We come across a lot of closets of all shapes and sizes throughout the homes we visit in Chicago.  The one thing in common is that the majority of them poorly utilize the space.  When a closet is poorly organized, many of our customers commonly think that they are outgrowing their home and need to either throw away half of their clothes or move to a new home.  Luckily, our team of designers can usually get in there and design them an awesome closet that helps them better organize their items and looks beautiful.

In this video, watch as Bill walks you through how easy it is to install the Elfa Closet Organization system from The Container Store.

Recently, Associate Interior Designer Abigail Weiland was interviewed by a student that was coming close to graduating from Interior Design School.  In this interview, Abigail gives some helpful pointers to those looking to take on a career in Interior Design.

You can read the full interview with Abigail here.

If you are planning on going to the Home Depot this weekend to pickup some home improvement supplies for your next project, stop and read this post before stepping foot out the door!

Since we here at Design Inside make trips to Home Depot almost 3 times a week, we have spent a lot of time searching the endless aisles for a certain lamp or caulk.  In order to save some time and money (and our customers on design hours) you can use this guide to save 3% and have the Home Depot crew pull the items for you for pickup.

Here is how you do it.

1Sign up for an Ebates account.  It’s easy, takes only a few seconds and will earn you some easy cash at Home Depot and many other stores.  What’s not to love about that?

2Clear your browser history, this ensures that you get the full 3% rebate.  If you are not sure how to do this, search on YouTube for some videos to show you how to clear your browser history.  This is a critical step, so make sure you do this every time you buy something.

3Search for Home Depot on the Ebates site and click on the Shop Now or one of the coupon links.  This will take you to the Home Depot website and will enable a “Tracking Ticket” that will ensure you get your cash back credit on your purchase.

4Check that your tracking ticket has worked properly by going back to your Ebates site and click on My Accounts > Tracking Ticket.  Once you are on this page, you will have to click the drop-down arrow for the current month, then you should see a line item for the store (Home Depot in this case), a tracking ticket and the date/time.  If you do not see this tracking ticket, repeat steps 2 and 3.

5Now you can start shopping for your items.  The key trick to getting the items pulled for you is to change your store location and only purchase items that are available for Store Pickup.  To change your store, click on the “Change Location” at the top of the Home Depot page and select the store nearest to you.  In Chicago, we are big fans of the North Avenue Store (#1912) because of their extended hours, free parking and quick access from the freeway.

6When searching for your items, click the “Pick Up In-Store” button.

7When using coupon codes from sites like RetailMeNot, be very careful.  If you click on their links to “copy the coupon code”, this will drop a new Cookie on your computer and give them the credit for the sale instead of allowing you to get the Ebates credit.  Typically, you can still type in the actual coupon code and get the discount, just make sure you DO NOT click on any other links from coupon sites.

8Checkout and pay with your favorite credit card.  If you have a Home Depot credit card, you may be able to save more money.

9In about an hour or so, you should receive an email or text message from Home Depot stating that your order is ready for pickup. We recommend playing a round of Angry Birds or look at some of our past projects to pass the time while waiting for the notification.

10When you go into the store, head straight for the customer service desk (typically where you get your keys made) and tell them that your order is ready for pickup.  They will ask for your order number and name and give you your order.  We have used this service for picking up a single light switch and for picking up a large order of drywall, drywall mud, and about 30 other items.  Some locations will even help you load the order up in your car!

I hope you found this guide helpful and that you can use it for your next home renovation project.

For years men have had a very small portion of the home dedicated to their use.  In an ideal world, Man Caves of yesteryear would get a small corner of the basement for their tools and maybe a bar, however the basement bar is quickly being replaced with spaces that are far more sophisticated.  In the past year we have seen a surge in customers wanting dedicated “man caves” or “men dens” as some furniture manufacturers are calling it.  Whatever you want to call it, here are a few of tips to make your Man Cave the best it can be.

1Find a Dedicated Space

The Man Cave needs to be in a dedicated space.  It can be a spare bedroom, a portion of a finished basement or a space over the garage.  The key is, it should be a space where you can retreat from the remainder of the household activities.

2Purpose

Like any room in your home, a clear objective needs to be set for the space, otherwise it will feel like a cobbled together spare room. Will the room be used for entertainment where he can watch TV, play Xbox 360 and Playstationwith his pals? Or, will it be a place where he can perform office work. With many professionals spending more time telecommuting or needing a place to work after hours, we are typically seeing a combination of the two. Part for working, part for relaxing.  Whatever you choose, make sure that every decision maker in the house is on board with the decision.

3Pick a Style

Man caves from the ’90′s featured pool tables, beer signs and typically a poster featuring some “beer babe”.  Spaces today are a lot classier and more refined. They typically feel more like a cigar lounge instead of a corner tavern.

4Start Designing

Before you reach into your pocket to pull out a credit card, make sure to take the time to design.  You can either hire a designer (like us) to help you through the process or if you want to tackle it on your own go for it!  The key to designing a great space is to draw up a floor plan, pick out some inspiration images and start laying out the space.  Much like your high school English teacher would make you write up an outline, documenting furniture selections and laying them out on a floorplan is essentially your outline for your room.  Sites like Pinterest are a great place to document your furniture choices and find ideas, but be careful, it can get very overwhelming.

5Get Shopping!

Once you have the design complete or at least 75% of the way, it’s time to start shopping for the pieces of furniture, paint the room and getting contractors lined up for any necessary renovations.  Visit furniture stores or look at sites online to find the best deals.  Also, don’t forget about great sites like ebates which will give you an instant rebate for your online purchases.  For example, you can save 2% at Target.com, 2.5% at Wayfair.com and 3.5% at Home Decorators Collection.  Finally, because you have your awesome room plan (see step 4), you can stalk sites and wait for items to go on sale and lump purchases together to take advantage of additional savings if you open a credit card with a store.   Man caves are becoming an important part of a home these days.  With a little planning and by involving the entire family in the interior design process, you can not only make a space that works for the man of the house, but can also create a space that everyone in the house will enjoy.  To help get the creative juices flowing, I have included some links to some great products and some spaces that we have designed for past clients.

Past Man Cave Projects

Product Ideas Great for a Man Cave

[products skus="bp-shuffleboard, RH-Scissor-Table"]

If you are tight on space but need a place to put your coffee/water/beer/martini, pick out a small round stool, table or some of the newer “Poufs” that are coming the market.  The small size doubles as a table for most days, but can quickly transform into a stool for extra guests, a small table for your laptop, or a footrest for resting your feet after a long day at work.  Look for something around 10″ – 15″ in diameter and 17″ in height.  Anthing dramatically larger will be tough to move around.

Here are some products to get your creative juices flowing.

[products ids="6169, 6160, 6158"]