Jean Francois is a single guy who loves adventure travel rock-climbing, hiking and backpacking, in particular. While scaling sheer rock faces in the far corners of Earth, he collected special souvenirs along the way, and took lots of photos. He recently bought a pint-size, one-bedroom house that was just the kind of place he wanted to call home. But it was missing that personal touch.

Jean Francois bought a sofa and positioned it in the tiny living room, but then drew a blank when it came to filling the rest of the space with his few, but meaningful, possessions.

After traveling for months at a time, this confirmed bachelor wanted a space to come home to, where he could relax with friends or get comfortable with a good book. We had to come up with a multifunctional plan that included his sofa, carpets and travel mementos, but one that also used his small, 200-square-foot living room and dining room to maximum advantage. I wanted this space to be a true reflection of Jean Francois' personality and his passion for adventure travel, so I came up with a design that made the most of his photos, artifacts and other souvenirs.

First, we opened up the space by removing a corner cupboard and a bulky electric radiator under the window. The old ceiling came down, and we installed recessed lighting along with new insulation and drywall. Jean Francois' comfy sofa took up residence in the former dining room, along with a stylish, low coffee table with a hinged top that swings up to create the perfect working surface. The walls in this old house were uneven, and to deal with that we used the oldest trick in the book we covered them up with gorgeous, textured chocolate-brown cork wallpaper that is masculine yet provides the perfect backdrop for the art and accessories we chose. A pair of indigo-and-white geometric print area rugs, one for each "room," helped to separate and anchor the two spaces, while uniting them in appearance.

I wanted the casual dining-room area to be a place where Jean Francois could entertain a few friends in relaxed comfort. A stylish, yet welcoming, burnt-orange settee is flanked by two tall full-height custom bookcases, providing lots of display space for his travel mementos and books. We installed mirrored tiles on the wall behind the settee to reflect light and give the illusion of more space. If I had to choose one "showstopper" piece in this makeover, it would be the custom-made table designed specifically to reflect Jean Francois' personality. This solid, round steel table sits on a base that incorporates actual rocks, bringing to mind the many cliffs he has scaled. It's a raw, yet refined, piece that reflects its owner's personality to a T.

To make this space even more personal, we used some of Jean Francois' own photos to create tall photography scrolls that we positioned on either side of the doorway leading into the front hall. Fresh paint, a stylish new flat radiator, new full-height draperies and the soft new lighting all combine to give this space a completely different feel. It's still compact, but multifunctional and hardworking, doing triple duty as lounge, library and dining room.

Best of all, this bachelor-pad makeover was designed with Jean Francois in mind. We took care to create a space that would truly be home; a place where this world traveler could hang his hat, at least temporarily, while he plans his next adventure.

Interior decorator Candice Olson is host of HGTV's "Candice Tells All." For more ideas, information and show times visit http://www.hgtv.com/candice-tells-all/show/index.html.

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Bachelor-pad makeover has personality plus

Rina is a city girl through and through. Husband Nilesh enjoys living in their new suburban home, and wants to help his wife get over her culture shock so they can settle down and enjoy their new space. The solution? I was hired to bring the city to suburbia.

The family room in this young couple's home was stuck in a time warp. Faux finishes of every description, a stucco ceiling, a worn carpet and a dated fireplace insert created a culture shock of their own an '80s time warp, to be exact.

Rina missed the exciting vibe and trendy flair of her former downtown haunts, but the extensive changes that would be necessary to update this space were daunting for the young homeowners. Fortunately, our team has lots of experience with transforming spaces from dated designs to new-century cool. "Hip" and "trendy" were the watchwords for this reno, so we set about creating a space that would help Rina warm up to suburban living.

The sheer scope of this job was impressive.

My grand plan involved a fireplace makeover, removal of the dated wainscoting and a smooth, freshly drywalled ceiling complete with recessed lighting. An unsightly bulkhead would be nicely camouflaged within the design of club-style banquette seating, and the rest of the room would be filled with modern furniture, a work space and a media center. Everything would be centered on the focal point of this room, the fireplace.

The clock was ticking, so the crew dug in and gutted the room. Once we were down to a blank slate, it was time to rebuild the club-inspired party room from the ground up. We installed a wooden floor that blended with the flooring in the rest of the house. We also tackled the rough walls with their various faux finishing treatments. Smoothing them out involved "skimming," a tedious but necessary process that banished the ragging, sponging and stenciling for good. Did I mention the crackle finish? Yikes!

The family-room fireplace got a classy face-lift with the installation of a new gas insert and a surround made from a gorgeous, cream-colored quartz stacked stone with a natural sparkle just the thing to glam up the place. We flanked the fireplace with a large glass-fronted display case and a media center.

Directly opposite is a swanky lounge area, complete with the rich, custom-made banquette and Rina and Nilesh's reupholstered tulip chairs, all positioned around a round, quartz-topped cocktail table with a pedestal base carved to resemble a tree. Plentiful throw cushions give the banquette a feeling of cozy comfort at the end of the day, this space has to be glamorous, but livable, too.

Perhaps one of the coolest features of this room is the lighting accent that hangs above the table. A recessed light in the ceiling shines down on a group of crystal drop pendants, making them sparkle and adding just the right touch of classy elegance to this space.

To finish off the furnishings, we placed two charcoal loveseats on a creamy, textured area rug and added an oval ottoman in the center. Creamy drapes flanking graphic printed roller blinds for the patio doors and a small work center tucked into the corner add the finishing touches to a hip and cool, but still functional, gathering place.

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Trendy décor makeover revives a dated family room

Gertrude Brooks Hankin, 90, of Jenkintown, interior decorator for several buildings developed by the Hankin Organization, died Thursday, July 19, at her home.

Mrs. Hankin was the wife of Perch Hankin, one of the founders of the Hankin Organization.

Born in Philadelphia, she graduated from Overbrook High School, attended Bucknell University, and earned a bachelor's degree in liberal arts at what is now Arcadia University in 1943 after marrying Mr. Hankin in 1942.

She worked in the chain of millinery stores operated by her parents in Philadelphia, New Jersey, and Delaware.

Son Mark, founder of the Hankin Management Co., successor to the Hankin Organization, said in a Monday interview that his parents' firm built and operated the George Washington Motor Lodges in King of Prussia, Trevose, Plymouth Meeting, and Allentown and operated Howard Johnson motels in Horsham and Willow Grove.

Mrs. Hankin was responsible for the interior decoration at all, Mark Hankin said.

The firm also developed, among other locations, the Willow Grove Bowling Lanes and its three restaurants, whose decoration she managed, he said.

Mrs. Hankin was a founding shareholder of the Bank and Trust Co. of Old York Road in Willow Grove and the Bank of King of Prussia, for whose offices she was the interior decorator.

She was president of the local chapter of ORT America and of the auxiliary of the Home for the Jewish Aged, both in the 1960s, Mark Hankin said. She was a member of the Israel Bonds organization.

Besides her son, Mrs. Hankin is survived by another son, George; daughter Madeline Nappen; seven grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren. Her husband died in 1990.

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Gertrude Brooks Hankin, 90, interior decorator

A Langley trio has good reason to hoot and holler after winning the prestigious Calgary Stampede's 2011 team cattle penning competition.

For the second straight year, Taylor Sinclair has played interior decorator for the Fast Times Farm riding arena in Langley.

"Yeah, there'll be two Calgary Stampede (championship) cheques hanging in the arena now - winner last year, winner this year," smiled the young rider on Saturday evening.

During the Stampede's 2011 team cattle penning competition, Taylor teamed up with her mom Cathy Sinclair and her grandfather George De Jonge for an emotional win in the 7 Class.

And on Saturday in the Scotiabank Saddledome, she saddled up with a couple more Lower Mainland penners - Debbie Molnar and Sandy Price, both of Langley - for a thrilling victory in the 10 Class.

The B.C. trio overcame very long odds to enter that winner's circle.

The 10 Class is traditionally the largest division in the competition. And this year, partly owing to the Stampede's 100th birthday and limited-edition, Vic Bennett-handcrafted Centennial Trophy Saddles up for grabs, a mind-blowing 295 teams threw their hats in the ring.

'We didn't think about that stuff. We didn't think about any of it. We had to get a job done," said Price. "We just pen our cows and don't try to go fast; we take what's there and do our best."

The Stampede's team cattle penning competition has drawn a record 764 teams from across the continent for its four divisions, with a total prize purse of $394,610.

The 295 teams in contention to begin the 10 Class competition engaged in two rounds of preliminaries on Wednesday at the Okotoks Agricultural Society in Okotoks, Alta., with 20 teams emerging for Saturday night's third round and final at the Saddledome.

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Penners ride to victory

Thirteen-year-old Calvin is not ready to fly the coop yet, but he's certainly outgrown his childhood bedroom. There's just not enough space for his electric guitar, his racing skis and his homework let alone his clothes.

With three kids and only three bedrooms on the main floor, parents John and Lucinda know it's time for Calvin to go where no one in the family has gone before: the basement.

The lower level of this bungalow had a lot of space, but it was a total disaster. The basement had become the final resting place for discarded toys and old furniture, and even the drop ceiling was tired and falling down literally.

To make this the perfect place for a teenage boy to jam, sleep, hang out and study, we had to clear out the clutter. We ripped down the old drop acoustical-ceiling tiles and installed sound insulation, recessed lighting and a new acoustical-ceiling system that resembles painted wood planks, really brightening Calvin's basement domain.

I wanted this room to have an awesome focal point, something that shouted young, fun and energetic. I found what I was looking for in Jason, a professional graffiti artist who came to the house and did his thing on the wall directly opposite from the doorway. To say that he turned the name "Calvin" into original art is an understatement. Using bright, bold color, Jason delivered just the "wow factor" I had in mind.

When I was planning this project, I knew I had to focus on longevity. In all likelihood, this room will have to suit Calvin from age 13 to 18, and even beyond. I had to make it functional yet fun, and trendy without being outdated by the time he turns 15. So, I kept it fairly simple. We created a spacious desk-and-storage area opposite Calvin's new queen-size bed, which we topped off with a tall color-blocked headboard and bedding that picked up the red, black, gray and white of the graffiti wall.

There is a lot of storage space in this room, with drawers under the bed as well as in the solid-walnut cabinet that we positioned under the room's only window. We kept the music alive, with a guitar-themed bulletin board and a special wall-mounted hook just for his guitar. The old closet doors got a new lease on life when we applied custom-tinted blackboard paint and turned them into Calvin's very own message board.

Tall shelving units on either side of the bed provide tons of space to display all the mementos of Calvin's teenage years. In a nod to his penchant for giant-slalom ski racing, we created a coat rack from a pair of old skis. The hooks make tidying up a little easier, and will hopefully spare the new carpet from becoming a minefield of teen debris.

Design really is about the details, and we put a lot of thought into creating a room that will grow with Calvin. Not only is it his one-of-a-kind retreat, it's also a functional space that makes the most of this bungalow and the square footage it has to offer.

Of course, a bedroom this awesome totally destroys the theory of being sent to your room as a punishment. But not to worry: John and Lucinda cheerfully told Calvin that, in those cases, he is welcome to their room while they retreat to the basement.

Link:
Teen's new bedroom in basement is fun, functional

Introducing... is The Local's guide to Swedish celebrity. In this instalment Rebecca Martin finds out more about Ernst Kirchsteiger - the softly spoken interior decorator-cum-philosopher who annually invades TV screens all over Sweden.

Ernst? Well, hes more of an institution really. "No summer without Ernst" is something that Swedes seem to all agree on. Ernst is the epitome of the word folkkr or loved by the people - which doesnt mean that everyone loves him really, but rather that everyone knows who he is and will have an opinion on him.

Fine but what does he do and why are you going on about him?

Ernst is the hugely popular interior decorator who hosted the TV-show Sommartorpet ("Summer Cottage") on the national public broadcaster SVT between 2000 and 2007, where the decorating team chose a random old shack somewhere in the countryside and did it up over the course of one summer. Swedes were glued to their screens.

Seriously you are telling me about some old interior decorator guy? Whats the fuzz with him?

Easy tiger, I was getting to that. I said Ernst has become an institution. Theres a reason. How many people do you know who can deliver one-liners such as Has it ever happened that you have found yourself falling in love with a stone? or I want to feel summer all over my body not just dip my toes in it! in every show he hosted? I mean, come on! The guys a philosopher.

Ok, I admit thats pretty... unusual. But why are you telling me about him now?

Its summer and as I said before no Swedish summer is complete without Ernst. After leaving SVT, Ernst went over to commercial TV station TV4 which probably meant a heftier pay cheque and started filming similar programmes with them.

On Thursday, the latest season of the Summer with Ernst show will begin airing on TV4. This season Ernst and his crew have found an empty power station that they are doing up. Riveting stuff!

Power station, you said? What on earth for?

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Introducing... Ernst Kirchsteiger

Monday, July 2, 2012, by Sarah Firshein Photos by Franois Hallard/WSJ. Magazine

This weekend WSJ. Magazine runs a feature on Michael Smith's modernist new home in Los Angeles, which is situated on a fancypants street across from the former Spelling manor. The interior designer and darling of Architectural Digest, who counts the Obamas' Oval Office, the 2011 Oscars greenroom, and Rupert Murdoch's just-sold Rosehearty Mansion among his credits, calls the "heroic" property "an intellectual and a creative exercise" and filled it not with "Mies coffee tables and B&B Italia sofas" but with antiques, mass-market seating from CB2, a growing collection of artwork and photography, mirrors, and pieces such as "weird '70s" John Dickinson lamps. "I get these crushes on things, on periods," Smith tells WSJ.'s Julia Reed. "You hear people say, 'I wanted to be an actor because you get to put yourself in another person's character.' Well, a house is both a set and a character." Have a look above and head to WSJ. Magazine for the full slideshow.

Going Modern, Staying Grand [WSJ. Magazine] All Michael Smith coverage [Curbed National]

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The Printed Page: Inside the Home of Presidential Decorator Michael Smith

Originally published June 19, 2012 at 7:00 PM | Page modified June 19, 2012 at 7:34 PM

Elana and David have three twenty-something kids with very different needs. Their eldest, Laurence, is in a wheelchair, and he needs space and special consideration when it comes to interior design. The other two children are off at college, but come home often to visit. The basement rec room should be a fun place for this sports-loving family to gather, but instead the room was as cold as the unused fireplace. A mishmash of furniture and a lack of purpose translated into an abandoned and lonely space.

I came up with a plan that scored with everyone sort of a "locker room luxe" design that had the home team cheering.

We ran into a couple of hiccups during the demolition specifically, the uneven cement floor and the water damage we found around the fireplace. Once we corrected those problems, though, it was full speed ahead.

My design called for the creation of two distinct zones.

The first is a TV zone, with a comfortable couch upholstered in a durable and spill-resistant indigo fabric. The couch anchors this space, and is placed directly opposite the big-screen television, which is flanked with custom adjustable shelving units. An oh-so-comfortable brown leather lounger with matching ottoman takes up residence between the TV and the new gas fireplace, still allowing plenty of room for Laurence to roll in and maneuver around.

A simple wooden-topped coffee table with sturdy legs and a sports-themed side table will accommodate lots of game-day snacks. Recessed lighting in the ceiling gives overall illumination, while two sconces flank the couch.

A beautiful nickel pendant lamp hangs over the other zone, a games-table-slash-conversation-nook with a couple of very comfy, creamy club chairs and a special adjustable table that raises enough to accommodate the arms of Laurence's wheelchair. The wall behind the games table was covered with a bold, graphic-patterned grasscloth wall covering that has just enough texture and dimension to catch the light cast down from the recessed ceiling fixtures.

The wall covering provides a tasteful touch that the gals love. And as for the accessories, they are all about the guys and their sports! Trophies, cups and hockey pucks all found their way into this space, but with a luxurious twist. The result is a room where the family will be as comfortable sharing a pizza during a game as it will be inviting friends in for a glass of wine and a chat.

Speaking of beverages, Laurence requested a drinks dispenser in the rec room, so we installed a bar fridge in a custom built-in counter, nicely tucked away, and used blackboard paint above it to create a surface that is perfect for scorekeeping. This was custom framed with salvaged hockey sticks, which were sanded down for a little rustic twist.

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Basement renovation scores with sports-loving family

Owner/decorator, Doreen Luethje began a career in decorating in 1995. From beginnings as a faux finish painter and wallcovering installer, she went on to work for and interior design store in Grand Island, Nebraska and a furniture store in York, Nebraska. All the while, she kept her home-based business, Interior Innovations, Inc. doing consulting, drapery treatment design & installation as well as selling and installing blinds and shades. Doreen's dream, however, had always been to open her own store and in early 2004 that dream began to become a reality.

Through the summer, renovations were made to the building at 106 East 5th Street in York, Nebraska. After many hours of hard work, in the October of 2004, Interior Innovations, "the store" opened. Doreen attended the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, is a Window Fashions Certified Professional at the level of Specialist and a Hunter Douglas Window Fashions Institute member at the Silver level. Give Doreen a call and see what her 10 years of experience in helping people make their homes more beautiful can do for you!

Kim Tonniges joined us at Interior Innovations in early 2008. She brings many years of customer service experience with her from her first career as a hairstylist and co-owner of the Townehouse Salon here in York. Kim is still styling hair and making nails beautiful most days, but on Monday and Friday you'll find her here helping our customers choose the perfect furniture and accessories for their home. Kim is very knowledgeable and a valuable asset to our store.

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Interior Innovations

Jefferson, N.C. The Charlotte interior decorator who helped funnel money to an aide of John Edwards to help cover up the presidential candidate's affair says he's disappointed that federal prosecutors have ended the criminal case against Edwards.

Bryan Huffman, a close friend of 101-year-old Virginia heiress Rachel "Bunny" Mellon, told WRAL News in an exclusive interview that he and Mellon felt "basically duped" when they learned that checks from Mellon that Huffman forwarded to Edwards aide Andrew Young and his wife went for the upkeep of Edwards' pregnant mistress, Rielle Hunter, and not to help his 2008 presidential campaign.

"I had no idea what that money was for," he said, adding that Mellon was likewise in the dark about how $725,000 of her money had been spent.

She was taken advantage of in a way, and all she was trying to do was help the country, he said.

Prosecutors accused Edwards of using nearly $1 million from Mellon and Texas trial lawyer Fred Baron to keep Hunter quiet and away from the media during the early portion of the 2008 campaign. After a month of testimony and nine days of deliberations, however, a jury last month found Edwards not guilty of accepting illegal campaign contributions from Mellon in 2008.

Jurors deadlocked on five other charges, including whether money Mellon sent in 2007 was an illegal campaign contribution, and prosecutors said last week that they wouldn't retry Edwards.

"I did think that the jurors did not connect the dots," Huffman said. "I do think there was guilt.

"Campaign finance is a joke."

Huffman corroborated much of the story Young told jurors in his five days on the witness stand during Edwards' trial, including that Mellon devised the back-channel means to deliver checks so her lawyer and financial adviser wouldn't question them. The checks were made out to Huffman for things like antique chairs and cabinets, but he merely endorsed them and forwarded them to Young's wife, who deposited them under her maiden name. One check was even delivered in a box of chocolates.

"She always grew up with the sense that, 'Ive been given a lot, and I need to take care of the country that has been given to me,' he said of Mellon. "She wanted to continue to support and give, so when Andrew called for the money, she said she could go through her personal account without going through legal adviser and managers.

The rest is here:
Key figure in cover-up says Edwards should have been tried again