House Beautiful 101 Makeovers - Indoor Trees

In Feb. 2009. House Beautiful published 101 easy/instant home makeover ideas from 101 interior designers. Over the next few weeks, I'll be featuring some of the great ideas from that list and my thoughts on achieving the look on a budget.

Makeover Idea #2 from Celerie Kemble

"Buy a tree in a basket or planter and put it in your loneliest corner. I love a fiddle leaf fig for its sweet platypus bill-like leaves. If you want to got he extra mile, stock some uplights behind it."

Celerie Kemble under a lovely fiddle leaf fig tree.

I've been so inspired this week, driving by all the nurseries who are (finally) putting out their plants for sale now that it's spring. I've always been a fan of potted topiaries, but I'm intrigued by Ms. Kemble's tree concept. And apparently a lot of other designers like the idea as well...

Don't these rooms look beautiful and fresh? Many designers say there should always be some sort of fresh cut or living plant in every room. A potted tree, while maybe a bit of an investment at first, will last for many years. Seems down right thrifty compared to buying fresh flowers every week.

House Beautiful 101 Makeovers - Small Wallpapering Projects

In Feb. 2009. House Beautiful published 101 easy/instant home makeover ideas from 101 interior designers. Over the next few weeks, I'll be featuring some of the great ideas from that list and my thoughts on achieving the look on a budget.

Makeover Idea #60 from Ruthie Sommers

"Wallpaper a closet. A linen closet only needs a couple of rolls and you will feel sheer joy every time you open it."

Closet design by Ruthie Sommers via Domino

Wallpaper can be expensive and difficult to install on your own (especially for a large space). Like Ruthie Sommers suggests in the HB article, papering a smaller area can be a great solution to the wallpaper-lovers-but-cynics out there and will continue to provide a cheap pick me up long after installation.

Here are a few inspiration photos of papering projects that I think could easily be completed in one day:

The inside of your closet


A small powder bath



A single accent wall


The back and/or sides of a bookcase or hutch


Think outside the box by papering a door panel


or a screen.


One idea that I'm loving lately is installing wallpaper inside simple wall moulding that's painted a contrasting color.


You know that eBay is my go-to source for cheap wallpaper, but there really are a lot of great options out there, especially if you're willing to splurge a little more (Walnut Wallpapers and Graham & Brown are favorites. For high-end designer papers, check Decorator's Best).

I was surprised to learn that American Blinds sells wallpaper for really cheap (in most cases).
Sunset put together this collection of wallpaper from this really inexpensive resource.


I also like this gray and yellow trellis print from the American Blinds site ($23.45 per single roll).


And I am so, so crazy about this beautiful floral by Pierre Duex, also from the same site. It's pricey at about $50 a roll, but looks just like designer papers that costs many times that. My head is spinning, imaging what I would do with this paper...


Do you have any inspiring wallpaper projects to share? Check back later on this week for a peek at my papered closet...