…And yours truly is flabbergasted to find herself amongst the pages! As I mentioned a while ago I had a bog shoot in NYC, and this is what it was for! Oprah and IKEA have partnered together for a year long initiative, The Life Improvement Project aimed at helping people better their lives through their homes, one idea at a time. Launching October 16th the website www.thelifeimporvementproject.com will be a place where people can share and gather ideas on how to improve their spaces and lives within. With each submitted or shared project, IKEA will make a $1 donation (up to $50,000) to Save the Children’s Early Steps for School Success program and each sumission enters you to win IKEA gift cards to implement MORE great changes in your home.
I was so honored to be asked to be on the Life Improvement Squad as the interior design expert along with entertaining guru Amy Atlas, life coach Susan Hyatt and green designer Cathy Hobbs. We are going to be giving our own tips on the site as well as appear at O/ IKEA events in different parts of the country, starting with the O You! Conference in LA next week! I’ll be in LA all week doing shoots for OWN and appearing at the conference and IKEA events and will blog from there all about this amazing experience (and if I get to meet Oprah herself- we shall see!)
I am really excited about this opportunity and hope you guys will pick up a copy of O to check it out. In the meantime, here are some IKEA all-stars I love using in my designs….
This rug has been sold out for months and months, and I just saw that it’s back in stock in my local store and I am tempted to drop everything to go get it! It’s exactly what we’ve wanted for our offices!
Speaking of offices, I’d say 75% of ours is from IKEA. Our desks are actually dining tables and we have two Expedit units with baskets and bins in them for fabric samples. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve used these sturdy shelving units in homes for books, kids toys and the like. I am LOVING the new high gloss gray finish too!
That armoire is from IKEA too! A major face since it’s got such great hardware and is a gorgeous color!
The Malm dresser is one of the most hacked IKEA products out there- whether it’s new hardware to make it look like a campaign chest or O’Verlays to add some decoration to the fronts, I love the flexibility of this piece! Also loving the new mirrored version- so sleek and glamorous.
Another great hack on the Rast dresser- amazing. I may have to try this! Instructions HERE.
For lighting these two are are super stars- the clean modern Brasa and the fun and funky Maskros (now in a smaller size too!)
The Docksta table is now a classic affordable piece of modern design as are the acrylic Tobias chair.
Picking up some cheap art (and frames for that matter) is usually something I do too- check out this vintage botanical chart print and Matisse print- both fantastic looking for very little money!
J.Crew/ Mint
