You Said It: Memorable Quotes Around Houzz This Week

Often when I'm reading an ideabook or interviewing a professional to write one myself, a golden nugget of a sentence or phrase pops up. It could be just a few words — a statement that rings true or an unexpected but apt analogy. These words strike me, stick with me, simply make me laugh or all of the above. Here are some ideas and comments that struck a chord this week, as well as links to the full stories where they came from.

"Try not to be jealous." — 1890 Victorian Gal, aka Victoria Elizabeth Barnes

"Our previous owner did a DIY kitchen ... and his design included a very odd peninsula/island-type thing that was only about 3 feet off the ground ... they had tiny stools to go with it and everything," Barnes wrote in the Comments section of a recent call for nutty home fixes. "As soon as we moved in, we ripped off and jacked up the countertop with 2-by-4 to make an actual usable island ... it's been like this for over three years."

That jealousy quotation leans on sarcasm a little, in case you couldn't tell.

From the Comments in: Houzz Call: Show Us Your Nutty Home Fixes


"Why hang one or two baskets when you can hang a whole bunch?" — home writer Laura Gaskill

Why indeed? This dynamic arrangement of colorful baskets by Natalie Fuglesveit Interior Design certainly backs up that statement.

Full story: A Dozen Creative Ideas for Decorating Blank Walls


"Don't forget to eat the fruit." — decorator Charmean Neithart

You may have bought those apples or pomegranates for display, but don't let them sit there and rot. Neithart reminds us that they are food, after all, and should be enjoyed.

Full story: 12 Home Hot Spots for Holiday Decorating


"Many of us swing between perfection and squalor, an exhausting and demoralizing routine." — home writer Alison Hodgson

This described me to a T, and it made me feel better to know I'm not alone. I tend to let home-keeping things go, because I think everything has to be sparkling clean and perfect, from the dust on the ceiling fan down to the crud in the baseboards. It paralyzes me, preventing me from just vacuuming or wiping down quickly sometimes. Hodgson's ideabook is a really good guide to honing better housekeeping habits and not being too tough on yourself.

Full story: How to Build Your Housekeeping Muscle


"From above, the house looks like a scattering of plane parts, most prominently the wings. For this and other reasons, the project had to be registered with the FAA, so pilots do not mistake it as a downed aircraft." — architect John Hill

He had me at "looks like a scattering of plane parts." Home design that involves alerting the FAA is definitely something that makes me want to continue reading.

Full story: Houzz Tour: A Salvaged Airplane Becomes a Soaring Hillside Home


"Bigger isn't better; better is better." — architect Dylan Chappell

Look, we know that Houzz features homes in all shapes and sizes, but while it's fun to tour large mansions or ogle an expansive master bath, size doesn't matter as long as there is good design. This efficient bathroom has everything one needs to take care of business.

Full story: 5 Common Bathroom Design Mistakes to Avoid


"Just when it seemed time to relax and celebrate their new kitchen, disaster struck in the form of a 2-year-old with permanent markers and a highly inflated notion of his artistic ability. You could have heard Jess' shrieks from the next county." — decorator and author Becky Dietrich

Haven't we all been there? "A highly inflated notion of his artistic ability" really made me laugh as I simultaneously felt horrified on behalf of this couple, who had just put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into their kitchen renovation. All's well that ends well; they figured out the right formula to erase their budding Picasso's handiwork.

Full story: Stylish New Kitchen, Shoestring Budget: See the Process Start to Finish


"This is not tile Garanimals." — interior designer Joni Spear

When I was interviewing Spear, she made this comment offhand, but the analogy to the matching kids' clothing line that gained popularity when I was a kid was just so fitting. While many companies will set up a Garanimal-type matching tile system for you (and there's nothing wrong with that), lots of pros work hard to get a mix of complementary tiles just right, pulling from different lines and brands. The resulting combinations are often unique and beautiful.

Full story: Art Deco Style Meets Modern Sensibility in a Glamorous Master Bath


"That's the kind of thing we'd rather be spending time on [being with the kids; creating art projects for their home]. Drywalling our bedroom can wait." — homeowner Michelle Temporale

This was such a refreshing statement. It's OK to let your home go or put off time-consuming restoration projects when your free time with family is so precious.

Full story: Raw Aesthetics Rule in a Toronto Family Home


“While this house had some crown molding, it had zero baseboards or trim. That’s like cake with no frosting.” — interior designer Beth Dana

The owner's finding this now-charming cottage came about, one could argue, because she used The Secret. However it came to be, her home is dreamy.

Full story: Houzz Tour: A Vision Come True in Santa Barbara

Tell us: Did a tip, an analogy or just a great way with words from one of our featured ideabooks this week stick with you? If so, please share it in the Comments section.

URL: You Said It: Memorable Quotes Around Houzz This Week http://www.decor-ideas.org/cases-view-id-21547.html