The Antonio Treatment

I don't know what's gotten into me lately but I've been watching a lot more HGTV. First my new obsession with Sarah's House, and now The Antonio Treatment. I watched Antonio Ballatore win last season of design star, and although I don't really share his funky, slightly punk rock, design aesthetic, I do appreciate his edgy set designer style.

I tuned in to the most recent episode of The Antonio Treatment because he was redoing a retail space in Silver Lake, a clothing store called Pull My Daisy. Retail design is something I've never done, but has always interested me, so I thought maybe I could learn a thing or two...and I did!

I really enjoy watching the construction side of things and seeing how the designer and crew work through problems that arise and get the job done. Here are a few before and after photos from the project. (Please excuse the poor quality of photos, I had to copy still frames from the video online, as no other photos of the project are available.) You can watch the episode here.

The clothes and accessories in the store looked kind of amazing, so I'm thinking a Saturday trip up to Silver Lake is in order.

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I'm pretty sure they scored these deco chairs from the Wertz Brothers Antique Mart in Santa Monica.

Sarah's House

Move over Candice Olson, there's a new Canadian designer in town by the name of Sarah Richardson, and she's pretty fabulous. No offence to Candice, in fact, I kind of love her and am convinced that if we ever met we'd become best friends. But alas, that does not stop me from giving rave reviews to the series "Sarah's House", which plays sporadically on HGTV.

"Sarah's House" follows interior designer Sarah Richardson and her side kick Tommy Smythe as they remodel a 4 story 2,200 sqft home near Toronto. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not always the hugest fan of HGTV for their sometimes questionable taste (Design on a Dime) and the unrealistic expectations that the network sometimes gives my clients in terms of budget and time frame. (If you can re-do an entire room for $500 in less than 24 hours it either: a) does not look that great up close, or b) could only be possible with an entire crew of people offering their services for free in your driveway.)

Sarah is a real designer and has realistic budgets for her projects. Sarah and Tommy have a contemporary style and renovate each room from floor to ceiling, explaining where they spend their money, where they save, and why. On the "Sarah's House" HGTV website, she even lists her sources, which is super helpful when wanting to create the same look. Here's a look at Sarah's living room make over:

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On the episode I watched today, Sarah took Ikea cabinetry and turned her shabby existing space into a stunning kitchen. That's right, I said Ikea. The photos I found on the Internet don't quite do the kitchen remodel justice, but trust me, it was beautiful, especially considering the tight budget and prefab cabinets. She added her own personal touches to make the kitchen feel and look as custom as possible. These touches included counter to cabinet back splash made of penny round marble mosaic, granite counter tops, and repainting the doors of the upper cabinets a creamy white to contrast with the rest of the taupe cabinet color.

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