5/8/12

Decorator's Toolbox



Every once in a while I get a comment or email from one of you lovely readers asking "How'd you do that?!"

Soooo... I've decided to reveal some of the tricks I have up my sleeve.

Here are my true-life, all-time favorite online "tools" for getting decor and diy stuff done:



Inspiration Boards

I'm obsessed.  I can spend hours upon hours on Olioboard.  It's a compulsion.  I'll be sitting up into the wee hours of the morning, eyes blood shot, coffee in hand, telling myself "Just 15 more minutes... Just 15 more..." Basically, you can search bajillions of products, wallpapers, objects, furniture, and whatever your heart desires to create a mood board.  You can create collages to inspire your space.  Or entire, realistic rooms!  You've probably seen lots of my Olioboards here.


Pinterest
Duh. Does this one really have to be explained?  If I'm not depriving myself of sleep on Olioboard, you can bet I'm pinning.  If you're out of the loop or need an invite, let me know.  I can hook you up. ;)






Polyvore
While I use Olioboard for decor-related stuff, I go to Polyvore for my other needs: fashion, beauty, lists of favorite things, etc.  It's a simple mood board/collage maker.  It can be used for decor, too! There are some pretty talented Polyvore-decorators out there!




Floor Plans

This nifty program lets you create floorplans, choose materials, fill with furniture, and decorate.  I use it when planning out how I'm going to arrange furniture, like in my future attic apartment (It's better than scooting furniture around my bedroom by my lonesome... and then having to scoot it back when I figure out it won't fit like that.... Heh.)


This website is ideal for dorm dwellers.  The site is pre-loaded with floor plans of real dorms.  Check to see if they have your school!  You can then figure out how to arrange your furniture, divide a space into two for you and a roomie, and decorate with college-friendly products.




Testing Paint

This Better Homes and Gardens tool lets you pick a room and test out different colors of paint on the walls. I love playing with color combinations in these pretty rooms.  (You can even upload your own photo!)



This site pinpoints your style and color preferences to guide you in selecting the right colors for your space.  Like the BHG Color Finder tool, you can try out different color schemes in different rooms.  And everything is especially selected for your taste.


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3 comments:

Camille said...

Awesome, I haven't even heard of a few of these sites. Exciting new things to check out! :)

Chrystina said...

I can't believe there's a site for collages! And by that I mean, I can't believe I didn't think of searching for a site that created collages. This sounds dangerous. And awesome. Thanks :)

daisy said...

I love the links and am checking them out now.

I did click on the one for "design my dorm" and it took me to a godaddy site.
Turns out this is the link: http://designyourdorm.com/

:)