Kristan Cunningham

Dig.Drop.Done …. and WIN!

Kristan — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 21:40:27 +0000

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Bulbs. Dig, Drop, Done. for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I’m not gonna lie, after 10 years of being a home owner, the idea of going back to renting (in a building!!! the horror!!!!) just plain made me want to cry. You can hear people doing things, smell what they’re cooking, AND there’s basically a guarantee you’ll run into them at some point when you have zit cream on your face. But when we walked into our loft, none of that mattered…

100 yr old floors with 100 years of character imprinted on them was all I needed to see. I sprinted over to the listing agent’s office to cut in front of the other couple who were looking at the space to secure first dibs. I’m not proud of this, but I DO live in a rad loft now, soooo….

Moving in and getting settled was like a wonderful courtship, and then- outta nowhere, smack in the middle of a Saturday morning- it hit me. The sun is out, it’s a beautiful day, and I would have to put on shoes and lipstick and brush my hair to actually enjoy it…I have no yard. No front porch. No balcony. Not even a doorstep! Which means no trips to the nursery, no hard earned dirt under my fingernails and no sexy slow motion water hose fights!!!! ( I tend to remember my life in movie scenes, and it’s better this way, y’all). All of a sudden, I realized, no garden

At first I thought I’d just take a sabbatical from caring for plants and flowers, because the garden and I have always had a bit of a love/hate relationship anyhow, if we’re being honest. I’ve forever found the entire process of gardening to be incredibly intimidating and time consuming and- if we’re being really honest- frustrating, because I’m just no good at it. But I quickly found that the loft was lacking the kind of spirit that only living things can bring to a space and began doing research on indoor gardens.

So you can imagine how serendipitous it was to hear from Dig,Drop,Done.com is the streamlined website I’d been begging for. You don’t need to have an understanding of your climate zone and you don’t need to know fancypants soil terms, info is delivered in bite size tips via The Ladies . There are three, and there’s one to represent all of us. Juliana is my people: lives in the city but the absence of a yard doesn’t mean a flowerless life! Blooms live large on her tiny terrace and she takes a high design approach to her ideas for incorporating them, like this nugget:

Flower bulbs make the most striking display if you plant them in large groups. A large clump of one color attracts more attention than if you plant just a few here and there.

I’m busy and cheap, first and foremost, so my goal in life has always been to find ways to live beautifully with minimal time and money invested. What I’ve learned via this site is that I can take an afternoon this fall, plant a few containers and get on with the rest of my to do list. And, like a gift I gave myself and forgot about, be rewarded with weeks of beautiful color next spring. And bulbs return year after year, often in greater numbers… talk about getting a great bang for your buck!

In addition to schooling us in all things bulbs,Dig,Drop,Done! has partnered with Curbside Chaos for an amazing contest where, wait for it….THE WINNER RECEIVES A $5,000 YARD MAKEOVER!!!! But slow your roll y’all… that’s not even the best part… the lovely and talented @TanyiaNayak will come to your house to consult on the whole shebang!! And all you have to do is submit a photo of your yard to Curbside Chaos… this should totally be illegal or something! It’s an amazing opportunity for someone, eh hem, who has a yard (luuuucky!) to finally see it become the crown jewel of the neighborhood. Plus, for every share on Twitter, “Bulbs. Dig, Drop, Done.” will donate $1.00 to Rebuilding Together – the nation’s leading nonprofit, working to preserve affordable homeownership and revitalize communities. It’s a win win, my pretties

And while you’re over on the Curbside Chaos site, be sure to check out the Garden Guru Tool down in the left corner. I won’t tell your best friend, but this is gonna be your new best friend. It literally walks you through a few steps to get you from 0 to planting…

1. You choose the color that represents your location to determine your climate (I’m fleshy beige, FYI)

2. Choose the month that you want your bulbs to grow

3. Choose what type of bulbs you want to plant

4. Take in all of the free advice, custom tailored to you- including a checklist of supplies! – and pat yourself on the back for being so smart and proactive in making your life a little lovelier

Ok, I’m off to go bulb shopping. And for the first time in this designer’s life, it won’t be at the lighting store Make sure to visit www.digdropdone.com to learn more. Happy gardening everyone! xx, kc

Kristan Cunningham to Appear on CBS’ ‘The Talk: Redo-U’ on Thursday, Jan. 5

Kristan — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 23:46:19 +0000

Kristan Cunningham will be appearing on CBS’ “The Talk” on Thursday, January 5 at 2pm ET 1pm PT/CT in a Redo-U segment called “Making Your Home Your Own.” Check out “The Talk” site for more information here and make sure to check out all of Kristan’s DIY resources and design reports.

A Very Swedish Christmas

Kristan — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 18:27:06 +0000

I am always excited when I see that special Holiday tent go up at IKEA. Not only do I love decking the halls, but I like doing it with style for less. This year those crazy Scandinavians have really outdone themselves with some beautiful decorations for ridiculously low prices.

Top Row:
Yrsno Hanging Decoration, Mushroom $8.99/8pk
Barbar Tray, $4.99
Slom Bottle With Stopper, $3.99
Middle Row:
Yrsno Ribbon, $2.99
Strala Decoration Lighting, white forest, $19.99
Yrsno Wreath, $9.99
Bottom Row:
Strala Pendant Lamp, $12.99
Yrsno Gift Wrap, $4.99
Yrsno Hanging Decoration, $6.99/4pk

Catch Kristan Cunningham on ‘The Talk’ on Tuesday, November 22

Kristan — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 23:45:34 +0000

Kristan Cunningham will be appearing on CBS’ “The Talk” tomorrow – Tuesday, November 22 – at 2pm ET 1pm PT/CT to discuss her Holiday decorating ideas and give tips on how to spice up that spruce and spruce up your home with the Holiday season rapidly approaching. Check out “The Talk” site for more information here and check out the below videos for more Holiday decorating tips from Kristan:

Setting the Table for Entertaining

How to Create Table Centerpieces

Make a Bar at Home

Thanksgiving Decoration Ideas

Christmas Decoration Ideas

Kristan Cunningham to Appear on OWN Network’s Home Made Simple

Kristan — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 23:28:08 +0000

I’m pleased as punch to announce that, this Sunday, Oct. 30, yours truly will be making a guest appearance on the OWN network’s Home Made Simple. This will be one of three episodes that I help out on this season, and I’ll keep you posted with airdates for the next two

The lovely Paige Davis hosts this fun new show and she’s called on her network of expert friends- a total added bonus, since all of us go way back- to join her in working alongside some really special families. The beautiful and talented Amy Devers, the fierce and fabulous Jesse Brune and myself make one heck of a dream team (if I do say so myself!) in this week’s show

Kristan Cunningham’s Los Feliz Home Featured in LA Times

Kristan — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 19:19:17 +0000

Kristan’s beautiful new home in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles was recently featured in the LA Times in their home design section. The artciel focuses mainly on how Kristan blended design styles and motifs seamlessly to make their home feel warm and unique. Here’s a quick excerpt from the article:

“Designed by Bartholomew Mako, a Hungarian-born artist, the residence has become Cunningham’s exercise in celebrating period architecture — complete with romantic friezes, storybook touches and a Batchelder tile fountain in the living room atrium — while decorating in a way feels contemporary, young and not restrained by a single style.”

Read the rest here.

/via LA Times

Kristan Cunningham Featured in Good Housekeeping September Issue

Kristan — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 20:54:51 +0000

Kristan Cunningham was featured in the September issue of Good Housekeeping magazine in the “Ask a Designer” column in which she wrote a response to a Facebook question about bathroom wall art.

Object Lovers Unite!

Kristan — Thu, 12 May 2011 17:10:08 +0000

From the co-owner of one of my favorite sites, Rare Device, there is a new book that I just love leafing through. Lisa Congdon’s A Collection A Day Book is the culmination of her 2010 Collection a Day project: a daily documentation of arrangements of items she has amassed, posted online on her blog. Some are real and photographed, some are imagined and drawn…all are eye-candy for object lovers everywhere and proof that utter beauty is in the regular “stuff” we live with everyday…

On the Wire

Kristan — Fri, 06 May 2011 18:40:01 +0000

I love the look of wire baskets. A little bit country, little bit industrial, they work beautifully with so many styles. On tables filled with fruit, by the front door as a place to put mail, holding yarn or magazines… anything you please. You can find lots of new options at stores these days, but I like the patina and the price of vintage ones more. Just look at this sampling of totally affordable cuties from etsy!

Vintage Metal Wire Planter Stand for Flower Baskets from GlassnMore $18
Vintage Metal Chicken Wire Basket from GreySquirrelAntiques $25
Vintage Yellow Wire Egg Gathering Basket from HuntandFound $44
Vintage Farmhouse Wire Canning Jar Basket from JunkFromMyTrunk $12
Vintage White Wire Farmhouse Basket from Wavelee $17
Vintage Metal Dairy Crate from vintageseventyfive $32

Fit to be Ty-ed

Kristan — Thu, 05 May 2011 18:35:04 +0000

I’m so impressed by Extreme Home Makeover’s Ty Pennington’s new line of fabrics! They’re fun, fresh, casual and hip. It’s a collection of sateens, cottons, laminated, and fleece fabrics called ‘Ty Pennington Impressions.’ From the horse’s mouth: “I am constantly finding inspiration everywhere I look, but primarily it comes from architecture, nature, travel and stories from the extraordinary people I meet.” I’m into it. Nice job Ty!