HGTV Magazine July-August 2014

Outdoor Chair Chevron Riviera rattan and woven plastic chair in navy, $225, serenaandlily.com DOGS WELCOME Signs Dogs 3" × 5½" cast-iron sign, $24, and Welcome 3" × 9¾" cast-iron sign, $38, both shopterrain.com Pet water Bowl Dipper ceramic bowl in hello yellow, from $18, waggo.com Welcome Mat Nautical Rope polypropylene doormat, $49, llbean.com Porch Light Tuscany Modern 6½"-diameter aluminum pendant in buttery yellow, from $189, barnlightelectric.com 826 House Numbers 7¼"-tall cast-aluminum house numbers, $10 each, cb2.com Door Jeld-Wen six-panel primed steel entry door with large pet door, from $441, homedepot.com; paint: Brilliant Sunshine by Clark + Kensington; Schlage Century zinc handleset in satin nickel finish, $160, amazon.com Planter + Flowers Nantucket Square 16"W x 16"D x 16"H polyethylene planter in neptune blue, $99, grandinroad.com. We planted Starlet burgundy petunias, Namid…

HANG YOUR LANTERNS Use needle-nose pliers to remove the handles, then loop an S hook through a hole on each side. Hang with a piece of chain link (available at hardware stores). We spray-painted our S hooks and chains pink. FILL THEM WITH FLOWERS Instead of a pillar candle, put a tall cylinder vase inside the lantern, then fill it with water and blooms. Console tables Melbourne 48"W x 16"D x 32"H teak console table, $649, frontgate.com Urbangreen Thompson 40"W x16"D x 30"H unfinished maple console table, $330.50, wayfair.com International Concepts Darien 48"W x 16"D x 30"H unfinished wood sofa table, $150, hayneedle.com Table runner fabrics Carousel Designs cotton fabric in pink and lime stripe, $13 per yard, babybedding.com Caden Lane Luxe Stripe cotton fabric in pink, $30 per yard,…

People often ask me how we decide which houses go in the magazine. My answer is always this: We don't have a set style of house that we feature—it could be a ranch house, a cottage, or a Colonial. It could be a new house filled with old stuff or an old house filled with new stuff. But the houses that make the cut are always loaded with ideas. This month in our House Tours section, you'll see two idea-packed homes and meet two super-creative homeowners. One is HGTV star Vern Yip, who recently designed his dream vacation house ("Chill Out With Vern," page 123). The other is retired home economics teacher Vicky Patton, who brought a run-down cottage back to life ("From Gross to Great!," page 132). They may…

With all those bright colors and cupcakes, your May cover exemplifies what fun looks like—I'm obsessed. I want to be invited to that party! —Holly Litts, Ronkonkoma, NY We have a saying at the thrift store where I'm a manager: "Brown furniture brings me down!" That's why I appreciated May's "Misfits in the Attic Get a Second Chance"—I love the idea of brightening up old pieces. Actually, I just finished restoring my own misfit, a damaged sewing table. —Paula Shanks, Munising, MI Thanks to "Everything Looks Better on a Tray" in your May issue, I've finally found a use for the cute tray I bought to go in my kitchen. My cookbooks and utensils have never looked so good! —Miriam Jenkins, Charleston, SC Seeing the transformation of the home featured…

$4,500+ worth of cool stuff Chip and dip bowl, page 156 10 winners Knack 3 Whale 19"-wide melamine chip and dip bowl in aqua, shophorse.com Patio chair, page 88 10 winners Rizza aluminum chair in orange, grandinroad.com Bird feeder, page 78 10 winners Moon 9"-diameter crackle glass bird feeder in harvest, gardeners.com Purple mixer, page 149 1 winner Artisan Series 5-quart stand mixer in lavender, kitchenaid.com Welcome mat, page 9 5 winners Nautical Rope polypropylene doormat in classic cobalt, llbean.com Classic bicycle, page 78 1 winner Huffy Deluxe women's cruiser bike in blue, wayfair.com Garden stool, page 64 5 winners Imax Paige 18"H x 17"-diameter aluminum stool, wayfair.com…

Patterned Frames Happy Chic by Jonathan Adler Quatrefoil 4" x 6" MDF frame, $12, jcp.com Sabrina and her nephew! "A $100 frame doesn't make your photo look 10 times better than a $10 frame, so why spend a fortune? One of my go-tos: Jonathan Adler's line for JCPenney. They're fun and graphic, and they'll happy up any table or shelf." —Sabrina Soto, The High Low Project GLASS Lamps "Usually only chichi ceramic lamps have this kind of vibrancy. But Lamps Plus somehow does it for $40—and that includes the shade!" —Maggie Cruz, Maggie Cruz Interior Design, Miami, FL UPHOLSTERED HEADBOARDS "Ballard Designs' headboards come in plush fabrics and have the same luxe details—button tufting, crisp tailoring—as high-end versions. The only thing missing is an extra zero on the price tag!"…