Let’s just ignore the bizarre weather that has left parts of the country stunned the past few weeks and welcome spring, a magical time of year when homes are reinvigorated by warming weather and bright colors. (Quick poll: Is there any better feeling than the first night you can choose to leave the windows open?)

Of course, spring time is when various around-the-home projects are revisited or thought up. But hold your paint roller right there, because a recent story from the folks at House Beautiful shows how the softer colors of spring can make for a great choice for your bedroom walls.

Steal some inspiration from spring and check out some of these great paint schemes from the House Beautiful story that could work year-round (including the photo above):

We recently attended the annual Minneapolis Home & Garden Show and came away impressed by a number of fine craft artists in the Twin Cities area who produce interior goods.

Deirdre Hjelle creates mosaic art that can be used on any vertical or horizontal surface (see example above). She works with a technique called “opus sectile,” or “cut work,” seen in the image atop this post. Each piece is cut by hand from a stone slab — most commonly granite, marble, travertine or slate — and then fitted together like a puzzle. She puts a backing on groups of pieces so that larger installations can go together in just a few slabs.

The cabinets shown in the photo at right were built by Dan Jaskowick, who has an impressive portfolio of kitchen, bath, media and fireplace cabinetry. Jaskowick has been in business for 30 years and offers a lifetime warranty on his work.

Finally, a company that we like for its innovation, quality and heritage of family ownership: Cambria USA. Cambria uses engineered stone made from 93 percent pure quartz with 7 percent resin and binder. Shown in the photo below, it’s non-porous, stronger than granite and requires no sealant. We’ve seen some amazing things created with Cambria.

How about you? Been to any home shows this year? Got any products to share?

Over at Architectural Digest, they are featuring some beautiful celebrity kitchens. We recommend checking them all out and imagining how your favorite celebrities whip up gourmet meals, but we have to share the one we loved the most. Feast your eyes on this unusual kitchen:

No, it’s not in a European dungeon — although you probably figured that out from the stainless steel appliances. It’s Gerard Butler’s New York kitchen and it manages to be subtly masculine and cozy at the same. It seems like the sort of kitchen where you might roast a whole pig just as easily as you could boil up some pasta.

During the colder months, this kitchen would be especially nice to warm up in. It’s not the typical light and bright kitchen we’re used to seeing, but it works. We’re jealous of Gerard! You can read more about it here.

What do you think of his kitchen?

Image courtesy of Architectural Digest

Most people love to pick out colors, fabrics and finishes when remodeling, but I love the first step: space planning. When done right, it can produce a finished room that feels larger and performs more efficiently.

–Natalie Myers, interior designer

Writing for Houzz.com, Myers walks us through the key steps to make sure you’re using your home’s space effectively — no matter the amount or arrangement. Her process will help you find the best arrangement for your lifestyle (after all, that’s what matters), and though she uses wide-open floor plans to illustrate her points, she says “these tips will work for any space-planning challenge, big or small.”

Here are Myer’s steps, quickly. Be sure to read her full piece for the details.

What are your space needs? How much space do you have, and what do you need the space to do? When creating a dining space within a kitchen, for example, make sure to leave room for diners to sit and pull out chairs.

What are your space relationships? Once you’ve figured out what you need from your space, you can start to arrange those spaces in relation to each other. Comfortable seating nearby a children’s play space, for example.

What are the existing conditions? Take into account things you can’t change easily or that affect which spaces go where: locations of doors, electrical outlets, architectural columns, and so on.

Don’t let paths of travel be an afterthought. We’re guessing she’s pointing this out because she often sees this rule violated.

That’s just a sampling of the advice Myers shares in her article for Houzz.com. Any other tips or tricks you’ve learned about effectively using space?

[photo by Richard Shugar AIA, LEED AP, via Houzz.com]

Often times, the hardest part of a successful remodeling or redesign project is knowing where to start. A blank slate — “If we could do anything with this room, what would we do?” — is daunting.

In this video, a case study of a living room interior design project from Lou Manfredini’s HouseSmartsTV, the designer talks through her process — and notes that the process started with her clients asking to incorporate an Asian influence. That tidbid helped inform the design approach, setting the tone for the room without becoming too obvious or overbearing.

Watch the video for more tips ideas on how to best tackle your own interior design project, and of course, you can find more videos from HouseSmartsTV on YouTube.

Everyone has their own personal style, but let’s face it — some people just have a knack for decorating. To give the rest of us an idea of things to avoid, House Beautiful (via MSN Real Estate) has some tips. Here are a few of our favorites. Check out the rest at MSN!

• Overzealous Decorative Painting: Color is great, but be judicious. Remember that you’re not living in a beautiful photograph — this is actually your home. Once the newness of that apple green accent wall wears off, will you really want to look at it every day?
• Furniture Pushed Up Against the Walls: Do you really want to strain to converse with someone who is sitting on a chair huddled against the wall on the other side of the room? MLuxe recommends creating conversation spaces instead.
• A Single Light Source: Unless your room is incredibly small, you’ll need more than one lamp. A single overhead light can be harsh. For activities like reading, you’ll want to have smaller, concentrated lights.

Articulating a vision is one of the most difficult aspects to building a home or planning a remodeling project. For those who are not interior designers or architects, Autodesk Homestyler has come to the rescue. The 3D design software is free, entirely Web-based and easier than hammering a nail.

With Autodesk Homesyler, users can create their dream home from scratch by choosing from a wide range of floor plans and more than 22,000 name-brand products from the product catalog (including Marvin Window and Doors). To kick-start inspiration, users can browse the design gallery to view and tinker with designs made by other users. There’s also a series of advice videos from professional interior designer Nadia Geller.

No more flipping through design magazines and spending hours perusing real estate websites. A mental picture isn’t good enough. Check out Autodesk Homestyler to render your dream project. It just might be the first step toward completion.

This month’s issue of Architectural Digest includes a tour of Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne’s new Los Angeles home, which was designed by Martyn Lawrence-Bullard. Think the bright, eclectic space was inspired by the Prince of Darkness? Think again. “Sharon rules the roost when it comes to decor,” Lawrence-Bullard said.

With their now-adult children having flown from the nest and their previous home becoming something of a tourist attraction after the success of their reality show, Sharon says the couple sought a quieter, simpler refuge. Sharon stumbled upon a 10,000-square-foot home in a gated community in Hidden Hills. They pounced and immediately had the home converted from seven bedrooms to just three. That’s when Lawrence-Bullard came in.

The Osbourne home has all the charm of an English farmhouse with massive windows overlooking green hills and fields. We particularly like the use of sliding barn doors, which creates more intimate settings amid a floor plan full of sprawling rooms. The home is accented with purple and light blue hues throughout, combining vitality and luxury against distressed white paint and wood floors.

Be sure to check Architectural Digest for more on the home.

[Photos courtesy of Architectural Digest]

While perusing the latest news on Apartment Therapy, we saw their beautiful slideshow of cool bathrooms. You should check it out! One picture in particular captivated us:

It’s a modern and chic take onthe bathroom, with what appears to be slate floors and walls, lots of natural light and a monochromatic look accentuated with pops of color.

But it’s the bath-shower that really draws attention. We love the curved showerhead that allows water to pour down like a waterfall and we especially love the sunken tub. It makes the bathroom look 10 times bigger. The eye barely registers that it is a tub-shower combination.

The one thing we wonder though: Is it safe? Without any (visible) handrails, could stepping down into the tub be more of a falling risk? What do you think? Is a sunken tub-shower combination a fresh new look for the bathroom?

This video from Candice Olson’s “Divine Design” show on HGTV demonstrates the steps taken in turning a previously shabby attic space into a beautiful master bedroom. If you have four minutes to spare, you can probably pick up some interesting ideas for your next painting, redecorating or renovation project.

You can more great master bedroom design tips and ideas from Candice on her website.