiration, interior design, kitchen, kitchen design, lori brock, oregon, portland, projects, rooms, style tips, update

January 1, 2013

DIY – Winter Organization Room by Room

January 1, 2013 by Lori Leave a Comment

Portland OR. Interior Design Company

As we begin to take down all of our holiday decorations and put our homes back to “normal” I thought it would be a great time to go through the whole house, room by room, and organize. I always feel so much more at peace when everything has a place and is neatly put away so I thought that today we could go room by room and share tips on how to do a “winter clean-up”

Entryway

Image via Home Depot

Using hide-a-way baskets will keep you organized without having to see clutter at the front door.

Image via Pinterest

Living Room

Using baskets and side tables with drawers will keep you organized in the living room as well.

Image via Rubbermaid

Image via Ariannabelle

A storage ottoman in the living room is both functional and pretty.

Image via Photolizer

Kitchen

Baskets and easy to view clear containers will make the kitchen more functional.

Image via Design Various

Keeping foods organized in the freezer by separating with crates will keep you from digging through that cold space and forgetting what you have in there.

Image via iheart Organizing

Bedroom

Using rolling drawers for under the bed will not only give you more storage but make it easy to pull out and grab what you need.

Image via Martha Stewart

Use an accessory tray in your drawer to keep your accessories neat, organized and easy to find.

Image via Martha Stewart

Bathroom

Put a piece of sheet metal on the back of your medicine cabinet and attach magnets to your bathroom containers as well as using risers to create more space.

Image via Martha Stewart

Use containers and baskets to separate bathroom needs for easy finding.

Image via Design Sponge

Laundry Room

Create space in your laundry room and keep your cleaning products separated by using a “cubby” system.

Image via Home Posh

Getting the laundry baskets up off the floor with create more space and make separating easy.

Image via Pinterest

Mud Room

Especially if you have children, a home command center is great to have as you walk in and out of the door. Hanging hooks for backpacks, purse, keys, hats, ect keeps everything up and out of the way.

Image via iheart Organizing

Let us know your organization ideas for this winter! Have a great week and happy New Year!

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Filed Under: DIY Tagged With: bath design, bedroom, brock designs, change, decorating, design, diy, do it yourself, family, holiday, home, inspiration, interior design, kitchen, kitchen design, lori brock, oregon, organize, portland, projects, rooms

December 21, 2012

DIY – Inexpensive Homemade Gifts

December 21, 2012 by Lori 2 Comments

Portland OR. Interior Design Company

During the holidays, I love to make gifts from my kitchen. Some of us get overwhelmed with the thought of making our own gifts because we think that it’s too time consuming or difficult. I have found a few easy to make gifts that my family and friends are very happy to receive. Here are a few of my most recent homemade gifts:

A Family Directory, with family info, birthday’s and old pictures

Special homemade vanilla made 4 months before Christmas using Madagascar vanilla beans and water, sugar and sometimes vodka. I used inexpensive bottles from IKEA with a rubber stopper and gifted them with a ribbon tied around the neck and holding a beautiful tag

A delicious Mediterranean Rub for meats with a few recipes attached, like this one below. I used a glass jar from IKEA and added a ribbon and customized label with the ingredients (in case of allergies)

Image and Recipe via Yummy

And one that I am currently working on is a family recipe cookbook. Coming from a family of 8, we all are inputting our most memorable recipes from our childhood. I have also found the following DIY gifts that seem easy enough for us to try and would be great to give as gifts!

Photo Throw Pillows

Image and Instructions via Pocket Full of Whimsy

Natural Room Scents

Image and Instructions via The Yummy Life

Peppermint Candy Cane Sugar Scrub

Image and Instructions via The Idea Room

Chalkboard Paint Wine Glasses

Image via All Things Major

Let us know if you are creating some special gifts for your family and friends this year! Have a great weekend and a very Merry Christmas!

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Filed Under: DIY, Holiday Tagged With: bath design, brock designs, decorating, design, diy, do it yourself, food, gift, holiday, home, homemade, inspiration, interior design, kitchen, kitchen design, lori brock, oregon, portland, projects, recipe, retreat, rooms

November 21, 2012

DIY – Thanksgiving Centerpieces

November 21, 2012 by Lori Leave a Comment

Portland OR. Interior Design Company

Grace your Thanksgiving table with a beautiful centerpiece for your family to gather around. Gather inspiration from the beauty that surrounds you during this holiday; cranberries, autumn hued flowers and pumpkin just to name a few.

Image via Shelterness

Image via Maddycakes Muse

Image via Shelterness

Image via Design for Living

Image via Pinterest

Image via Shelterness

Image via Pinterest

Make sure to share pictures of your Thanksgiving table! Have a great weekend and a wonderful holiday!

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Filed Under: DIY Tagged With: autumn, bath design, brock designs, centerpieces, decorating, design, diy, do it yourself, fall, family, flowers, food, holiday, home, inspiration, interior design, kitchen, kitchen design, lori brock, oregon, portland, projects, pumpkin, table, tablescape, thanksgiving

November 1, 2012

DIY – The Well Lit Room

November 1, 2012 by Lori 1 Comment

Portland OR. Interior Design Company

Today, you get a double dose of DIY! We will be showing you how to create a well lit room as well as how to create your own light fixtures. Lighting is such an important element in a room. It can not only change the entire look and feel of a room but can effect how you feel as well. Higher levels of lighting generally produce cheerful effects and stimulate your alertness and activity, whereas lower levels tend to create an atmosphere of relaxation, intimacy, and restfulness.

This Brock Designs Group living room combines the brightness for functionality and the softness added by the lamps. Highlighting the artwork on the wall is also a great way to draw the eye and make the room appear larger. Always remember to add dimmers to every light fixture so you can adjust the lighting to suit your mood.

Image via Brock Designs Group

In areas where you “retreat” it is very important to keep the lighting soft. This will help you to feel relaxed and peaceful. Adding table lamps or soft, low hanging pendent lights are a great way to get that feeling.

Image via Lizette Marie Interior Design

In other areas of the house, like the kitchen or a home gym, you need a brighter ambient lighting plan. This will not only add to the obvious functionality of the room but creates a more energetic mood.

Image via Rossington Architecture

Image via Crisp Architects

I hope this helps you create a flattering glow, yet still have enough wattage to see what you’re doing and “illuminating” your way to a well lit room.

For more lighting ideas, check out my Lighting Board on Pinterest!

Now let’s look at some ways to create your own light fixtures!

Image and Full Tutorial via Kara Paslay Designs

Image and Full Tutorial via Planet Green

Image and Full Tutorial via Apartment Therapy

Image and Full Tutorial via Oregonlive.com

These are some fun projects! What a conversation starter to say that you made them yourself.

Enjoy your weekend and don’t forget to let me know how your projects turn out!

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Filed Under: DIY Tagged With: bedroom, brock designs, decorating, design, diy, do it yourself, home, interior design, kitchen design, light fixtures, lighting, lori brock, oregon, portland, projects, rooms, style tips

September 7, 2012

STYLE FILES – The Tailgate People Will Talk About

September 7, 2012 by Lori Leave a Comment

Brock Designs Portland OR. Interior Design Blog

Whether you are gearing up for the big game in the stadium parking lot or in your own backyard, throw a tailgate party that people will be talking about all season long.

1. Put on every bit of clothing you own with your team’s insignia on it. You cannot go overboard here.

Image via Mirror

Well, maybe that’s a little overboard for some of us but you get the idea!

2. Decorate your vehicle, making sure to put a flag on your antennae so that your friends can find you. Don’t forget about decorations for your food presentation in your teams colors!

Screen shot 2012 09 05 at 8.33.20 PM 300x240 STYLE FILES The Tailgate People Will Talk About

Image via Pinterest

3. Plan a menu, and pack the cooler the night before. Hot dogs and burgers are football tailgate party favorites, but hot wings, submarine sandwiches and the jambalaya from yesterday’s blog are other great choices. Include snacks like chips and dip, and don’t forget the condiments and add-ons.

Screen shot 2012 09 05 at 8.47.29 PM 300x269 STYLE FILES The Tailgate People Will Talk About

Image via Celebrations at Home

4. Get creative with your deserts, making them football themed!

Screen shot 2012 09 05 at 8.22.35 PM 174x300 STYLE FILES The Tailgate People Will Talk About

Image via Room for Desert

5. Take the essentials. A grill is a must-have as well as tables, tableware, grill tools, cooler and trash bags for clean up.

Screen shot 2012 09 05 at 9.01.10 PM 300x205 STYLE FILES The Tailgate People Will Talk About

Image via Mile High Catering

6. Don’t forget the portable i-pod player/radio to play music and pre-game interviews. The ion Block Rocker is amazing and really does “Rock the Block” (They are selling them at Costco right now)

Screen shot 2012 09 05 at 8.40.16 PM 290x300 STYLE FILES The Tailgate People Will Talk About

Image via American Musical Supply

Now sit back and enjoy a fantastic tailgate with your friends and family! Are you ready for some football? I am!!!

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Filed Under: DIY Tagged With: bath design, brock designs, decorating, design, diy, do it yourself, fall, family, food, football, home, interior design, kitchen design, lori brock, oregon, party, portland, projects, recipe, tailgate

August 23, 2012

DIY – Re-purposing Old Furniture

August 23, 2012 by Lori Leave a Comment

Brock Designs Portland OR. Interior Design Blog

Before you throw out that piece of furniture or pass on that great deal at the yard sale this weekend, get your creative juices flowing and take a look at these great re-purposing ideas that we found.

Add legs to an old drawer to create a side table

Image via Pure and Noble