What I Learned From Ten Experts In Ten Days

If you’ve been tuned in here or on our Facebook fans page you know that I had a blast sharing my New Year’s resolution to ‘Learn More‘ as one of the experts participating in Ten Design Days hosted by Sonu Mathew of Living In Color With Sonu and Kathy Barlow of HomeWorkshop.

With a resolution like ‘Learn More‘ you can be sure I didn’t pass up the opportunity to tune in each day as my fellow experts shared their resolutions and tips.  Are you curious about what I learned from ten experts in ten days when I turned the table and became the student rather than the teacher?

Here are my top ‘take aways’ — one from each expert:

Day One: Have Fun ~ Jamie Drake, Interior Designer to Michael Bloomberg and Madonna

When I saw ‘Have Fun’ and Jamie Drake in the same sentence I knew I was in for a treat.  Jamie delivered and before I even finished listening to the interview and reading his tips my mind was sparking with new ideas.  The one that I want to put into action immediately is this tip but with my own little tweak:

Make a bold and dramatic statement with your children’s artwork. Use eight pieces of artwork—all on the same size paper—and frame in all the same frames. Hang in two rows of four, spaced one-inch apart.

I have several of my son’s early drawings that I framed with identical mats and frame and I still love them.  But why let the kids have all of the fun?

In the room shown above, Jamie chose works of art rather than a child’s artwork but it got me thinking.  Why not just get out some paper and expressively paint stripes, blocks or swirls of color?  I’m bound to come up with a few paintings that I like as a set.

Why don’t you give it a try, too.  No need to paint as well as a great artist only as well as you did when you were four years old.  Most of all don’t forget Jamie’s resolution and have fun!

Day Two: Learn From the Past ~ Judith Miller, International Antiques Authority and BBC’s Antiques Roadshow Expert

Like Judith I enjoy mixing antiques and contemporary pieces and agree that things with great design go together very easily.  I loved the tip about buying singles and learned how this is a great acquisition strategy for the budget-minded.  It is also great for those of us who love mixing rather than matching styles.

Buying single chairs is an incredibly good way to get good bargains. If you like a certain style, choose that style and go and buy that single style. If you like the styles of a period, for example late Eighteenth Century, you can go and buy different chairs from that one time period.

This idea can work for buying new chairs as well old.

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I used this same strategy to buy my ‘mixed pattern’ set of sterling flatware one piece at a time. I love that every piece came from a different place and try to imagine what hands might have held each piece before it found its way into my home.

Day Three: Get Organized ~ Clay Ide, Creative Director, Pottery Barn

I was doing a lot of head nodding while reading Clay’s tips.  It seems we are of like minds because so much of what he suggested are things I already do.   I learned from Clay’s tips that I’m on the right track so I’m going to mention the tip that I think is the most valuable for you to learn:

Letting Go Decide what you must keep and let go of the rest. Reading is my rejuvenation, so I’ve selected my favorite books to keep on display at home, but I make it a point to share, donate, and trade everything else.

Coincidentally, I saw a related tip on Writer in Waiting that I think is a one of the best ways I’ve heard of to get the entire family involved in simplifying and decluttering the house as a weekly event.  I love the fun and simple 13 Thursdays approach.

13 Thursdays Each member of my household must bring me 13 objects every Wednesday, things such as their ‘toys,’ clothing etc … items which they no longer use, preferably their ‘wants’ not ‘needs’. No whining allowed. It is then separated into two piles; donations and trash, then donated or put out to trash Thursday morning.

Day Four: Improve Your Relationship ~ Kenneth Brown, Celebrity Interior Designer, HGTV and TLC Television Host

When it comes to creating an inviting bedroom Kenneth suggested engaging the senses and feeling stress-free.  I compared his tips to my own bedroom design.  Lighting, check.  Color, check.  Flowers, candles, bedding, rugs, all checked.  No TV, laptop or work stuff, uhhh…check. (Working in bed on a really cold January evening doesn’t count, does it?)

But then I read one tip I hadn’t thought about.  Family photos.

Keep your in-laws and ex’s out of your bedroom. Remove any framed pictures of your parents, in-laws, ex’s and even children.  Your romantic bedroom should only have pictures of you and your partner framed in a simple frame next to the bed.  You don’t want to stare at your mother-in-law while feeling romantic.

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I see your point Kenneth.  Those few pictures of my son on the night stand will now be enjoyed in the family room and I’m ready for a little ‘unobserved’ relationship building.

Day Five: Exercise More ~ Ramona Braganza, Fitness Expert to the Stars

No convincing needed here.  It took years for me to find a routine that would motivate me enough to take the time to exercise regularly.  Now that I have, exercising has gone from a nagging item on my ‘to-do’ list to a treat.

Ramona gave lots of great suggestions but what I especially appreciated wasn’t one of her tips per se but her over-arching philosophy about the workout environment.

Overall, think of a workout like any other experience.  It’s enhanced when you engage all your senses. Sight, Sound, Smell, Touch, and Taste can motivate you to Exercise More!

That was an ah-ha moment.  I don’t have a workout room at home but color maven Kiki does and as you can see she has incorporated all of the elements Ramona mentioned.  I thought it was just her desire to have the workout room look as stylish as the rest of her home.  Now I know there might have been more to it.  No wonder she and her hubby are always so motivated to workout.

Day Six: Be More Green, Save Green ~ Kelly Van Patter, Awarding-Winning Production Designer for Survivor and The Apprentice

The first thing I learned is that while Kelly proactively has focused on going green I arrived at many of the same ideas when I challenged myself to live with less ’stuff’ and to spend my money more wisely.  It was a bonus to learn that my approach gets the thumbs up for being environmentally friendly.

One thing that Kelly mentioned that I had never thought about in terms of being green was the value of editing.  This tip made me pause and think.

Take All Of The Furniture Out Of The Room And Start Over. Learn the art of editing EVERYTHING in your home. We all have a tendency to collect things over time, so it’s imperative that we assess our collections each year and get rid of unnecessary pieces. It’s easy to overlook things that serve no purpose, have been taking up space and collecting dust for years. One easy way to completely change a room is to just streamline all the items in it. Remove all the furniture from a room and piece by piece, bring only the necessary items back into the room. Take the other items to the Goodwill, Salvation Army, shelters or some other place that will give it to people that desperately need the items. That way they can be reused and aren’t being sent to a landfill. Then you are left with a less cluttered, new room for virtually NO money. Plus it is so liberating to get rid of all the clutter and have a clean canvas to work with.

Day Eight: Make Time for Family & Friends ~ Jenn Sbranti, Entertaining Guru, Hostesswiththemostess.com

Jenn’s tips were all about entertaining as a way to engage in conversation, activities and simply being together.  She inspired me to take an ‘entertaining’ approach to spending more time with my friends and family.

Serve a Signature Drink This is such an easy idea that’s always so well received at parties. Create a fun cocktail or mocktail, come up with a clever name for the drink that coordinates with your theme, and add a fun edible garnish and/or creative cocktail pick.

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I’ve come up with signature cocktails for events but never at home.  I’m not sure why I never thought to do this from my own little gathering.  You can be sure next time I’m having folks over I will be concocting something colorful to drink.

Day Nine: Expand Your Horizons ~ Michael Green, Wine & Spirits Consultant and Educator

What I learned from Michael is that there is no need to feel guilty about buying wine by design.

Choose bottles by their label design to add surprise. When you’re lost in the aisles of your favorite wine and spirits shop, try something new by design. Look for the most interesting bottle or the most outrageous label and enjoy the surprise that may await you inside the bottle, too.

Sure I’ve bought wine just because the label caught my eye but my secret desire to be more of a wine aficionado would scold me for being sucked in by good design.  Not any more, thanks to Michael.  Now when I’m smitten with a bottle of wine strictly based on its great label I’m going to buy it without hesitation and enjoy discovering if the wine inside is as satisfying as the design on the outside.

Day Ten: Each of Us Can Make an Impact Through the Power of Giving ~ You!

The final design day was all about giving back and it was a good reminder to me that–

Giving back is a personal thing; we all have good reasons to support the charitable organizations that we do.

Readers shared their stories, showed their support and had a chance to influence which organization was going to receive a contribution thanks to a generous donation from Benjamin Moore.

I learned about several charities that were new to me and also discovered a brilliant way to wrap up a successful online event.

Day Seven: Learn More ~Kate Smith, Color Expert and Forecaster

Yep, that’s me and here’s what else I learned from participating in Ten Design Days.

All of my fellow experts were excellent and gave great suggestions.  What I noticed as I was picking out the ideas that most resonated with me was that each one touched upon some aspect of life that is important to me right now.  What I learned:

What we learn is influenced by our current world view.

This reminded me of the quote Julie include in Colorful Insights And Inspirations — “When the student is ready, the master appears.”  Could it be that the I was simply ready to learn these particular things?

In my tips I said, “There will always be areas to explore, ideas to captivate, and connections to discover, there will always be something new and exciting to learn.” Now let me add “and this is true even if you think you’ve heard it all before.”

We change.  Things around us change.   And with each change comes the opportunity for a fresh perspective and for our minds to be opened to seeing and hearing thing differently than we have in the past.  Isn’t that really what learning is all about?

So what have you learned lately?