decorating ideas

Come share your ideas for sprucing up your property.

Moderators: Greg, Mark, mhrAJ333, JD

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shell

has anyone ever found decorating sites or more specifically magazines dedicated to decorating mobile homes? i love pouring over the magz and books and then look at what i have to work with and realize 'that will never work in this space'. it's so frustrating. trailers are more popular now than ever and yet there is still no quality info about decorating. anyone know of any?

ps...i have the old original plastic/vinyl/wood look trim through-out. until i can afford to put up real crown molding will it help to paint what i do have white or would that just draw more attention to something that's already unsightely? i read today that the 'popcorn' ceiling finishes are a thing of the past and should be scraped smooth and painted for a better look. hmmm...
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Sylvia
Posts: 189
Joined: Tue Feb 27, 2007 7:27 pm
Location: Iowa
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Do what appeals to you. Obviously you're not going to make a mcmansion out of a mobile home but you can make it much less obvious that it is a mh.

What specifically are you looking to do, besides the ceiling? People now come into my home and other than the tell tale pitch of the ceiling it's not obvious that it is a mh and most people don't know that it is.

I disregarded the fact that it was a mh and went for a traditional look.
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Yanita
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Joined: Sat Feb 17, 2007 10:16 pm
Location: Eastern N. Carolina

Hi,

I agree with Sylvia, there are many things you can do in a MH that can are done in a traditional home. You just need to do it in a scaled down manner.

I have textured some walls painted others. Take some time and go thru this forum and read what others have done. There are also alot of pics in the photo album, that link is in the task menu at the top of the page..

How big is your home, what are your decorating taste...certainly we can come up with alot of ideas for about any price range and decorating taste!

Look forward to helping you transform your home.

Yanita

Whoops I forgot to answer your question, no I have never found any magazines about decorating a MH, and trust me I am magazine poor! Find a magazine that has your style, about anything that it shows can be done to/in your home as I said above!
The difference between success and failure is who gives up first!
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Sylvia
Posts: 189
Joined: Tue Feb 27, 2007 7:27 pm
Location: Iowa
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On the second to last Design Star show this season on HGTV, Kim did decorate a mh. It was not to my taste but it was still ok. Her choices were somewhat limited because the area she was in was rather limited on the amount of things she could find to purchase. It was done in "country" and I'm not terribly fond of that style for a living room setting.

I was somewhat amazed that they did take someone with a MH as I've never seen that before.

I'd say you're probably at the premier site for decorating ideas. Browse through peoples photo albums and see if you can get ideas.

Decorating all starts with a box that you put stuff in. It doesn't matter what the box is made of if you can cover it, paint it, texture it. etc. It's still the starting point. Design elements are universal. Color, texture, scale, form and function.
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Robin
Posts: 83
Joined: Thu Aug 30, 2007 10:00 am
Location: Epps, Louisiana

I saw that episode! I, too, was really surprised, pleasantly, to see them decorate a mobile home. I thought it looked so much better when Kim got it done.

This really is a great website to get ideas. I'm long on ideas - short on money! Do what I did - sit down with a legal pad or notebook, and have a separate page for each room. Jot down ideas of what you would like to do. I didn't realize that you could do the same kind of upgrading and decorating to a mh that people do to "real houses" until I came here. And just start with one room. When I have funds available, I'm ripping out carpet and putting down laminate.

Good luck!!!
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Susan
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Joined: Mon Feb 26, 2007 10:24 am
Location: American Canyon, CA
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I too saw the Design Star episode. Good ideas (unfortunately not to my taste) and helped dispell the trailer stereotype. I have done several things in my home much like I did in my previous stick built home and with good results.

I think we should all send letters (e-mails) to HGTV suggesting that they do more episodes like the one Kim did. They do ones with condos, apartments, stick builts, why not manufactured homes. We're real people too!
Susan

Accept that some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue
shell

i don't have cable, (no extra $ for a luxery item) but i agree that we should contact design shows and even magazines to encourage them to include mh's in their pages.
macmom

I am going to join in on the HGTV episode that Kim did on design star. I agree that she did a great job fixing it for the couple, but ... The home was trashed, not just in need of repair. I think that it gives people the impression that people that live in a mobile home, live like that. I would love to see a show where the average mobile home needs a bit of upgrading, just because of age, not because of it being trashed.
The door molding was torn up. I agree it is not always the best in a mobile home but my goodness, most are not torn up like that, the blinds had been thru a storm, the carpet had been torn up and never replaced, bare wood was the flooring. Come on most of us dont live like that. I just hate the impression that they gave of Mobile home dwellers...
shell

i completely agree. i don't have cable so i didn't see the program but it annoys me when i see famous decorators like nate berkus updating or re-modleing a home that is in perfect shape already. how 'bout giving some of us some attention too? somewhere there has to be a book or publication on mobile homes, not travel but actual dwelling trailers. if not we need to start one ourselves. i think we would have a good market for that!
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Robin
Posts: 83
Joined: Thu Aug 30, 2007 10:00 am
Location: Epps, Louisiana

I agree. One of the members here, CPA, first got me to thinking about doing some major stuff to my mh. He and his wife bought a dw and he has posted pics on his website of the before, during and after. It looks awesome! If you need some ideas, or maybe some inspiration, check out his profile, and you'll probably find a link to his website. If not, I can give it to you. It's amazing how the inside of their mh looks like a HOUSE instead of a "trailer."
kmclaughlin
Posts: 32
Joined: Sat Jan 19, 2008 3:54 pm

here is one.........................

http://www.countrydecoratingideas.com/f ... large.html
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Yanita
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Joined: Sat Feb 17, 2007 10:16 pm
Location: Eastern N. Carolina

Great link,

Goes to show what some of us have already said, you can make your mobile look like a traditional home. It's in the decorating and scaling down other items...you can use columns and other architectural elements and great look!

Yanita
The difference between success and failure is who gives up first!
beegee

I look for anything with the words "small space" in magazines, when I Google, or when I'm checking out the BH&G and other online decorating sites.

And the other posters here are right on target-pick 'yer style, and get 'er done :lol:

My first owned home was a '62 SW and it was really beautiful after we got it finished. We sold it during the divorce, and made all of the money back plus a bit more. It really did look nice, we just made sure we used lightweight decorating materials.

My latest home is another '60's SW. I'm getting some fantastic ideas here. I was thrilled to read Koiflower's post about using beadboard look wallpaper on kitchen cabinets. She posted pictures of how her project came out-fantastic, and I got the thought that I could use the wallpaper in my little bathroom. By next month I'll have the look I want in my bathroom without the weight or the hassle of cutting the wood, etc.

I'm on a budget too, so I go straight for the clearance table in whatever store I'm in to see if they have anything great. A lot of times the table has something on it that I didn't think of, but snap up and put to good use. So far my best snap was just enough of the right sized double pane thermal windows to replace my old factory ones! The windows were considered "odd-size" and were being discontinued.

Final thought, Country Living magazine profiled a doublewide in Texas last summer-the place was beautiful. Still, I too hate the look in people's eye when I say I live in a trailer. Hmph to them, they usually need to borrow gas money from me :D
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