 
Each month Kathy will share her inspirations from home decorating to interior design, before & after projects, entertaining and lifestyle enhancements for your apartment- home-studio-dorm!
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About Kathy
Kathy Peterson is a celebrity design/lifestyle expert, national TV host and product developer/licensor. Peterson has made 100+ TV guest appearances on HGTV, DIY Network, PBS, TNN, The Discovery Channel and E-TV.
Kathy’s designs have also been featured in numerous women's publications and celebrity Oscar Gift Bags. She is frequently quoted in a variety of newspapers and magazine such as USA Weekend, Woman's Day, Chicago Tribune, RedBook and Cosmopolitan Magazine. She is author of 5 books with her most recent book titled
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Kathy Petersons Great Outdoor Decorating Makeovers.
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A Rental Decorating Makeover
I recently completed a 5 room makeover for two former foster girls who had aged out of Foster Care and wanted to share the results of their duplex rental. This was a 3 month volunteer job and can I just say this was one of the most empowering experiences I've ever had yet. One of the biggest challenges was having to work with a zero budget, hand-me-down furniture in 5 "very small" rooms and juggling every one's schedule! But believe me----it was soooo worth the effort and time--- even if it did take 3 months to complete.
I was so blessed to work with Maculene, age 20 and Christina, age 19 spending many days together teaching them how to sew, craft, make art, decorate, paint and more. We made all the bed covers, pillows and curtains plus painted and upholstered furniture and painted all the walls, made art and refurbished furniture-------and simply had a marvelous time creating a new look.
The biggest challenge was getting rid of all the clutter, working with a small amount of fabric, keeping things organized in a small space, coordinating schedules and finding hand-me-down furniture that fit the scale of the room. But the result speaks for itself! The small amount of fabric was challenging because we had so much sewing to do in each room but it made me really "get creative" with designing and I think the "patchwork" results are just so fun and cheerful!
So the next time you think your rental space needs a pick-me-up ask your landlord if you can freshen up the paint and get crafty with the sewing machine.
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